Sound Designer, 3D Spatial Audio
2099
United Kingdom, UK-wide
Posted on: Feb. 02, 2026
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Description:
Job Summary
A sound designer to explore 3D spatial audio in the context of choral music to evoke being inside a murmuration
Job Description
Hey!
We're looking for a sound designer to join an R&D phase exploring immersive, spatial sound. The focus of this research is on 3D spatial audio, vocal layering, and movement-based sound behaviours - specifically mapping vocal lines to murmuration-style 3D patterns, creating a sensation of sound that swirls, gathers, disperses, and breathes around the listener.
Following on from a successful projection experience about the migration of swifts, we're now deepening our exploration into flight-inspired soundscapes. The aim is to create the sensation of being inside a murmuration, except instead of a visual murmuration of starlings, a rich, shifting 3D soundscape of samples.
This R&D will culminate in a hands-on session inside the 3D spatial audio system at MediaCity Hub in Salford in March, where we'll test how the work behaves in a full spatial environment.
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We're particularly interested in:
Choir-like textures made from voices
Sound that moves around, above, and through audiences
Translating visual ideas of murmurations into sonic motion and behaviour
You'll work closely with the creative director to prototype, test, and iterate ideas that can feed into our future immersive installations.
Fee: £1,500 (£300/day for 5 days)
Timeline
Application deadline: 9AM, Friday 13th February
Short online interviews: Tuesday 17th February
R&D period: Flexible, early March
In-person spatial test session: March, MediaCity Hub
Policy on AI. We're happy for AI-based techniques to be used as part of a balanced creative practice. We don't prescribe a single approach -what matters is artistic quality, curiosity, and respect for collaborators' choices.
Job Requirements
This is part of our wider creative R&D series, with one several exploratory commissions designed to build long-term collaborations. Even if the timing isn't right, we're always keen to hear from sound designers with an interest in the cutting-edge creative technology, in case there's a good fit for future work, so feel welcome to reach out in any case.
For this R&D, we're looking for a collaborator with strong sound design skills, and a clear focus on spatial / 3D audio, to help us develop a technique in spatial audio.
Job Responsibilities
You'll be given an assortment of solo vocal lines to map on a spatial model and will work closely with the creative director to define an overall creative and spatial logic for the piece.
Your role will be to:
Explore how these vocal lines can be mapped into 3D space, with particular attention to movement, proximity, clustering, dispersal, and flow
Test and advise on appropriate software, tools, or workflows for prototyping this approach
Create rough but compelling spatial prototypes that demonstrate how choral voices might behave dynamically in an immersive environment
The R&D will culminate in testing the work on an 8-point spatial audio system at MediaCity, Salford, allowing us to experience the material at scale and assess its emotional and perceptual impact.
The aim here is to prototype a form of immersive sound that truly relishes movement and space as meaningful compositional paramaters - ie, that can be truly emotionally impactful.
Job Overview
Job Title: Sound Designer, 3D Spatial Audio
Salary: £40k-£50k
Hours: Full time
Artform: Music
Role: Creative
Contract: Contract
Closing date: Fri, 13 Feb 2026
Location: UK-wide
How to Apply
Please email [email protected] with:
• Subject line: Spatial Sound Designer - [Your Name]
• A short bio, including a note on what tools you use
• Your portfolio or reel
• Your availability in early March
We know every email takes time, so big thanks in advance!
Contact email: [email protected]
Application Deadline:
Feb. 13, 2026
Job Duration:
Open ended
Job/Audition Type:
Full Time
Job Category:
Technical/Show Support
Payment status:
Paid
Job Location:
United Kingdom,
UK-wide
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