Junior Sound Designer, Texas Immersive Institute, Moody College of Communication

University of Texas at Austin

1d•$20•Onsite

About The Position

Texas Immersive Institute is looking for a junior sound designer for an Interactive Spatial Sound Aquarium project for SNF Nostos. The project will go live in Athens, Greece in June 2026. The Interactive Spatial Sound Aquarium is a 22m x 6m LED installation premiering at SNF Nostos 2026. Festival visitors design personalized sea creatures via a WebXR app, which are deterministically generated and released into a persistent, Unity-powered digital ocean. This installation is not a static display — it is a living ecosystem that evolves across 8 days. The soundscape must feel organic, layered, and emotionally resonant while adapting dynamically to fish density, movement, and lifecycle behaviors. The system must support thousands of concurrent users and remain technically stable under continuous operation. We are seeking a Junior Sound Designer to support the development of a spatialized underwater sound environment for a large-scale immersive installation. This role will assist in building and implementing a 5.1 or 7.1 surround sound design that feels poetic rather than transactional — enhancing the sense of belonging, emergence, and collective presence within the digital ocean. You will work closely with the Unity Lead, 3D team, and project leadership to integrate procedural and reactive audio into the real-time system. This is an execution-focused role under guidance, ideal for a student or early-career sound designer interested in immersive and interactive media.

Requirements

Experience with digital audio workstations (Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton, Reaper, etc.)
Understanding of surround sound (5.1 or 7.1) mixing principles
Basic knowledge of spatial audio workflows
Light experience/knowledge exporting audio for Unity integration
Strong ear for ambient and atmospheric sound design
Attention to detail in levels, dynamics, and layering
Resume
One-page Cover Letter
Link to portfolio or work samples

Responsibilities

Sound Design & Asset Creation Design underwater ambient sound layers (currents, subtle movement, tonal beds).
Create fish-based audio elements (movement textures, group motion cues).
Develop gentle emergence/resurfacing audio moments.
Design density-aware sound layers that evolve as more fish populate the system.
Create short sonic accents tied to lifecycle events.
Spatial Audio Implementation Assist in building a 5.1 or 7.1 surround output for the LED installation.
Support spatial positioning of fish-generated sounds in Unity.
Work with Unity Lead to implement audio triggers and behaviors.
Optimization & QA Ensure audio never clips under stress conditions.
Optimize file sizes and playback performance for continuous 8-day operation.
Participate in LED wall and speaker system testing.
Adjust mix based on real-world acoustics of the installation space.