Common Sense Media Review
By Marty Brown
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Music insider gets great guests; has profanity.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
WATCH THE SOUND WITH MARK RONSON looks at how different pieces of technology have influenced pop music throughout the years. Ronson digs into a different aspect of music in each episode, from Auto-Tune to reverb to synthesizers, bringing in musicians and experts to give a satisfying introduction to aspects of songwriting and producing that viewers might otherwise take for granted.
Is It Any Good?
A lot of music docs feature lesser-known musicians talking about popular songs; here, Mark Ronson is able to go straight to the sources. Watch the Sound with Mark Ronson stands out amongst its peers in part because of Ronson's access. For the episode on sampling, for example, Ronson brings in Hank Shocklee of the Bomb Squad and the living members of the Beastie Boys, artists who had their hands in the creation of two of the three albums in the hip-hop sampling Holy Grail (Public Enemy's It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back, De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising, and Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique). Thus, the series takes on a feeling of intimacy and urgency that is absent from most talking heads docs, and allows it to bring new insight to well-covered topics and travel to illuminating places that others would never be able to reach.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about technology in music. Did Watch the Sound change how you think about creating or listening to music? What elements of songcraft and production were new to you? Did anything surprise you?
What are some of the ways the featured artists experimented or innovated with technology? How did this change the sound of the music? What were some particularly successful choices? What made them successful?
TV Details
- Premiere date : July 30, 2021
- Cast : Mark Ronson
- Network : Apple TV
- Genre : Educational
- TV rating :
- Last updated : August 5, 2021
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by
Suggest an Update
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate