I recently rediscovered an interview that I gave to an aspiring audio engineer in 2006. Three years later I’ve found that some of my views and opinions have changed and others have stayed the same…
2006
1. What is a sound designer?
Generally speaking, a Sound Designer creates sound effects for different types of media. A sound designer can create sounds for Films, Television, Sound Effect Libraries, Radio, even laser guns that you can purchase at a toy store.
The term “Sound Designer†is one that connotes many different meanings depending on it’s context. Anyone can make a sound and record it, but a true Sound Designer in my opinion has an understanding and control of the relationship between sound and the context it’s presented in.
What I mean by that is that you need to have the appropriate sound for the emotion or idea you’re trying to convey. A very basic example would be that you wouldn’t use an elephant mating call for a footstep sound. It would confuse your audience.
The sounds you create need to speak clearly and appropriately, communicating what you had in mind. Think of sound effects as a universal language, unharnessed by the constraints of words. Ask yourself, what is the sound of the color green? If I created that green sound I heard in my head and played it for someone, would they say, that sounds very green?
The sound should be believable. When I see and hear a giant spaceship entering the atmosphere in a film, I want to believe that a giant spaceship entering the atmosphere right in front of me. One of the issues sound designers have is that when we do our best work, nobody notices because they were so enthralled by the experience.
The idea of the sound being appropriate for it’s context can be applied to music as well. Would I use a flute if I wanted to communicate Rock and Roll? Maybe, but the chances are that drums and guitars would communicate that idea a little more efficiently.
Professional Sound Designers not only control the relationship of sound and context but they should also have the ability to visualize any sound in their mind and then actually create that sound exactly as they imagined it.
At my current job, the title of Sound Designer means that not only do I create sound effects, but I also record and process dialog, edit music, create ambiences, design the behavior of sound within a video game and then actually implement the behaviors using special set of game development tools.
2009
1. What is a Sound Designer?
Today, my description of the term Sound Designer is the same as it was in 2006, the only exception being that I would also reference music, performance and installations as examples of Sound Design where the sound would not accompany another form of media.
I also find myself making more of a personal distinction between Sound Design and Audio Design. These are terms that are used interchangeably but now I view Sound Design as being the process of creating audible content, for example, an explosion sound effect. To me, Audio Design relates to the creation of systems and interaction, how that sound effect is modified on playback by specific events or the state of things.
2006
2. What made you decide to become a sound designer?
It was less of a decision and more of a realization that working with sound was what I loved to do. Once I figured that out, I just had to work out the details of how to get paid to do something that I’d be doing anyway, even if I was unemployed. I suppose you can get paid to do anything in this country if you’re good at it.
2009
2. What made you decide to become a sound designer?
After reading Outliers by Malcom Gladwell, I now feel that my decision was also based on seizing the opportunities that were available to me at the time due in part, to circumstance. Had there been no opportunities to work as a full time sound designer, I would still be working in sound but most likely in some slightly different creative capacity.
2006
3. What kind of education did your job require? A solid understanding and experience with both recording and synthesis. Also, a familiarity with computers and some basic understanding of programming. Though a college degree wasn’t necessary for the work I do now, it definitely helped me to get into my current position. I double majored in Music Technology and Social Science and I use the things I learned in college every day at work. Experience and understanding is much more important than the paper degree which represents it.
2009
3. What kind of education did your job require?
I completely missed an important point in my answer to this question. For Game Audio, it’s essential to have played a wide variety of video games. It’s also the same for television or film. Knowing the state of the art from the perspective of the audience is required for creating the best experience for them.
The line “Experience and understanding is much more important than the paper degree which represents it.” resonates with me. It reminds me of the screenplay, “A Few Good Men” where Lt. Daniel Kaffee says to Lance Cpl. Harold W. Dawson, “You don’t need a patch on your arm to have honor.”
2006
4. What were your expectations after you graduated? Did you have a job set up, or some other plan?
Funny you should ask. I felt completely lost after I graduated. One day I woke up and realized that all my roommates had just graduated with me and that they were all moving out in two weeks. I couldn’t afford to rent a three bedroom house on my own so I packed up all my belongings and moved from Olympia to Seattle where I slept on floors and couches for about three months before getting an apartment.
During that time I really struggled to get a gig. I had my degree but I didn’t have a whole lot that I could show for my experience. I landed an internship at a local recording studio by emailing them repeatedly and finally showing up at their door when they opened at 7:30am asking for an internship. Around the same time I got a job working as a touring roadie for a local sound and light company. I’ve never heard so much country music in my life as I did working as a roadie but I was learning and gaining experience. I began DJing at every art opening or club I could. That resulted in me getting a job working at the Aurafice Café on capitol hill. More on that later.
While none of these audio jobs paid my bills, I hunted like mad to find more jobs that would give me experience. I ended up cold calling a local DJ Software company and pitched them on the idea that they should hire me. To my astonishment, they did! I worked as a contractor doing research for them on DVD technology and music visualization and 5 years later I still work for them on the side.
Over the next few years I worked at Guitar Center, a radio station, got heavily involved with supporting the local electronic music scene, and put myself in situations like Laptop Battles where I had to be creative. I traveled to game conferences, audio conventions and tried to meet every one who could help me. One of the people I met was Kris Larson.
In 2002, I joined the Game Audio Network Guild and posted my resume on the message board. At this point I had been sending my resume anywhere and everywhere not getting any responses. I didn’t expect to hear from anyone but six hours after posting my resume I got an email from Kris, the head of Interactive Audio at Dolby Laboratories in San Francisco. He was interested in the audio work I had done but more interested in the fact that for the past few years I had worked at the Aurafice Café for his friend Paige. Kris and I kept in touch after that. Paige was a long time friend of his and a year later he’d moved to Seattle, fallen in love with her, moved in with her, and got hired to build the Audio Department of Cranky Pants Games.
Needless to say, when he needed an intern to hire on, he asked me if I would be interested in applying. I did, and I got the job. Over time I was eventually promoted to Associate Audio Designer and then again as a full Sound Designer. The moral of this story is that having knowledge and skills is essential for doing this work but that being ruthlessly persistent and building true friendships will get you jobs.
2009
4. What were your expectations after you graduated? Did you have a job set up, or some other plan?
Kris and Paige were married in 2008. I still believe that ruthless persistence and personal relationships go hand in hand with success.
2006
5. What is the range of salary one can expect in your field?
The salary range varies widely depending on the demand for experienced audio designers and the availability. It also depends on the talent and reputation of the designers themselves. In-house Sound Designers can expect to receive benefits like health insurance while contractors can negotiate higher pay. Game industry salary polls are taken by Gamasutra yearly.
2009
5. What is the range of salary one can expect in your field?
Yep. That’s still accurate. I’d also add that a hiring manager’s belief in someone’s potential can also affect salary. This can be related to reputation but isn’t always.
2006
6. Any current projects that you’re working on?
Yes, and I can’t talk about them unfortunately. I will say it’s pretty awesome and we’ll be announcing it in January. The last project I worked on was Evil Dead Regeneration for Xbox, Playstation 2 and PC. I learned about the joys of chainsaws.
2009
6. Any current projects that you’re working on?
The project I was referring to was the beginning stages of a Destroy All Humans title. I ended up transferring to Zipper Interactive where I spent about two years working on Core Audio systems and MAG – Massive Action Game.
2006
7. What do you love about your job? Whats not to love?
I love that I have someone else buying software and hardware for me to create with. I don’t think I’ve worked a day since being in this job. I’ve just gotten paid to do what I’d be doing anyway while being given pressure to produce and support to keep getting better.
What I don’t love is what we call crunch time. Crunch time is the end of a software development cycle where we work at a feverish pace for about 4 months. We sometimes work as many as 90 hours in a work week which can cause things in one’s personal life to slip. Game development is really something that requires dedication of mind, body and soul.
2009
7. What do you love about your job? Whats not to love?
I hope I never lose that positive outlook. There have been times when the support and positive pressure I valued so highly weren’t there. Those experiences have helped to make me more self-reliant. Subsequently, I’ve found myself spending a fair amount of time considering what it means to be an excellent Manager and how valuable that can be to individuals and organizations.
2006
8. What artists inspire you in your work?
I’m constantly inspired by emerging artists, especially local electronic musicians. Some other areas where I find inspiration are street art when it uses context creatively, Ayn Rand’s book, “The Fountainheadâ€, the Fourthcity Art Crew (a local artist collective), the artists at Burningman, Sound Designer Randy Thom, my mentors Peter Randlette and Kris Larson, my friends from all walks of life who don’t slack on reaching any of their dreams.
2009
8. What artists inspire you in your work?
I find myself inspired by people other than artists. I take inspiration from nature and people in fields unrelated to fine art or multimedia.
2006
9. How intense is the competition for jobs in your field?
Sound design is the most competitive field in the games industry. Our studio gets about three demo CDs a week from aspiring and established sound designers.
2009
9. How intense is the competition for jobs in your field?
I’d say that the competition for recognition is more intense than the competition for jobs. Someone wiser than myself once told me that the best way to get work is to throw work to other people. I see more people trying hard to find a situation that will make them happy than people competing for jobs.
2006
10. What special skills does it take to succeed in your profession?
It’s of the utmost importance to be able to speak clearly and precisely. I can’t stress that enough. The ability to communicate with artists and engineers is very important. They speak very different languages and as a Sound Designer I have to work effectively with both.
Knowing your personal limits and capabilities is also important. People frequently need time estimates on work and you’ll need to be able to provide them. People request the impossible and you’ll have to reel them back to earth. Not knowing your limits and agreeing to too much will result in getting overwhelmed and letting down other people. Underpromise and overperform.
One thing that helps a lot is simply timing yourself while performing tasks. That’s useful later on when creating time estimates for yourself or others.
2009
10. What special skills does it take to succeed in your profession?
I still agree with these points and I’d also add the ability to work effectively with difficult people. There will be times in your career when you’ll have to collaborate with people whom you don’t agree with or may not get along with. Developing the skills to negotiate these situations will be very valuable in the long term.
2006
11. Where do you see yourself in five years? Working with friends, developing and using cutting edge music and audio technology. Being proud of my accomplishments and confident about my direction in life.
2009
11. Where do you see yourself in five years? This is essentially what I’m doing now, less than five years later. The next step for me is figuring out how best to support and contribute to the careers and goals of others.
2006
12. What advice would you give someone planning on entering your line of work? Don’t ever try to BS anyone. Be confident about what you know but don’t pretend to know things that you don’t. Others can see right through it whether they tell you or not. Be yourself and be honest about who you are.
Also understand that everyone who works in this industry knows everyone else. Your reputation is tantamount to your success.
2009
12. What advice would you give someone planning on entering your line of work?
Amen.