Check Out Nathan Ross’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nathan Ross.

Hi Nathan, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I am a composer, sound designer, and mixing engineer. Primarily a composer and sound effects designer for video games today, I have also worked on many other genres like hip-hop, synthwave, chiptune, orchestral, and many more.

I’ve always been a big fan of both music and video games, but I first became interested in playing music in the high school years of the early 2000s, with a natural propensity for rhythm, often playing drums on my desk before my parents bought me a Yamaha Drum pad. Outside of my drum pad, I never had access to a real drumset at home, and my outlet soon became sampling and delving into hip-hop music, making beats on a hardware sampler and using an inexpensive DAW to teach myself how to make DIY productions and record my own vocals, too. I finally made my first raw album in 2010, not fully knowing what I was doing, and then performing shows while working on new material in the meantime. A few years after, I put production on the shelf and joined a reggae-rock/fusion band as the lead vocalist up until the band broke up in 2015.

I decided to go back to my roots in music production the year after and go to an audio school at Pyramind Studios in San Fransisco, graduating in 2017, while simultaneously losing my living space in the Sonoma County Tubbs Wildfire. Once the “smoke cleared”, I knew that this was my cue to move down south and pursue a career in the entertainment industry. Although I haven’t yet landed a company job in the Los Angeles area, I have been lucky enough, for now, to work on many contract projects from people I’ve met from all over the globe on Twitch.

I’ve worked on a plethora of projects and various mediums including pixel retro, fantasy, wacky cartoon, cozy crafted, and SFX for many of those projects as well. I’m also working on my very own game that is inspired by games like the Sonic Adventure series and Jet Set Radio, and I’m looking to expand my knowledge in beginning programming for game dev. I currently stream my process on Twitch, sharing projects that aren’t under NDAs, and I have a huge passion for “working out loud” so that others can learn alongside if they so please.

Outside of creative work, I’m also an activist in positivity as a creative and it has been a huge motivator in all the projects that I work on. My goal is to make a successful business with all things audio while simultaneously helping other aspiring composers and designers meet their goals someday. Community is important to me and we all need help getting our feet wet.

Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
One of the biggest struggles for me was getting over that imposter syndrome at first, comparing myself to the most successful composers with a goal of being just like them. I learned that although it’s important to have long-term goals, I should be more concerned with putting out consistent content, prioritizing getting experience under my belt. My only goal should to be to make my next project better than the last. Once I got consistent routines going, I learned more and more about what makes a composition better and better. A lot of creative work requires you to learn as you go and every project is a blank slate. It’s a mixture between studying others whilst staying true to your natural creative rhythm.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am mostly known for my bouncy game compositions and synth-inspired hip-hop production, often fusing boom-bap rhythms with very rhythmic melodies, but I also like to explore calm, introspective compositions that put you inside the mind of someone’s deep thoughts. I have a pretty wide range when it comes to emotional dynamics.

Although I’m excited to dive more into advanced theory, I feel much more evened out than I did during my strictly “drumming” days. I feel able to wear many instrument hats whenever necessary.

I’m most proud of my work in The Adventures Of Captain Carrot and Hoplegs as they seemed to be the best fit overall and felt the most natural to me, and currently proud of my PaperKlay music, which is still in development.

Who else deserves credit in your story?
It would be nearly impossible to list everyone who had a positive impact on me without fear of missing someone, but I can definitely categorize them in bulk:

I’m thankful for all of my clients who have trusted me to bring more life to their projects, big or small, and give me a chance to prove myself and fill up my portfolio, many of which I continue to talk to today with future projects in mind. They’re not really clients at all. They’re honestly friends.

I’m thankful for my teachers at Pyramind Training for not only teaching me all the ins and outs of audio but also breaking me away from previous negative opinions on my abilities to learn. For the longest time, often having trouble focusing in grade and high school, I honestly thought that I wouldn’t be able to learn and make it in the world, but once I got the confidence back from attending these classes, I haven’t thought that since and have extremely positive working habits now.

I’m thankful for all of my musician friends who have been there during my humble beginnings, who’ve collaborated with me, come out to shows to support, and continued to push me. One of the most important aspects of growing as an artist is having a supportive circle of friends, and these guys were massive to my growth.

I’m thankful for all of my long-time friends and family outside of music for continuing to support me, even through the countless hours glued to my computer and fail to reach out enough. I’m alive, I swear! I’m also thankful for my wife for her continued support and help when things get busy.

Pricing:

• Rough estimates below:
• $35 an hour with target goal in mind
• Roughly 15-20 hours per professional composition
• SFX rates TBD upon meeting
• (Flexible deals for certain scenarios)

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/natethesoundninja/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nrosssoundandmusic/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SoundNinjaNate
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@nathanross1460/playlists
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nathanross4444
• Other: https://www.twitch.tv/natethesoundninja/

Image Credits
Captain Carrot cover by @Bunnystick Hoplegs cover by @ KoniWorx PaperKlay cover by @sobrassart Unyielding cover by @TwigglyBits