An example of a great sound design demo reel for a sound design position in video games.

How This Sound Design Demo Reel Landed Its Creator a Job

This sound design demo reel isn’t just an impressive display of audio skills—it actually helped the designer land a job. By carefully choosing a well-known game like Bioshock and redoing the sound in their own unique way, the creator was able to showcase both their creativity and technical expertise in a way that caught the attention of employers.

From a balanced mix to immersive soundscapes, this reel demonstrates how following best practices for sound design can make a significant impact. In the following sections, we’ll dive into the elements that make this demo reel stand out and how you can apply these techniques to your own reel.

A sound design demo reel is an essential tool for anyone looking to land an entry-level sound design job.

It acts as the centerpiece of your sound design portfolio, allowing you to showcase your skills and creativity to potential employers. Following the best practices for sound design is crucial when crafting your demo reel—this means focusing on clear, engaging audio that fits the visual narrative while also demonstrating your technical abilities, from mixing to sound effects layering.

A well-executed demo reel can be the difference between getting noticed or overlooked in this competitive field.

This demo reel serves as an excellent reference for anyone looking to break into the sound design industry, especially those seeking an entry-level sound design position. Unlike tutorials on how to create a demo reel, this article focuses on analyzing an actual reel that has been successful in securing a job.

This sound design demo reel example highlights key elements such as creativity, sound quality, and storytelling through sound, which are essential when applying for junior roles in video games or other audio-related fields. For those in search of inspiration, this demo reel provides the blueprint you need.

 

Why is This Sound Design Demo Reel Example Perfect for an Entry-Level Position in Video Games?

The sound designer got feedback from someone in the industry who was in game design, and who had a background in film. Feedback from peers is extremely helpful, and friends will love to help you out if you are looking for a second set of ears! The original demo reel clip was longer, we trimmed out the beginning and end to make it around 90 seconds, which is a good runtime to aim for in a lot of cases. 

So without further ado, here is the clip, and we will follow with a bullet point list of why we chose this particular demo reel clip: 

 

12 Reasons Why This Sound Design Demo Reel Stands Out

• It was a demo reel that actually got someone a job! 

• The choice of video is engaging and ambitious because the game, Bioshock, is well known. The sound designer put their original aesthetic on it which works very well. 

• The sound designer has established a very strong and immersive ambience right away. 

• The choices of sounds are detailed, clean, and relevant to the scene. 

• The reverbs are believable and give the space personality. 

• The mix is nicely balanced, with space carved out in the center for the voices. 

• There is attention to detail on all visual aspects (though the sparks on the top of the pod ripping open could have been more present!). 

• The voices are all done by the sound designer which is very impressive, and the radio effect is believable and nicely stylized. 

• The filtering of the combat SFX outside of the pod are appropriately filtered. 

• There is a noticeable change in the space when the player steps out of the pod. 

• Objects are panned appropriately. 

• There is audio documentation that accompanies the demo reel video. 

6 Key Points from Half of the Included Notes on This Sound Design Demo Reel

Description:    General mood of suspense, fear and uncertainty, with a subtle underlying note of humour (more dark comedy game than pure dark).    Notes about the SD’s abilities:    My experience building sample libraries of sound and field recordings enables me to compose not only around classical Western harmony but also to explore more textural and non-melodic soundscapes.    The methodology used:    I focused my time and efforts into four stages for this project:     Writing, recording and mixing original music  Sound design and foley: recording and implementing original sounds into the game sequence  Voice Acting/Recording: re-writing the gameplay script to include a main character, “Joe”, who interacts with “Atlas” as he explores and tries to survive the world of Rapture. I recorded two friends who performed voice acting for the “Joe” and “Atlas” characters   Mixing: I broke them up into folders, music, dialogue, SFX and Foley    I focused on building the environmental sounds into the forefront of the player’s experience, trying to make it as real and immersive as possible with the 1st person character’s breaths and reactions in the foreground and immediate sounds of the sphere surrounding them.     Helicopter Bot/Machine Gun: I created these original sounds manipulating audio in Audacity and Pro Tools, I added panning automation to make the user experiencing their environment in stereo more realistic (listen with headphones for the full effect).   Some thematic sound elements I implemented to create tension and build suspense were the recurring ticking sound of the sphere/engine (from a factory field recording I had). I also utilized the subtle use of a Shepard tone in the scene where the sphere comes up and the splicer attacks. (Inspired by Hans Zimmer’s work in Dunkirk and Batman: The Dark Knight Rises).    Conclusion notes:  I really enjoyed tackling the full scope of making this demo reel. Recording the music and SFX + the foley and voice overs, then mixing it all together was a lot of work and a lot of fun. The 4 minute clip probably took me 40 hrs of work (including all the recording and mixing time).

 

Including these notes was a plus for this SD as the design aesthetic and attention to detail was the first thing that caught our attention. The work was evidently put in, and the notes were relevant in part because of this level of on-screen quality. 

So, we hope you are inspired by the level of quality you can aim for (or higher, of course!) in your own demo reel. As you continue to refine your skills, keep in mind these audio demo reel tips and focus on mastering the key sound design techniques that will make your work stand out.

Whether you're learning how to make a sound design demo reel or refining your craft for future projects, remember that the right approach to sound design for games can open doors to exciting opportunities. We wish you the best in your path to becoming a sound designer!

-Paul

I'm co-founder of SilverPlatter Audio. We provide sound effects packs for sound designers, film editors and music producers.