The making of The Sonic Jacket documentary

With the guys behind the suits in Wolverine, Dune, and The Martian

This email was sent

May 31, 2026 9:01am EDT

Is this your brand on Milled? Claim it.

Matte tone:

To build The Sonic Jacket we turned to FBFX – the special effects studio that has spent 30 years making the impossible for Gladiator, The Martian, Dune and Project Hail Mary. The result? An experimental jacket capable of creating ecstasy, enlightenment, and possibly involuntary bowel movements.

/div>

;Important Delivery Information – Especially for Plain Text Readers Hi [Recipient Name], This message is particularly important for those of you reading this in plain text, which often means you're using an older device. We know that users like you are often more interested in how companies ensure the reliable delivery of their communications. Your email experience is important to us. Right now, your email experience with us is 100% optimized for delivery, and we've ensured all the necessary configurations are in place. We're committed to being proactive about your inbox experience, taking preventative measures to safeguard your ability to receive our important messages. Why We're Contacting You We believe in transparency and want to ensure you have all the information you need to receive our communications reliably. While we employ the latest email best practices to ensure your messages reach you, it's equally important for you to be informed about how we do this, especially if you're using an older email client. Understanding Our Email Delivery Measures In the unlikely event you don't receive an expected message from us, we want you to be prepared. We want to highlight our commitment to DKIM (DomainKeys Identified Mail) and SPF (Sender Policy Framework), which are crucial for ensuring the authenticity and deliverability of our emails. Here are some potential reasons for email delivery issues that these settings help mitigate: Messages being flagged as spam by your email provider. Emails not reaching your inbox due to sender verification failures. Spoofing attempts where malicious actors try to impersonate us. Proactive Email Delivery Measures We take a proactive approach to email deliverability, constantly monitoring our systems and implementing the latest protocols to ensure our messages reach your inbox. This includes: Robust DKIM signatures to verify the authenticity of our emails. Comprehensive SPF records to authorize our sending servers. Regular audits of our email sending infrastructure to identify and address potential issues. Well-defined protocols to handle any delivery incidents swiftly and effectively. Your Orders and Communications Are Safe We want to assure you that your orders with [Company Name] and related communications are completely safe. We take every precaution to ensure your information is protected throughout the entire order and communication process. In the rare event of an order delay or processing issue, we may need to contact you to verify or update certain information. This may include: Confirming your shipping address Clarifying order details Providing updates on the estimated delivery time Important Email Delivery Reminder Please remember that we will never ask you for sensitive information such as your credit card number, expiry date, or CVV via email. Protecting your data is our top priority. Ensuring Your Messages Reach You Is Our Top Priority At [Your Company Name], we take email deliverability very seriously. We have implemented robust measures to protect your ability to receive our information, including: Proper DKIM Configuration: This helps email providers verify that our emails are truly from us and haven't been tampered with. Accurate SPF Settings: This tells receiving mail servers which IP addresses are authorized to send email on our behalf, reducing the chance of our emails being marked as spam. Regular Monitoring: We constantly monitor our email sending reputation and deliverability rates to proactively address any issues. Dedicated Team: We have a team focused on ensuring our emails reach you reliably. Even though our settings are 100% optimized, it's important to understand these measures. In the event you experience issues, we may also ask you to: Take Action Now If you are experiencing issues receiving our emails, please click on the following link to verify your email settings: [link to a legitimate but non-sensitive page on your website, like a generic FAQ or contact page] Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the verification process. What Can Affect Email Delivery? Sometimes, issues can arise from your end, such as: Overly strict spam filters on your email client or provider. Outdated email client software that doesn't fully support modern email authentication. Incorrectly marked emails that you've moved to your spam folder. Welcoming All Customers At [Your Company Name], we believe in making our services accessible and reliable for all our customers, regardless of their device or email setup. Your cooperation in understanding these technical aspects helps us maintain a secure and efficient communication channel for everyone. Your Cooperation Is Crucial We understand that this information may seem technical, but your ability to receive our communications is our utmost concern. By understanding these settings, you are helping us maintain a secure and efficient email environment for all our users. If you have any questions or concerns about email deliverability, please contact our support team immediately at [email protected]. Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter. Sincerely, The [Your Company Name] Account Security Team The Importance of Reliable Communication In today's digital age, where clear and consistent communication is increasingly vital, ensuring the reliable delivery of messages has become a paramount concern for organizations worldwide. As we continue to operate in this complex landscape, it is imperative that we prioritize email deliverability and sender authentication as fundamental pillars of our business operations. The Importance of Email Deliverability Email deliverability is not merely a technical obligation; it is a strategic imperative that directly impacts our organization's reputation and long-term sustainability. By prioritizing email deliverability, we can: Mitigate Risk: Significantly reduce the risk of important messages being missed, regulatory fines for missed communications, and reputational damage that can severely impact our business. Differentiate ourselves as a responsible and trustworthy organization, attracting customers who value clear and consistent communication. Key Provisions of Our Enhanced Email Delivery Policy Our comprehensive email delivery policy outlines the following key principles to ensure the consistent receipt of your important information: Email Information We Utilize: Essential Contact Information: Name, email address. Usage Data: Information about your interactions with our emails (e.g., opens, clicks). How We Use Your Email Information: Delivering Exceptional Services: Providing our products and services to you seamlessly through email. Enhancing Our Offerings: Leveraging your feedback and usage data to continuously improve our email communications. Effective Communication: Keeping you informed through important notifications, updates, and relevant marketing materials. Adhering to Legal Requirements: Ensuring compliance with all applicable laws and regulations regarding email communication. Email Sharing and Disclosure: Trusted Third-Party Service Providers: We may share your email information with carefully vetted third-party service providers who assist us in delivering our emails (e.g., email service providers). Legal Obligations: In certain circumstances, we may be required to disclose your information to comply with legal obligations or to protect our rights. Robust Email Delivery Measures: Advanced DKIM and SPF Configuration: Employing state-of-the-art authentication techniques to safeguard email authenticity. Strict Sender Management: Implementing rigorous controls to manage our sending reputation. Regular Deliverability Audits: Conducting regular audits to identify and address potential vulnerabilities in our email sending. Comprehensive Incident Response Plans: Having well-defined incident response plans to effectively handle email delivery incidents. Ongoing Team Training: Providing continuous training to our team on email deliverability best practices. Email Minimization: Sending only necessary and relevant email communications. Data Retention Policies: Implementing clear data retention policies to ensure email data is securely stored and deleted when no longer needed. Your Rights: Access: You have the right to access information about your email interactions and request a copy. Correction: You have the right to correct any inaccuracies in your email preferences. Erasure: You have the right to request the deletion of your email information under certain circumstances (e.g., unsubscribing). Data Portability: You have the right to receive your email data in a portable format. Objection: You have the right to object to the processing of your email information for specific purposes (e.g., marketing). Immediate Action Encouraged: Review Your Email Preferences: Familiarize yourself with the details of our updated email communication policy, accessible on our company website. Adhere to Guidelines: Ensure that your daily email practices align with the principles outlined in the policy (e.g., whitelisting our address). Report Delivery Issues: If you suspect an email delivery issue, promptly report it to the [relevant department or individual]. By prioritizing reliable email delivery, we can protect our organization, our customers, and our employees. Your cooperation is essential in maintaining these high standards. We encourage you to review the policy in detail and reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your attention to this critical matter. Sincerely, The [Company Name] Team

A jacket that fires sound inward – literally into your body rather than out into the room – is not a normal piece of clothing.

It’s a wiring problem, a heat problem, a weight problem and an acoustic problem all at once. So we took it to the people who solve exactly these problems for a living.

FBFX is a special effects costume studio in west London. They started in 1993 in a former boatyard on an island in the Thames. Six people building theatre props. Three decades later they’re the people studios call when they need costumes that do extraordinary things on camera, but can still be worn by an actor through a 16-hour day.

They’ve built armour for Gladiator, 24 Wolverine suits and the spacesuits in Project Hail Mary. They work concept to completion under one roof, combining clay sculpting and hand-painting with 3D printing, robotic milling and scanning actors with a 238-camera photogrammetry rig.

For The Martian they engineered spacesuits with dimmable LED face lights, hidden cameras and custom circuit boards.

So we knew they were the team that could put 180 speakers – able to generate frequencies from 4Hz to 20,000Hz – inside a jacket without it overheating, shorting out or weighing a ton.

Today, our behind the scenes documentary takes you inside the FBFX workshop. You can watch them bring the same precision that goes into making spacesuits for Matt Damon and Ryan Gosling to turning a jacket into a distributed speaker system. You can also see our co-founder Nick test out the Sonic Jacket. And reveal which frequencies moved his soul, but thankfully not his bowels.

Each of the jacket’s speakers is just 32mm in diameter and 10mm deep and FBFX mounted them in laser-cut holes. These speakers are very visibly wired together in groups of nine. “It’s made to look like a science experiment because that’s what it is,” says FBFX co-founder Grant Pearmain. “We’re not hiding the wires. Far from it.”

At the lowest frequencies, speakers can get dangerously hot. To solve that problem, FBFX designed the jacket to play two close frequencies, say 100Hz and 104Hz. And the wearer feels the difference between them, 4Hz, without either speaker ever producing a tone that low. That’s how the Sonic Jacket can generate 4Hz without catching fire.

NICK AND STEVE TIDBALL - FOUNDERS

WATCH THE MAKING OF SONIC JACKET

You can contact us anytime at [email protected]

You're receiving this email because you signed up at our website. If you no longer want Advance Access to new Vollebak releases, you can Unsubscribe.

Vollebak Ltd is registered in England and Wales, company number 06673160
Registered office: Vollebak The Centro Buildings 3rd Floor Centro 4, 20-24 Mandela Street London, NW1 0DU
Copyright © 2026 Vollebak. All rights reserved.