J.J. Abrams on sound and music for "Star Trek"

The June 2009 edition of Post Magazine has a good interview with J.J. Abrams, with yet another directorial mention on how great sound and music positively influences the look of a movie. Apparently, Abrams didn't like the initial mix and brought in legendary Star Wars Sound Designer Ben Burtt for help. Burtt went the minimalist route and stripped away a ton of audio he deemed unnecessary and made what remained clear and impactful. Sounds like he went too far as Abrams mentions a subsequent mix pass where lots of Michael Giacchino's music is added back in and sound effects taking a secondary role. It's interesting he mentions this because I've often felt that the initial big battle scene in Episode II and even scenes in Wall-E, two other Burtt helmers, sounded a bit sparse for my taste. Don't get me wrong though -- Burtt's still considered the undisputed number one Sound Designer in the world!