Lead Sound Designer presso Distant Moon, Inc

Job Overview:

Distant Moon’s Lead Sound Designer serves as the primary sound designer on post-production* projects, including commercials, trailers, short and long-form docs, short and long-form scripted narratives, podcasts, and online courses.

We are looking for a creative sound designer who loves telling stories sonically; someone who understands story beats; who exhibits musicality of pacing; and who uses sound to communicate what’s in and beyond the frame to achieve or clarify the vision of the director.

In addition to the creative aspects, the Lead Sound Designer is responsible for managing and maintaining best sound practices and workflows.

*This is not a sample-designer position. It is specifically for post-production.

Roles and Responsibilities Include:

• Sound designing
  • commercials, trailers, short and long-form docs, short and long-form scripted narratives, podcasts, and online courses 
  • crafting the sonic landscape and flow of a piece using sfx both diegetically and non-diegetically
• Sound mixing and mastering 
  • balancing dialogue, music, and sfx, and delivering final, client-ready, industry standard leveled masters
• Sound cleaning
  • initial processing and sweetening of voice overs, interviews and all related dialogue audio
• Assessing, developing, and implementing best sound practices and workflows on an ongoing basis

Essential Skills and Experience:

• At least 5+ years of experience in sound design
• Extensive experience working in any DAW, most preferably Protools
• Experience working in post-production sound-design for Film & TV, or commensurate experience in other audio applications
• Experience or familiarity with standard post-production audio workflows and deliverables for Film, TV, Podcasts, and Audio Dramas
• Knowledge of RX and Adobe Audition for sound cleaning; editing, balancing, and sweetening dialogue
• An understanding of industry standard audio levels for various deliverables (LUFS, etc)
• Competency in standard mixing and mastering techniques, and in using relevant plugins (compression, EQ, reverb, sends, etc.)
• The ability to conceptualize and implement sound palettes for projects and film series that captures or exceeds the director’s vision, and the ability to template and reproduce them on an ongoing basis
• Attention to detail
• Ability to work quickly and balance multiple sound projects
• Ability to work collaboratively with a team of directors, editors, and supervisors

Huge Pluses:

• A general interest in long-form narrative content and being part of a growing film studio;
• A general interest in technology, and a long-term interest in expanding Distant Moon’s technological capabilities as the company takes on more ambitious and sound-intensive projects
• Experience working in surround sound
• Musical training
• Music producing
• Live audio experience
• Sound Engineering
• Production Sound
• Film editing/NLE experience
• Familiarity with Adobe products
• Film production experience

Reporting to this position: No direct reports

Physical demands and work environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to walk; sit; use hands to finger, handle, or feel tools or controls; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk or hear. The employee must lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal. The majority of this job is completed in an open-space office setting.

General Sign-Off: The employee is expected to adhere to all company policies.