Senior Sound Designer (Contingent)

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Part I and Part II are now available for the first time on PC. Currently, we’re busy at the kennel working on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and we'd love to find talented individuals to join us.  

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome a diverse pool of candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together. 

As the ideal candidate for this position, you are a seasoned veteran in your medium (film, TV, ads, games) and have played a critical role in the completion of at least one major project from beginning to end. You are an expert in your craft and are comfortable moving in and out of different creative aesthetics. In this highly collaborative team-centric role, you will work closely with other members of the studio across a wide variety of disciplines. Naughty Dog has high standards for our audio quality. You will meet and surpass them to push the boundaries of interactive audio experiences in our games. Please provide links, both to any relevant work history (website, IMDB, etc.) as well as a demo reel showcasing previous work. A test will be required of select candidates.

While we highly value candidates with strong music backgrounds, there will be no music composition involved in this role, nor the opportunity for such. This position is purely for crafting in-game sound effects.

This role requires the candidate to be in the studio for a training period of several weeks, after which a hybrid work model is available. 

What you will do:

• Record, edit, and build/design sound effects using industry standard methods and tools

• Implement sound effects into the game using proprietary methods and tools

• Collaborate with the audio team to adequately plan and implement upon aesthetic goals of the project

• Collaborate with audio programmers and other sound designers to develop audio systems based on creative vision and gameplay needs

• Collaborate with other non-audio teams (designers, animators, background artists, programmers, etc.) to achieve the highest quality audio experience across each aspect of the game

• Apply studio and departmental standard processes of technical audio workflows and systems

• Give and seek constructive creative feedback and suggestions from others

• Inspire partnership and collaboration inside and outside the Audio department

What skills you will use:

• Minimum 5+ years in a game audio or audio post-production environment

• Shipped at least 1 AAA title, or worked on equivalent sized linear media project (Film, TV, Ads, etc.)

• Proficient in a DAW of choice (Reaper, Cubase, Pro Tools, Ableton, etc.), including most industry standard plugins and toolsets (Waves, iZotope, etc.)

• Extensive knowledge and experience with using outboard gear, recording gear, microphones, etc.

• Extensive knowledge of audio signal processing, mixing, sample rates, data compression, filters, reverbs, 3D positional audio, etc.

• Knowledge of mix specifications in a variety of media (console, internet, broadcast, etc.)

• Excellent PC/Mac skills and proficiency with word-processing, spreadsheet, and database applications

• Strong communication skills, both spoken and written, in both aesthetic and technical concepts

• Highly value and prioritize working as a team, over individualistic goals, or desires

• Hunger to learn tailored tools and tech

• Excellent work ethic and a positive attitude

Bonus Skills:

• Bachelor's degree or higher in audio-related field (i.e., music, audio engineering, sound design, etc.)

• Skills in scripting and/or programming languages (Python, C++, etc.)

• Previous experience with version control software (Perforce, Git, etc.)

• Expert with audio middleware solutions such as Wwise, FMOD, Scream, or proprietary tools.

• Professional post-production sound design/mixing experience (Film, TV, Ads, etc.), with an emphasis on multi-channel environments (e.g., Surround or Atmos)

• Music skill/experience in composing/arranging, synthesis, sampling, MIDI sequencing, etc.

• Knowledge of music theory

• Understanding of next gen console audio functionality and capabilities

• Experience implementing sounds on multiple game platforms

• Experience with multiplayer games

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