Ophylia is a Pyramind alumni currently working at Calm as their in-house audio producer. While at Pyramind, Ophylia managed all of our voiceover pipelines for various projects, including Watch Dogs 2. We asked her some questions about her role at Calm and how her experience at Pyramind helped prepare her for a career as an audio professional.
What Pyramind courses did you enjoy the most?
My favorite classes were basically all the Pro Tools editing courses taught by Steve Heithecker and Paul Simmans, when he was there. They were extremely challenging, but ultimately the ones I got the most out of. I also really enjoyed the Production/Arrangement classes with Donner and Jerome Rossen. It’s hard to pick a favorite!
What are your responsibilities in your current role at Calm?
I’m in charge of polishing and launching all the content we release in the app. We launch new meditation sessions on a daily basis, as well as new music and Sleep Stories every week. A lot of my job is editing/arranging the Sleep Stories to clean up the audio we record, and add relevant music and sound effects. I’ve worked on over 80 Sleep Stories! Occasionally I get to sound design and compose, but most of my job on the content management and technical side.
How did Pyramind help prepare you for your current role at Calm?
The hands-on classes, with very awesome experienced teachers, played a huge part. But I’d say the biggest thing at Pyramind that helped me get into a career mindset was the opportunity to intern there. As most things, you get what you give, and I definitely got a lot out of the internship! Through interning, I was given the option to start working in the facilities, and moved from night manager, to audio producer in the studios division, to Studio Manager. It was very fast-paced and a lot of fun, and prepared me for the whirlwind of awesomeness that is the audio world!
Has anything surprised you about your working life as an audio professional?
It requires a lot of stamina. In my specific position, I have to be very organized with my files, and able to focus on one Pro Tools session for a long period of time, while also making sure it gets edited fast. I think the thing that surprised me the most is that I’m actually using all the things I learned at Pyramind. All the topics that challenged me the most are the ones I’m now pretty well-versed in.
Where do you see your path as an audio professional going next?
Well, I’m about to become an expat and move to Sweden, where I will continue to work for Calm remotely. One of the challenges with a role like mine is that I rarely get to compose music for fun anymore. As a creative in a career-driven path, you really need to have the focus to schedule time for yourself to create, even when you’re exhausted after a long 10 hour work day. The last thing you may want to look at is another DAW, but honestly it’s worth it for the spirit. I’m hoping over time I get better at balancing both.
Any words of advice for other students?
These words of advice will likely be tailored most towards students who want to get ahead in the “audio for tech” world: LEARN PRO TOOLS KEY COMMANDS!!! Seriously, they make life so much easier if you’re doing detailed editing. Definitely intern at Pyramind if you have the time and ability. Make friends with everyone; the audio world is pretty small and tight-knit, and you never know who can end up a colleague, or help you open a door to a new opportunity.
