Nancy Rico-Mineros (BM`24)
After graduating NYU, I continued my education at the Center for Computer Research in Music & Acoustics (CCRMA) at Stanford University. At CCRMA, my interest has been in recording technology and music information retrieval. The Music Technology program at NYU prepared me for life outside of NYU. I began my bachelors in the fall of 2020. My focus in both undergraduate and graduate school has been to increase the accessibility of Music Technology and increase the visibility of underrepresented groups within the field. From 2021-2022, I served as a college ambassador for the New York chapter of She Is The Music, a non-profit organization focused on increasing the presence of women in the music industry. I am also an active volunteer with the non-profit, We Are Moving The Needle, which is focused on increasing the visibility of underrepresented communities within audio professions, founded by Music Tech alumna, Emily Lazar.
While at NYU, I also explored Music Information Retrieval in the Music and Audio Research Lab (MARL) REU where I worked under Dr. Brian McFee, who was my mentor since junior year.
During sophmore year I interned at the James L. Dolan Recording Studio. I then became the Engineering Director at WNYU, NYU’s college radio station. These experiences helped secure my internship at Sony Music Entertainment senior year working as an audio engineering intern and an A&R intern at Zelig Music.
The Music Technology program is multidisciplinary. I learned how to fix recording equipment and how to work with audio for visual media. I was exposed to working with a tape machine and synthesizers. I worked in the Music Technology program which exposed me to so many different people. I am the first one in my family to not only attend college but to graduate with a degree. I have immense gratitude to the faculty members, staff, and peers who helped me throughout my college career. This program shaped me into the person I am today.
Cindy Bui (BM `18, MM `20)
Cindy Bui received her Bachelor's and Master's in the Music Technology's dual degree program. In those five years, she learned fundamentals in many different disciplines and skills, including electronics, transducers, programming, signal processing, immersive audio, and more. This broad background helped expose many different related jobs and areas of interest.
During her time at NYU, she worked as a music composition intern, AV technician, IT service desk, computer science tutor, live music recording tech, a jazz drummer, and an acoustic calibration and test engineer. Her master's thesis integrated GPU acceleration with artificial reverberation, bridging the gap between high performance computing and immersive audio.
Also during her master's, she worked on the Holodeck, writing audio and motion capture applications for CoreLink and setting up distributed concerts. Now, she is an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) calibration and test engineer at Apple, where she has been since 2020. She has been able to apply many of these skills to work on new features, such as crash detection and diving, and new products, like the Apple Watch Ultra and Vision Pro.
Travis Fodor (BM`16, MM `20)
Travis Fodor is a Sound Design Manager at Riot Games, where he currently oversees the sonic efforts for an upcoming, yet-to-be-announced title. With a diverse background spanning multiple industries including games, film, automotive, and the private sector, Travis is deeply passionate about crafting immersive audio experiences across a wide range of products and content.
At Fisker Inc, Travis played a crucial role in the successful launch of the Fisker Ocean SUV, taking charge of the development of the Fisker Ocean Sound System, chimes, and AVAS (Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System) as the Audio Experiences Lead.
During his time with the Microsoft HoloLens team as a Technical Sound Designer, Travis made significant contributions to various projects. He was involved in the creation of both hardware (headphone, microphones) and software (Sound Design, Acoustics) solutions for Microsoft IVAS, an Augmented Reality Device developed for the US Army. Additionally, he led the sound design efforts for the Hololens 2 out-of-box experience and Windows applications.
With an unwavering passion for immersive audio technology, Travis continues to straddle the complex environment of sound design with a passion for both the creative and technical demands of the industry.
John Kallen (BM `15)
John Kallen, a rising leader in the field of UX sound design and audio branding, has crafted audio experiences for notable electric auto manufacturers including Rivian, Nikola, Fisker, and Canoo, as well as renowned companies such as Google, Verizon, Bose, Dewalt, Adobe, and GE.
His agency, Audio UX, specializes in interactive sound design for automotive, experiential, and AI voice assistants. He received a dotCOMM award for his work with Pantone, wherein he composed music for a 30.2 multi-channel installation at Artechouse in Chelsea. Additionally, John earned a MarCom award for his audio rebrand of USA Today.
Ryan Mallen (MM `14)
Ryan Mallen is a sound designer and engineer currently working for Apple’s Music Creation Apps team, where he creates virtual instruments and sound libraries for Logic Pro, GarageBand, and MainStage.
Prior to joining Apple in 2020, Ryan worked for six years as a sound designer at Heavyocity, where he created several award-winning virtual instruments and sound libraries.
Austin Stillwell (MM `17)
Austin Stillwell is a Grammy Award-winning audio engineer with a preeminent approach to recorded and live music, interactive performance systems, production management, and tour management. After receiving a Bachelor of Music from Berklee College of Music, Austin worked for multiple years in New York City recording studios.
While earning his Master of Music, Austin was given the great opportunity to tour the world working on Pat Metheny’s midi robotic orchestra known as the “Orchestrion.” Since his first tour, Austin has published his master's thesis on stage monitoring systems and climbed the ranks as a touring audio engineer. Austin has mixed shows for tens of thousands all over the world and boasts a legendary touring client list including Radiohead, Hall and Oates, Pat Metheny, Boy George, and Thom Yorke among many more.