John Loranger, the supervising sound editor behind the hit Netflix series Wednesday, has spent years refining a "creative shorthand" with showrunners Al Gough and Miles Millar. Now, with the launch of his new venture, Phase Theory, Loranger takes us behind the scenes of Season 2 to discuss the show’s restrained gothic palette, the evolution of the character Slurp, the frequency-splitting of monsters and the technical marathon of the season's biggest set pieces.
How did you first get involved with the show?
“I’ve been fortunate to work with Al Gough and Miles Millar since 2016. Over that time, we’ve completed several seasons across three very different shows, each with a distinct character, yet all demanding in terms of defining dynamic ‘other worlds,’ where anything can happen from one minute to the next.
“As of now, we’re looking at 52 one-hour episodes of total collaboration. Because of that history, we’ve developed a powerful creative shorthand. We don’t spend much time figuring out how to communicate, which allows us to jump straight into tone and intent. When Wednesday came along, I was thrilled to get on-board early to help define the show's sonic character and direction from the ground up.
“All of the work on Season 2 was done under my previous banner, Loranger Sound Lab, which has since evolved into Phase Theory. The approach remains the same: story-driven sound design. But Phase Theory represents the next step in our evolution.”
What are Wednesday’s specific needs and its sound signature?
“Miles, Al, and Tim always set the tone. They talked about it as a balance between gothic and grounded — something that feels cinematic and elevated, but still anchored in Wednesday’s deadpan perspective. The humor isn’t pushed, it just exists in how seriously everything is treated. That contrast — between the darkness of the world and her very precise, dry point of view — is really what defines the tone of the show.
“Visually, it can be quite epic and cinematic, so the sound has to support those moments without ever feeling like it’s pushing too hard. Jenna Ortega’s performance is very restrained and understated, so the sound needs to follow that lead. We are very intentional with what we choose to punctuate and where we stay out of the way.”
Where does the audio post take place, and what tools are driving the workflow?
”We handle all sound editorial in Toronto — dialogue, ADR and sound effects. We work in Pro Tools, and the show is finished in Dolby Atmos at Company 3 with lead mixer Mike Baskerville and FX mixer Jamie Sulek. They bring a lot of precision, experience and musicality to the process, and really understand the specific tone we’re aiming for. Finishing in Atmos provides that extra dimension and immersion required for a show of this scale.”
Tell us about the team and how you manage the various layers of the soundtrack?
“It’s a highly-collaborative group. Dan Sexton handles the hard FX and shares the sound design responsibilities with me. Dan is a key asset to our process, bringing four decades of sound design mastery that adds incredible depth to everything we create.
“Alastair Gray manages the dialogue, and he is that special breed of dialogue editor that is worth their weight in gold. He’s constantly saving production wherever possible.
“For backgrounds, Kristi McIntyre and I work closely to build the environmental beds that support the overall tone as it evolves. Kristi is truly fantastic. Her ability to layer subtle, atmospheric textures is what keeps the world feeling grounded yet eerie.
“On the ADR side, Matt Hussey and I co-supervise, with Scott Donald as ADR editor and Olenka Kimball supervising our incredibly talented loop group. Our assistant, Sue Fawcett, keeps the entire machine moving forward through a very tight, overlapping schedule.
“For Foley, we work with Randy Wilson and his team at Q5. Randy’s team provides that organic layer that makes the world feel ‘lived-in.’ A standout element is their work on Thing. Because Thing has no dialogue, his entire ‘voice’ is found in the Foley. Every skitter, tap and gesture has to convey emotion and intent. Randy and his crew are incredibly nuanced with how they approach his performance, ensuring he feels like a fully-realized character with a distinct personality.”
Can you talk about the character Slurp and how that sonic signature was achieved?
“One of the bigger creative challenges in Season 2 was the character Slurp. Al, Miles and Tim wanted something that didn’t feel like a traditional zombie, so we went in a more abstract direction. His sonic signature is really a combination of all departments working in harmony.
“His voice is a complex blend of my own vocals, the loop group, actor ADR and dedicated creature sound design. For his body movements, we built a massive library of about 20 layers consisting of bone movements, goo, animals and Foley. As the character evolves over several episodes and becomes more human, the sound has to evolve with him. It’s a constant refinement of that balance between something organic and something more abstract.”
How do you handle the more complex, cinematic sequences, like the raven attack for example?
“The one-eye raven attack sequences were a significant challenge. Tim Burton’s direction was for the attack to feel suffocating. We achieved that by using Sound Particles to make the track feel incredibly dense and oppressive. It allowed us to randomize hundreds of ravens — with hundreds of individual wing flaps and shrieks — in the Atmos field, creating a sense of being completely swallowed by the swarm.”
What about managing the frequency spectrum when there are multiple creatures on-screen?
“We also had to tackle the introduction of Mother Hyde, which presented its own technical challenge. Since the Hyde’s vocalizations already occupy a broad frequency spectrum, having two on-screen at once created a crowding issue. To differentiate her from Tyler’s Hyde, I focused Mother Hyde’s sounds in the extreme high and low-end frequencies, letting Tyler occupy the middle. This ensured that even when they were both vocalizing at high intensity, they remained distinct in the mix.”
Is there a sequence that defined the season for you sonically?
“The end sequence of Episode 204. It’s a 10-minute crescendo of tension, horror and comedy, all building toward the cliffhanger moment where Wednesday is thrown out of the window by the Hyde. It was a massive exercise in dynamic mixing, and a lot of that success comes down to the work of composer Chris Bacon and music editor Michael Ryan. Their score, along with the actors' performances, provided the emotional engine for the scene, and it was up to Jamie Sulek and Mike Baskerville on the mix stage to weave that score together with our sound design. They were able to find the perfect pockets for both, letting the music drive the drama while ensuring our sound design and the actors’ performances carried their tactile, emotional weight.
“It’s a marathon of a sequence that really showcases the technical and creative synergy of the entire team. Momentous sequences such as this were built into the story arcs of each episode and pushed the narrative tension further and higher as the season climbed to its own climactic conclusion.”