Bill Hunt, from The DIGITAL BITS website provides a detailed review of the sound design behind TRUE NOIR’s “fully immersive” audio experience and explains what sets this production apart from traditional, old-timey radio plays.

Here are select excerpts from his review (you can read his entire review here) …

“Writer Max Allan Collins has had a prolific career that includes everything from novels to screenplays and comic books. He wrote the Dick Tracy newspaper strip for many years, for example, and his 2002 graphic novel Road to Perdition was adapted into a film of the same name directed by Sam Mendes. … Collins’ novel, True Detective, and his adaptation of that story into True Noir, exist in a real world setting that mixes both fictional and historical characters (like Eliot Ness, played here by Jesse Spencer).

The story weaves its way through a backdrop of actual events, including the imprisonment of Al Capone for tax evasion, planning for the impending Chicago World’s Fair, the ongoing Great Depression, and the political winds of FDR’s New Deal coalition, which began in 1932 (its first actual reforms were only passed a year later).”

Praise for TRUE NOIR’S supporting cast

“The supporting players bring their A-game as well, including Combs and Strathairn along with Vincent Pastore (The Sopranos), Bill Smitrovich (The Practice), C. Thomas Howell (The Hitcher), William Sadler (The Shawshank Redemption), Paton Oswalt (Ratatouille), Louis Lombardi (The Sopranos), Richard Portnow (The Sopranos), Adam Arkin (Chicago Hope), Bill Mumy (Lost in Space), Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace), Barry Bostwick (The Rocky Horror Picture Show), and many more.”

About TRUE NOIR’S sound design

“The series’ 10 episodes have been mixed in both 2.0 stereo and 5.1 surround by Mike McDonald and his team at Private Island Audio. Both mixes are excellent, but it’s the surround experience that really enhances the drama. While the 5.1 mix is very good in a home theater listening environment, the staging truly comes alive via headphones.

When Heller and Cermak’s Hoodlum Squad walk across a lobby, you can hear sounds echoing off the marble flooring and high ceilings. As they burst into Nitti’s office, the door opens front and center, then office sounds expand around you as if you’re entering the room with them. Gunshots ring out in front and ricochet behind you. Cars on busy streets pass left to right. In speakeasy scenes, glassware and clientele chatter can be heard from all around.”

TRUE NOIR on Blu-Ray

“There are plans to make True Noir available on physical Blu-ray Disc later in 2025, a package that will feature the complete audio drama in both 2.0 and 5.1 surround, along with the documentary series, the interviews, and additional special features.

If you’re a fan of classic audio dramas, True Noir is shaping up to be a great one. It’s well written and directed, features an exceptional voice cast, and promises to deliver plenty of gritty action, moody soundscapes, and unexpected twists.”

Read the full review here.