By Kristin Marguerite Doidge

Supervising sound editor Lauren E. Price knows the importance of rhythm in music — and in comedy. A self-taught musician, she comes from a musical family and understands the value of well-timed needle drops — and mic drops.

That’s made her work on “Stumble,” a new NBC/Peacock single-camera mockumentary series about the ridiculously high-stakes competitive world of junior college cheer, not only fun but creatively rewarding. Price currently works for StudioPost, an NBCUniversal post facility on the lot at Universal.

“There’s definitely a rhythm to comedy,” she said. “I think my musical background helps with that, especially when we’re in ADR. If we have actors coming in that are recording added lines, or if we have an issue with the production line and they have to re-record, that timing is so important.”

The series, which premiered last fall, stars Jenn Lyon as the spirited cheer coach, “SNL” alum Taran Killam as her devoted husband, and guest stars Kristen Chenoweth alongside a talented cast of young actors (Ryan Pinkston, Jarrett Austin Brown, Anissa Borrego, Arianna Davis, Taylor Dunbar, and Georgie Murphy) who make up the quirky but dedicated cheer squad at the fictional Headltston [actual spelling] State Junior College. It is written and executive produced by siblings Jeff and Liz Astrof (of “Shining Vale” and “Pivoting” fame, respectively).

The genuine joy and camaraderie on screen could be felt behind the scenes, too. During spotting sessions for each episode with the showrunners, producers, and picture editors, there was real laughter, Price said. “We would run through the episodes scene by scene, and they’d stop and give us notes on how they wanted a particular scene to sound or any sound effects they’d want added,” she explained. “And honestly, we would just laugh so much in these spotting sessions.”

One particular scene from the first episode of “Stumble” still makes her laugh even after seeing it a hundred times.

CHEERS: Taran Killam and Jenn Lyon in “Stumble.” PHOTO: NBC

“When Boone [Killam] was a young football player and got tackled, that’s my absolute favorite,” she said. “In the next episode, there’s a trombone player walking on the field who trips over him, and the trombone makes a noise. That whole thing was so dependent upon sound because there’s no dialogue. So we really needed to make sure that we incorporated the realism of the tackle and the game, but also a little bit of a funny element to it.”

Achieving the right balance between funny and real, and paying attention to tiny sound details, are big parts of what producer Todd Aronauer said elevates the show to another level. “Every show develops its own sound palette and world for the characters to live in,” he said. “‘Stumble’ is a bit unique within the wide variety of other moc-doc series because of the cheer routines and performances in every episode. Lauren and her team put a lot of time and effort into keeping the show sounding authentic for the sports aspects as well as maintaining the moc-doc comedy style in how we tell our stories.”

‘In the ‘90s, I was a grunge kid.’

To that end, Price credits the talented sound team led by dialogue editor John Creed, sound effects editor Ben Gieschen, and Foley artist and editor Brian Straub with helping to punctuate both the comedic and heartfelt moments throughout the series, whether the squad is on the field performing cheer routines in practice or at games, or in typing class while passing notes.

“From start to finish with this show — the creators/showrunners, the actors, the sound team I work with — it’s such a great experience,” she said. “It’s so positive and fun. You can tell that everybody really enjoys their job.”

SURROUNDED BY SOUND

Price was born in Vineland, New Jersey, and raised in Millville. She had originally planned to work in music production, having played acoustic and electric guitar, drums, and bass since she was seven.

“I was in high school in the 1990s, so I was a grunge kid,” she explained. “Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Hole, all of those ‘90s rock bands were my jam, but I was also into ‘70s rock thanks to my parents: Fleetwood Mac, Heart, Pink Floyd, to name a few.”

While she was still living in New Jersey, she wrote and recorded a few songs at her friend’s recording studio, The Audio Lab. “Tony Mascara Jr. (owner, engineer, and phenomenal drummer) and I recorded all the tracks,” she said. “I played guitar and bass, and he played drums and upright bass. This was my first experience in a recording studio.”

She was hooked instantly. “I immediately fell in love with the recording studio. I asked him to teach me different mic techniques and show me how things worked in the control room,” she said. “I would go over and hang out and play guitar on other people’s sessions, and I just knew I wanted to learn more about the audio world.”

She first became interested in post-production sound work during her time at the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences (CRAS) in Tempe, Arizona. She graduated with her certificate in audio engineering in 2013.

“I thought I wanted to be a recording or mix engineer,” she said. “But while I was at school, we had a post-production cycle where they introduced us to dialogue, editing, sound effects, Foley, music, and mixing. I thought, ‘OK, this is interesting.’ At the time, I didn’t even know that was a career path.”

SING OUT: Arianna Davis in “Stumble.” PHOTO: NBC

After some research and discussion with her instructors at school, Price secured a post-production internship in Los Angeles at Kappa Studios in Burbank, where she learned more about sound editing and mixing processes, and a second internship with Micdi (also in Burbank), a music editorial company. Both have served her well, especially in her role as a supervising sound editor. “I believe a key to being an effective supervisor is understanding each step of the post-production process and being able to jump in wherever needed,” she said.

The move to LA also allowed her to meet a number of fellow CRAS graduates, including Brian Armstrong, an Emmy-nominated supervising sound editor who recently worked on “Shogun,” among other acclaimed projects. Armstrong helped her learn to cut dialogue and get her foot in the door.

“I really did have a lot of mentors along the way,” she said. “Brian was the one who got me going. He definitely gave me my first break. And I feel like at each juncture along the way in my career, someone has given me a big break.”

In 2016, Kelly Cabral hired Price as the dialogue editor on “Game of Silence,” the dark thriller series from NBC. Cabral, who’s worked on a number of feature films with director Nick Cassavetes (including “The Notebook”), is a veteran supervising sound editor with three decades of experience in film and television — a fact that wasn’t lost on her young mentee.

‘Keep up with the latest technology.’

“She is one of the women who pioneered the way for us,” Price said. “That in itself was a little intimidating. She said, ‘I’m going to give you a shot, and it’s up to you what you make of it.’ So I put my nose to the grindstone and learned all that I could about dialogue editing, and I continued to work with Kelly for the next six years.”

Price also counts Ruth Adelman, sound supervisor for “Abbott Elementary,” as another valued mentor. “Just to be able to work with these women is so empowering,” she added.

As she’s worked her way up from dialogue editor to supervising sound editor over the past 12 years, she’s developed strong relationships with other dialogue, music, and sound editors, leading to frequent collaborations. She’s also amassed an impressive list of credits, including work on “Abbott” with Adelman, “Running Point,” “13 Reasons Why,” and “Grown-ish,” as well as a number of other popular TV series.

Price is currently working on the second season of “Running Point” for Netflix and looks forward to continuing to expand her experience in sound editing in the comedy genre and beyond. Yet despite all her success, she’s learned not to rest on her laurels.

“All my mentors have reminded me to keep up on the latest technology, to always try to better yourself, and to always try to improve upon what you’re doing — the way you’re cutting, your work on the mix stage, or whatever it may be,” she said. “Continue to focus and hone your craft and always keep moving forward.”