Hi, my name Stan van den Baar and I’m a Dutch sound designer and composer, known for my work on films such as “Ome Cor” (2022), “One More Shot” (2021) and “Boykee” (2019). More here IMDb

I’m the founder and owner of Noordersound, a studio based in the heart of Rotterdam that focuses on creating unique sound solutions for art and media.

In my work I strive for clarity in story and emotion through a multi-layered and holistic approach to sound for art and media. I employ an impressionistic approach, while sometimes unorthodox for mainstream media, it is very suitable for experiential media and leaves the final say with the audience.

In addition to my work at Noordersound, I’m active as a freelance sound designer and technician for production houses. I also am a soundie with De Rode Loper, an ongoing theatre project that focuses on increasing knowledge and awareness about (sexual) trauma, where I use my expertise as a trauma survivor to help tell stories to a live audience or corporate events.

I share my musical musings under pseudonyms: Venesta, Apophis, The Tux, Not Made For Mono, Willem L’FO on platforms such as Spotify, Bandcamp, SoundCloud, (and probably some other nooks) where I have published various songs.

As a neurodivergent autodidact I have a long and storied carreer spanning multiple fields of interest which I take into my business and creative endeavours.

From a young age I became fascinated by music, sound effects, electronics, tape and vinyl. My mother was a professional ballet dancer and my father exploited a pub so there was music on all the time. Growing up in a household of violence and addiction throughout most of my childhood, I found my escape from this turmoil in computers, film and music. Re-enacting film scenes (on and off stage), learning the score and mimicking the sound effects like one of my childhood heroes: Michael Winslow.
I also developed a passion for the household VHS machine and, the drums (aka Nan’s pots and pans), my grandads photo camera’s, portable recorder and the tape-decks and the Wurlitzer jukebox from his uncle and started recording and DJ-ing.

At the age of 13, nearing the end of my first year in high-school I made a friend and we started experimenting with computer-based musicking and I became fascinated with the endless possibilities in CoolEdit Pro.
A year later I discovered the local all-vinyl record store in the town we moved to and from that point on my academic prospects quickly diminished as I rapidly became an avid digger and night-time techno DJ Venesta in the weekends.

At the 10th anniversary of ADE I was invited to visit the SAE Institute studios then in Rotterdam at the time and fell in love with what I saw

3 Years later I moved to cities once more and started to pursue a active career in audio engineering while holding down an IT job as a systems admin and security analyst. During my studies I visited and had short residencies at renowned recording studios, produced a couple of studio singles and EPs my self and my first soundtracks for short-films under the umbrella of Audiophile Sound and Music which later split and became Sonophile, the label and Noordersound, the creative sound company.

Since then I keep on trucking on numerous projects as an engineer, enthusiast and professional or contributing artist and am honoured in receiving some accolades for my work.
I am also a proud dad, nerd, outdoorsman and walk around with a recorder on me when I can.