local storiesAugust 7, 2023

Meet Sandy Zhou

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandy Zhou.

Sandy Zhou

Hi Sandy, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
During my teenage years, my passion for interactive audio and music blossomed, driven by my long-standing interest in gaming since childhood. I quickly picked up this fascination and over time, my work became a harmonious blend of art, science, and technology.

Growing up with my mother as a piano teacher, I developed a deep sensitivity to different sounds. Starting piano lessons at the tender age of four, I achieved the tenth-grade proficiency nationally by the time I turned twelve, laying the groundwork for my music and sound career. My curiosity led me to explore other instruments like the guitar and drums. To prepare myself for a future in music, I delved into harmony, ear training, and various music subjects. While in high school, as the president of the street dance club, I serendipitously discovered my passion for music production and designing soundscapes for performances, learning many aspects of music production along the way.

My path became clearer when I discovered Berklee College of Music, a prestigious institution that has nurtured countless world-famous musicians. At 21, I left for Boston, USA, to study at Berklee College of Music. Influenced by my peers and professors, my passion for music production evolved into a love for game music and sound, particularly sound design and interactive audio. This led me to pursue dual degrees in Electronic Production and Sound Design, as well as Film Scoring.

The idea of becoming a game sound designer took root during the Game Developer Conference in the spring of 2019. Attending this event opened my eyes to the vibrant and passionate community of game audio professionals, who generously shared their experiences and offered networking opportunities. Though I had yet to fully grasp the scope of the job, my desire to contribute my artistic talents to the gaming industry grew immensely.

In the summer following the conference, I secured a position in Tencent TiMi Studios’ audio department in Shanghai, working with the Honor of Kings team. There, I honed my skills in creating interactive sound and music designs, delving into the intricacies of designing music playback in games and utilizing equipment to produce sounds. I also gained valuable knowledge about game engines and middleware for audio processing, as well as collaborating with vendors to meet production deadlines. This experience marked the true beginning of my journey into sound design.

During my college years, I was fortunate to receive two scholarships—one from Berklee, the Game Audio Women Scholarship, and the other from the renowned nationwide Game Audio Network Guild (G.A.N.G.). These scholarships provided excellent opportunities, including a chance to converse with Hollywood sound designer Scott Gershin, known for his work on films like “Pacific Rim.” I was deeply humbled when Scott Gershin took notice of my skills and invited me to join his team. From that moment onward, I had the privilege of contributing to significant projects, ranging from AAA games in the United States to major titles from Tencent and NetEase in China. It has been an exhilarating journey, and I feel immensely grateful for the experiences and growth that have come my way.

Since then, I’ve been crafting audio for PC games, console games, and mobile games for various studios. Now, I find myself at one of my favorite game studios, Riot Games, based in sunny LA. My journey has been a testament to my passion and determination to create captivating and immersive audio experiences in the gaming world.

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Indeed, it is intriguing how remarkably smooth my journey has been, primarily due to my unwavering determination to pursue my passion and desired career path in-game audio. However, I must acknowledge that the pandemic has brought about some unforeseen changes to my professional life.

Back in 2020, I managed to secure an audio gig at Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive. Unfortunately, the virus situation put a brake on the opportunity, leaving me feeling stressed and anxious about potentially wasting my time. Nevertheless, I decided to utilize this time productively by focusing on polishing my portfolio.

As life would have it, when you are prepared for opportunities, surprises come your way. I was fortunate to get the chance to present my work in front of both the Power Up Audio team and the Riot Games audio team during a sound design speed review session. As a result of this presentation, I was fortunate enough to be the sole individual selected for an exciting opportunity to work on the in-game cinematics of “Ruined King: A League of Legends Story.”

Overall, my determination and adaptability helped me navigate through the challenges that Covid brought, ultimately leading to exciting opportunities in my career.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As one of the primary sound designers on the League of Legends personalization team at Riot, I played a crucial role in leading and crafting the overall soundscape. Through my dedicated efforts, we were able to introduce a unique and beloved new sound into our IP. Specifically, my responsibilities involved creating sound effects (SFX) for multiple skins, contributing to the success and revenue generation of League of Legends.

Unlike movies, video games offer a non-deterministic experience where players can make various decisions at any given moment. However, for the player experience to be immersive and believable, the game world must dynamically change and react based on the players’ choices. My role as a sound designer involves utilizing advanced technology to create a dynamic and responsive audio experience that enhances the overall gameplay and immerses players in the virtual world.

I led and created a significant volume of sound design content for multiple best-selling skins on League of Legends, featuring alternate universes like Anima Squad, Winterblessed, Cafe Cuties, Star Guardian 2022, Spirit Blossom, Porcelain, and Arcana. Notably, I contributed to the development of legendary skins, which encompassed entire sets of new cosmetics. Throughout the creative process, I worked closely with the team to ensure seamless alignment between audio, art, and design.

Three of my favorite skins I worked on:
Battle Cat Jinx: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3Jek87eX7w
Winterblessed Diana (legendary): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0yDNY51xgY
Café Cuties Gwen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eABBHNWTK0c

I am currently working on an unannounced project at Riot Games. Prior to joining Riot, I worked at Sound Lab, a renowned Hollywood film and game sound production house at Keywords Studios. During my time there, I was responsible for sound design, working on projects for renowned game studios such as Riot Games, Tencent Games and NetEase Games. I have designed audio for various cross-platform games, including Call of Duty Mobile, Teamfight Tactics, Wild Rift, Legends of Runeterra and a couple of unannounced game titles.

So, before we go, how can our readers or others connect or collaborate with you? How can they support you?
I specialize in creating audio for interactive experiences along with designing the behaviors that audio assets will assume in response to the myriad of decisions that players could be making in real-time during the game. My current team may be small, I find immense satisfaction in the close collaboration we share with one another. We work closely with various disciplines, including designers, animators, artists, and engineers, to lead the development of an R&D project, from pre-production through production and beyond.

Collaboration within the team is highly valued, and we prioritize effective communication and teamwork. To facilitate this, we have regular weekly meetings and playtest where team members come together to provide updates, share progress, and offer feedback to enhance our iterations. What truly sets us apart is our collective mindset. We fully comprehend the importance of setting aside personal agendas and focusing on what best serves the team’s interests. This shared approach fosters a positive and supportive environment, propelling us toward the achievement of the finest possible outcomes for our projects. Our dedication to collaboration and mutual support drives the success of our endeavors, and we take pride in our ability to create engaging and immersive experiences for players.

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