PSYCHOLOGY-DRIVEN SOUND DESIGN
I create tailored sounds for small to mid-sized indie studios that predictably shape players' behavior from Seattle.
About
During COVID, I was lost. The film I was directing was on hiatus. My gig for a production company was getting stale. All I had were my film and game sound design classes. Then, I discovered Disco Elysium and Dark Souls.
This sparked my mission to make story-driven indie games sound great and guide player behavior. My loadout: a B.A. in Psychology, Screenwriting Degree, a sound designing system, and 9000+ original recordings.
Since then, I've been the Audio Director on award-winning Airborne Empire, Tearoom of Terror, and an audio implementer on Twinklebly. I've also shared my process in talks across several universities and conferences.
Testimonials
Fred Gareau, Co-Founder
of The Wandering Band
"As Audio Director, Sabrina brought the quality of Airborne Empire’s sound design to a level we were previously lacking. She found different areas of the game that would benefit considerably from unique sounds that she then produced with great attention to detail. Those sounds added depth and character to our virtual world which helped us establish Airborne Empire’s personality."
Daniel Chipman, Founder of Sun Lion Games
"Sabrina is one of the most organized and professional freelancers I've ever worked with. She not only showed an impressive amount of care in how she conducted business, but also took a holistic approach to her craft to make sure there was a clear vision for the audio design for Lichgate. The planning and breakdowns she provided were top-notch and really stood out."
"Sabrina was a really great help getting Twinkleby over the finishing line. She's a really great combination of creative, technical, and proactive that made it really easy to give her areas of ownership without any worries. I genuinely recommend Sabrina for any project that requires care and attention to audio. You will be in great hands."
Ryan Sim, Technical Audio Supervisor at Warner Bros.
Speaking
Ten roundtables, keynotes, and workshops at universities & conferences:
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GDC: Green Games: A Rapid Prototyping Workshop
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USC: How to Record Sounds for Games
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GameSoundCon: The Roadmap to Sound Designing Solo
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GameSoundCon: Game Audio Community Roundtable
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GameSoundCon: Audio Communities: Local Chapters
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AirCon: Audio Direction in Media: Live Panel
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AirCon: How to Sound Design on a Team of One
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AirCon: How to Find Remote Work
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DigiPen: An Evening of Game Audio Microtalks (Host)
Free Guide: Sound's Secret Structure
A clear structure to sound designing a game at the indie level is uncommon, leading to preventable confusion when many freelancers work with game studios.
This free guide is my system for creating soundscapes that suit your gameplay, story, and the software at your disposal. You'll walk away with a new way to approach the audio in your game and collaborate with audio teams for better, faster results.
Learn More
Featured Projects
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Case studies from indie games and films I've worked on that showcase my process
Free Resources
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Blog posts with templates and guides about how to level up your game with sound & psychology