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.