What Pro Audio Designers Do Differently

In my last article, we talked about three big myths about working in game audio:

• Getting good at your craft is all that matters

• The industry is dying and no one is hiring

• AI is going to destroy us all

But now, let's talk about how to avoid those common pitfalls and how to make sure that those myths don't affect us negatively.

Whether you're new to the field, currently in a stall in your career, or you're coming from another audio industry (like theater, film, post-production, live music, etc.) this is sure to help.

We can summarize how to stand out very simply

And it's with just two words:

Be human.

This is what the pros do that keeps them afloat, regardless of how the industry is doing.

But what the heck does that mean? Well, let's go over the opposite behaviors of what it means to "be human" in our careers:

• Sending generic copy/paste emails, reels, and resumes to random strangers while begging for a job

• Never leaving your home, sharing your work, posting anything, talking to anyone, or existing in the world of game development, but still hoping that work will somehow fall into your lap

• Never asking around to see what the people who are hiring actually value

• Not asking high-quality questions when a game developer says "I need sound/music for this game"

• Denying your curiosity, and not learning about all aspects of game development and the industry as a whole

• Desperately chasing after work, begging strangers to "hop on a call", and being super needy

If you've been around long enough, you might be guilty of some of these behaviors. I know I have been.

When we get desperate, we lose touch with the human side of what we do. We disconnect from the part of us that got us into audio in the first place - the side of us that finds working in games to be fun.

Instead, we start trying to control everything, becoming tense, anxious, and all-around unpleasant to be around. Our lizard brain convinces us that this is what we have to do.

I wouldn't want to work with someone who’s always in that mode, and neither would you.

So, what should we do instead?

A good first place to start is to lean into our curiosity.

Being around someone who's curious and interested in the world around them - for no reason other than they enjoy learning - is like drinking unicorn giggles. It's an absolute delight.

And through that curiosity, through asking questions, you can find out what the people who you'd want to work with actually want from a composer/sound designer.

Because when a developer says "I need music/sound," they mean a lot more than what they're saying. But, few audio people ever ask further. They just say "ok!!!" and try to desperately land the project.

In reality, if we were curious, we'd find that our potential clients might be looking for:

• Someone who won't disappear suddenly

• Someone they can work with for the next 3 years

• Someone who is actually interested in all aspects game dev and is willing to learn constantly

• Someone who can help them add polish to their pitch so their game can get funding

• Someone who can be a trusted advisor for audio on a project, instead of just an asset-maker

• And countless other bits that the team/developer is worried about beyond just audio

We need to find ways to communicate the above to the developers of the world, because all of the standard methods - like a demo reel or resume - will never be able get that across.

Curiosity is the anti-AI

If you can show your humanity and your curiosity, tools like AI won't stand a chance against you, and you'll be able to charge higher and higher rates for your work.

Why? Well, AI isn't curious. It can do some neat things, but it never goes first. It just sits there, waiting for your prompt.

Unfortunately many audio people are already behaving like AIs - sitting around, waiting for someone to prompt them to do something. If that's us, of course we'll get replaced.

Your dream clients in game audio aren't just buying music or sound

They're buying an outcome. A result. They're buying certainty. They're buying ease.

If you can make them feel safe, cared for, and understood, people will be banging down your doors to hire you.

But, if you're just a generic "composer" or "sound designer", then you'll be lumped in with everyone else - and yes, those people can be replaced with AI, sound/music libraries, or people on Fiverr.

Still, there are a lot more aspects to building a great game audio career

But, I think it's safe to say that:

• IF the right people in the game industry already knew your name and what makes you stand out

• AND you had a clear, repeatable way to find and land paid projects without relying on luck

• AND you knew how to confidently price and negotiate your work so that you never felt underpaid again

• AND you had a support system of mentors and peers who could guide you through tricky moments, bad clients, or slow months

You couldn’t help but build a sustainable, creative, and well-paid career in game audio, right?

My Game Industry Pro Course and Community aim to help you with all of that, and more

This course isn't just raw information. You already have too much of that.

Yes, you'll get taught all the latest ways to succeed in game audio that are on the cutting edge of what's happening right now in the industry.

But, more importantly, you get direct access to a community, which features not only me, but the alumni who have been through the course and are now working full-time in the industry.

Every day in the group, I'm there helping people through negotiations, down moments, worry, fear, doubt, sound design tests, writing emails, business plans, and much more.

You can ask any question, any time, to someone who's been working in the field for 13 years, and actually get a high-quality, thoughtful response.

And no, it's not a subscription. Some people have been in the group and helping others out for almost 10 years now, and haven't had to pay a penny extra to be there and receive help whenever they want.

As far as I can tell, there's nothing else like it on the planet. I haven't seen a community, course, or any product that lets people get sustained support from an industry pro who's actually in the field, working alongside you, and getting to know you over the course of literal years.

I'll be launching sales for this course on June 16th, 2025 and there will be 50 slots available. It will be $997 USD, or $297 for 4 months with a payment plan.

This is a pre-order. The course starts in August 2025, and we will have weekly live Zoom calls to get everyone going and to make a plan for everyone to succeed, regardless where in the world they are.

The last time I launched this course and community was in 2022, and it sold out in 24 hours. It's going to be a while before I open it up again. I truly have no idea when that will be.

You'll be hearing more about the course soon, including what time on June 16th the pre-orders will start, more details on what's inside, how the teaching and community are structured, and more.