Embracing the "Imperfectly Perfect" — A Conversation w/ Ilyeob Choo

In a world of maximalist club drops and algorithm-chasing bangers, Touch of Glass: Modern Intimacy invites producers to slow down and tune in. This sample pack explores the delicate space where vulnerability meets texture, offering a curated palette of soft synths, whispered vocals, and tactile percussion that feels as personal as a handwritten letter. We sat down with the creators behind the pack to discuss their inspirations, the emotional tone they aimed to capture, and how modern music can still make room for softness without losing its edge.

Conversation w/ Ilyeob Choo

Splice: Touch of Glass feels deeply intimate yet forward-thinking. Tell us about yourself and the original vision or emotional starting point for this project.

Ilyeob Choo: My name is Ilyeob Choo, and I’m a composer and producer currently working in Los Angeles.

As any forward-thinking composer or producer should, I’m always chasing sounds that feel unfamiliar—things you haven’t quite heard before. The truth is, certain libraries or sounds get overused. They’re everywhere, simply because they’re in everyone’s toolkit. So, when I pitched my idea to Splice for a cinematic sample pack, I asked myself: What’s missing from the market?

In my opinion, it is easier for a composer to get their hands on epic and polished sounds that impress straight out of the box than detail-driven intimate sounds. Everyone loves a massive brass hit or saturated percussion slams—they’re bold, they sell the moment. But when a story calls for something smaller, more fragile or nuanced, the options start to thin out. I’ve always gravitated toward sounds that are close, raw, and a little bit off-center—textures with character, personality, and imperfections. That gap in the market was where my idea started. And when I realized I had the tools and collaborators to bring this vision to life, I decided to take this opportunity to pitch my idea to the Splice team.

Of course, I didn’t arrive at this in a vacuum. There’s been a recent wave of stunning film scores leaning into subtlety and restraint—Past Lives, Minari, Poor Things—all major inspirations. These scores prove that intimacy can be just as cinematic as bombast. That’s the spirit behind this pack.

Splice: You reference inspirations like Past Lives, Minari, and Poor Things — what draws you personally to that delicate chamber sound in modern cinema?

Ilyeob Choo: I come from the world of pop music production, so I have a big appreciation for performances that are unique and full of character. Whether it’s a guitarist or a vocalist, there’s often a meticulous pursuit—not of perfection, but of nuance. It’s about capturing those subtle details that catch the ear and make something feel alive.

With the recent crossover of film score and contemporary pop, the same mindset often carries over. Today’s chamber-inspired film scores might use fewer players, but they lean more heavily into performance detail. Instead of the grand, lush strings recorded in a concert hall, you might hear a closely mic’d solo violin gliding and ricocheting to create unusual textures. Instead of a traditional orchestral harp, it might be muted harp plucks filtered through effects and pitch-bending.

Personally, I’m drawn to these kinds of intimate sonic explorations. They ignite a different kind of curiosity—they make you lean in. Space and ambience are still essential, but they can be shaped in post-production to suit the moment, allowing the raw, expressive quality of the sound to come through without overwhelming the dialogue.

Splice: This pack embraces the idea of “imperfectly perfect” recordings — What does that mean to you and can you talk about a moment during recording where an "imperfection" became a highlight of the pack?

Ilyeob Choo: I wanted to create sounds that capture a sense of fragility. To do that, the sounds themselves need to feel vulnerable—just like the characters in many of today’s modern drama films. I tend to gravitate towards this type of quality and emotion in sounds. When I scored Spark Wheel, directed by Billy Kent, I dialed in the sounds to match the characters’ uncertain emotions by embracing the same “imperfectly perfect” spirit to reflect the emotional rawness.

To me, imperfectly perfect—at least in a sonic sense—means embracing unexpected but beautiful frequencies and nuances in a performance or recording. For instance, I captured a lot of high frequency information in my clarinet recordings, giving them a breathy, airy texture. My friend Sarah Mosher flicked a screwdriver between two harp strings to create a trembling, almost vocal-like resonance—coaxing out harmonics the instrument was never meant to produce. These aren’t sounds you’ll need every time, but when the moment calls for something special, you’ll know where to find it.

Splice: Production techniques like granular synthesis and subtle pitch bends give the sounds a very human, almost breathing quality. How do you balance using technology without losing the organic feeling of the original recordings?

Ilyeob Choo: They say everyone uses auto-tune—it’s just about using it subtly enough that you don’t notice. The same idea applies when you’re balancing the organic feel of a raw performance with production techniques. For example, layering a subtle granular reverse that trails a kalimba note can instantly add a cinematic, moody quality without overwhelming the sound.

Sure, you can go bold and push the boundaries of sound design—and there’s a time and place for that—but for Touch of Glass and the kind of projects it’s meant to support, it was the subtle touches that really mattered. These effects helped elevate the performances while preserving that sense of vulnerability and fragility at the heart of the collection.

Splice: The textures in the pack seem ready for a range of genres, from ambient to electronic to film scoring. Did you think about versatility during production, or did it evolve naturally?

Ilyeob Choo: Absolutely. In fact, Max, the manager of the project from Splice, and I talked about this versatility from the very first meeting. We were both excited by the idea that these sounds could live across different genres. As I mentioned earlier, I come from a pop music production background, and more than ever, we’re seeing a real crossover between pop and film music.

Film scores have benefited from pop production techniques over the years, and now I hear pop music weaving in cinematic elements—whether it’s strings, ambient drones, or textural sound design—to create something that stands out. That crossover is inspiring. I’m genuinely excited about this cultural blend and can’t wait to hear how artists from all kinds of musical worlds take these sounds and make them their own.

Splice: Looking back at the final result, what are you most proud of about Touch of Glass?

Ilyeob Choo: I’m most proud of the collaborative results that I was able to achieve with my friends who played their instruments exceptionally well on this pack. The harpist Sarah Mosher, again, made the harp ring in ways it wasn’t supposed to ring, and the results are wonderfully experimental and useful. The way Emer Kinsella played the violin to make it shrill, glide, and bounce added depths to this project. Emer’s performances opened up an entirely new section of the pack that invites exploration across genres.

I hope the cinematic textures and uniquely characterful sounds in Touch of Glass will find their way into the hands of many music-makers out there —and that, when they hit a moment in their track and think, “Ah, I know what I can use here,” they’ll reach for something from this pack.

Whether you're scoring a late-night scene, building a bedroom pop track, or simply exploring new sonic palettes, Touch of Glass: Modern Intimacy offers the kind of detail and emotional nuance that can elevate any production. Tap into the pack now and bring a subtle, human touch to your next project.