Creator of the Month – Christa Giammattei

Published

27th September 2024

Christa Giammattei is a freelance postproduction audio engineer dedicated to telling stories through sound. She has worked with such companies as IBM, HBO, Volkswagen, and Epic Games, and on a number of film projects. She is the founder of Command + S Apparel, a clothing brand for audio pros, and hosts Audio Industry News. Read on to learn more about the many facets of Christa’s career, her outreach to others, the gear she loves, and more.

Christa Giammatte with a black cat

How did you get your start as a freelance postproduction audio engineer? What are some of the rewards and drawbacks of being a freelancer?

I sort of fell into freelancing by accident. My goal after graduating college with my audio degree was to secure a full-time role somewhere, but no one had told me that was few and far between. I completed an internship at an audio postproduction house and did a little bit of work there until it was no longer a viable option for me. Not knowing fully where to turn and in desperate need of a job to pay my rent in the new city I had just moved to, I applied for a job at a music retail store. If nothing else, at least I could get discounts for a little while, right? I worked there for two years. During that time, I talked to customers who came in to grab audio gear, asking about their work, and eventually connected with several advertising agencies and studios who were in need of postproduction sound. I gave them my info, and they were nice enough to give me a chance. After a while, the freelance work I was doing on the side became overwhelming with a full-time job. I asked my retail job to let me go part-time, but they refused me. So I impulsively quit on the spot. And the rest, as they say, was history. I’ve been working as a freelancer ever since for the past five years.

Christa Giammatte

I always thought freelancing didn’t have any pros—who wants to work in a field where you never know when your next paycheck is? But I’ve come to love it for many reasons. Every day is something new, and you get the opportunity to choose what you’d like to work on. I love the challenge of waking up to design nature ambiences, and then the next day editing hundreds of VO files for a video game. Since I’m technically my own lead audio engineer, I can decide whether or not I want to work on the weekend. I set my own vacation times, and I get to work from home 99% of the time. On the other hand, benefits in the freelance world are hard to come by. Health insurance is expensive and doesn’t typically cover a whole lot (at least, in the U.S.). You have to pay for all your own expenses, including equipment upkeep, lunches, and new audio tools. You’re also working a lot and not getting paid for any of it; you’re your own accountant, and marketing manager, and you have to train yourself on the new products that get released into the audio world. And don’t even get me started on taxes in freelance! It’s all a lot to manage, but for me, it’s become kinda fun.

Do you have any favorite projects out of all those you’ve worked on? Any interesting challenges you’ve faced?

My favorite projects to work on are always indie short films of any kind. I’m especially drawn to animation, and I’ve yet to get to work on a whole lot there, but anytime I do it’s the best time. Honestly, the thing that drew me into the world of sound was the idea of telling a really good story, so anything that can do that are my favorite projects.

I recently did some sound editing for a film on Netflix called The Antisocial Network. I had to pull a lot of sound effects for memes, which was an interesting challenge, considering memes typically never have sound associated with them. That was really fun to think about—like what sound should Pepe the frog make?

You recently surpassed 100 episodes of your Audio Industry News videos on Instagram. What led you to start producing these weekly news roundups?

The origins of Audio Industry News began somewhat selfishly. During 2020, I, like many others, was without work for a very long time. I had been surviving as a freelancer thanks to a mentor who took me on and was passing me a lot of mixing jobs for TV and promos. Once those productions all shut down, I was told I needed to apply for unemployment and figure out how to continue in the future. I spent most of that year brainstorming ways I could become relevant in the post sound industry. Mainly, I wanted people to think of my name more often when potential jobs came up. After I left my music retail job, I realized I had built up a lot of knowledge surrounding audio gear and brands, and began to think of ways to utilize that to the best of my ability. The idea of Audio Industry News started to take shape, and even though I was terrified of the thought of being on camera, I knew for the sake of my career I had to go for it. (Please God, do not go back to the first episodes of AIN, those were different times.)

My plan worked in a way—lots more people started to recognize me and recommend me for jobs just based off the personality I showed on camera. But Audio Industry News grew into so much more over time; it became a community of amazing audio engineers and editors. I formed friendships with people who followed me there and have discovered so many new members of the sound community. I’m really thankful for everyone who tunes in every week, and I plan to continue as long as I can.

In addition to your audio work, you are also the founder of Command + S Apparel, a clothing line for audio engineers and other audio professionals. What inspired you to start this shop? Do you create the designs yourself?

Command + S Apparel was another one of those post-covid ideas that came about when I was brainstorming in 2020. I noticed that there weren’t a ton of options out there for audio engineers when it came to T-shirts or accessories. In fact, most of the designs that were available at the time were generic, and to be honest, so stupid I personally wouldn’t be caught in it if it was the last piece of clothing on the planet (e.g., “I’m an audio engineer, of course I know what those buttons do”). I have a pretty silly sense of humor, which I think comes through in Audio Industry News, but I wanted a different outlet that others could enjoy. Thus, Command + S was born. There are a couple designs I commissioned from a graphic designer (like the Cable Medusa), but most of the designs are created by me. I’ve got lots of ideas about releases going forward, but for anyone reading this, just know I put so much thought and care into everything with Command + S. For everyone who buys a shirt, or a sticker, it makes me so happy to know others have some audio merch that they enjoy. One of my goals has always been to bring more awareness and appreciation to the audio field, even if (especially if) that means rocking a tee that lets the world know “Sound Design Is Hot.”

You note on your website that you often present at conventions and other events, such as Elon University’s Leading Women in Audio Conference, geared toward minorities in the audio industry. What are some keys to broadening the diversity in the industry?

Things have changed so much since I first entered the industry. There were not a lot of resources for minorities in audio when I began, and when I became a freelancer I vowed to help out in that regard however I could. I think women and other minorities making themselves available as a mentor or even just to answer questions is super helpful. That visibility and being able to see someone like yourself in a job is so important. For anyone interested, you can find contact info for me and other mentors at gameaudiolearning.com/mentorships. But ultimately, the responsibility for change falls on the companies and anyone with the ability to hire someone. If you are in that position, then I hope you will use that power for good to enact change. In the meantime, if you are not a minority, speaking up when you see something unfair or disrespectful does more than you can imagine. It’s important to think about language patterns too, such as catching yourself when you say, “sound guy.” It’s a small thing, but it makes a big impact, and it will be all those little things that come together to broaden the diversity in audio.

We know you’re a big fan of our ATH-M50x headphones. What do you like about these professional monitors? What other gear do you rely on in the studio?

The ATH-M50x headphones were one of the first pieces of audio gear I ever bought for myself, so they are near and dear to my heart. I always tell people that the quality available is fantastic and hard to beat for that price point. The frequency response is fairly flat, with a subtle boost in the lows that I actually like to have when mixing in post. They are also comfortable to wear, which is surprisingly difficult to find in a pair of headphones, and good isolators if you need to track anything.

ATH-M50x

Professional Monitor Headphones ATH-M50x

As for other gear, I recently got a pair of ADAM A7V studio monitors that I am loving so far. I’ve always loved how the ribbon tweeters sound, and the ability to connect to Sonarworks means you can really tune the sound to your room. I also use an Ohma Motif microphone every week for Audio Industry News episodes, which not only looks like something from Legend of Zelda but has great sound, too. So, win-win. If I’m recording Foley or vocals of any kind then I’m also a big fan of the Audio-Technica AT4040 mic! I’ve had that mic for years and used it on a variety of projects, and anyone I’ve sent files to comments on how clean the quality is.

AT4040 Cardioid Condenser Microphone

Do you have any tips for those just starting out in the industry or considering a career in audio production?

Connect with as many peers as you can. That goes for online through social media and in real life. Having a group of people you trust that you can go to for questions or even to listen to something to give feedback on is invaluable. So many of my jobs have come from my fellow audio engineers who have recommended me. Make sure to connect with people you genuinely think you have things in common with and want to befriend. Your personality and approachability will get you farther than any skill set in the audio world.

Also, there will be many people in the industry who will try to sell you on the “right way” to do something, but the truth is, the right way is whatever way that works for you. Your uniqueness and the way you approach a project is the reason you’ll be hired. That creativity is what people are looking for, and it’s what drives a good story, which is what audio postproduction is all about.