Sound Designer & Dialogue Specialist

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Matt VanKleeck

Hello! My name is Matt VanKleeck and I’m a Sound Designer for video games. This demo reel showcases just a few things I’ve been working on lately, and there are more videos linked below with a more in depth look into some of the projects I’ve had the pleasure of working on. Hope you enjoy!

As a Senior Audio Designer on Highguard, I worked with the Audio and Narrative Directors to create a compelling audio experience for the game across both Dialogue and Sound Design.

  • Led the dialogue development process from concept to ship. Worked with the Narrative Director to cast, record, direct, edit, and implement all VO in nine languages.

  • Attended VO recording sessions both remotely and in person, working closely with the VO Director to ensure that the needs of the game were considered.

  • Worked with game designers to create an automated VO implementation workflow in Google Apps Script that would populate data tables in Unreal with VO, subtitle strings, playback logic, and other data.

  • Developed a VO playback system that would dynamically change based on game and player state.

  • Owned the design and implementation of audio for several weapons, weapon mods, character abilities, and gameplay systems.

  • Designed and implemented audio for dynamic locomotion systems like character footsteps, foley, mount footsteps, that would change based on speed and movement type.

  • Collaborated with other audio designers to create a unique UI audio experience.

As a Technical Dialogue Designer on Destiny 2, I shipped 3 major expansions as well as numerous seasonal releases to round out the end of the Light and Dark Saga. This video showcases just a few of my contributions to the project.

  • Designed batchable voice processing pipelines using Reaper and lua scripts in order to ensure consistent quality across thousands of lines for thirteen languages.

  • Coordinated with stakeholders on partner teams like Localization, Cinematics, Narrative, and Design to ensure that the dialogue presentation best supported the creative vision of Destiny 2.

  • Attended recording sessions both remotely and in person to advise on voice direction based on needs of the gameplay.

  • Designed, contributed, and implemented sounds for abilities, ambience, weapons, and combatants in the game.

  • Mentored and trained junior members of the dialogue team.

  • Used a proprietary engine and tools as well as Wwise to troubleshoot and fix bugs in order to meet quality standards for shipped products.

As a Sound Designer on Life is Strange: True Colors, I was part of a small audio team that created an immersive audio experience for a thrilling but cozy narrative driven adventure game.

  • Designed and implemented most sound effects in the game using DAWs like Reaper, Ableton, Sonar, and the middleware Wwise. 

  • Conceptualized and designed a dynamic system for supernatural ability sounds that would change based on gameplay information. 

  • Designed ambiences and cinematics in 5.1 surround. Created ambient emitter systems for all environments of the game using Unreal Blueprints and audio tools.

  • Ran full performance capture sessions, recording VO to be synchronized with facial capture data. Edited and implemented VO in game.

  • Assisted in implementing multiple VO languages for simultaneous release.

As a Sound Designer on Life is Strange: Before the Storm, I began my career by helping carry on the legacy of the award winning Life is Strange series.

  • Designed and implemented sound effects in the game using DAWs and the middleware CRI AtomCraft. 

  • Recorded and edited scratch VO on the mocap stage. Implemented as temporary VO to assist production while waiting for official VO.

  • Edited and implemented VO delivered by a third party recording studio. Kept track of pickup VO via proprietary script software. Also implemented localized VO for the Japanese language pack.

  • Designed ambiences and cinematics in 5.1 surround. Created ambient emitter systems for all environments of the game using Unity’s audio tools.

About Me

My name is Matt VanKleeck, and I am an audio professional with ten years of experience working in the video game industry. I studied Digital Audio Production at Ball State University, with a minor in Music Theory. I’ve always been passionate about video games, and with a musical background ever since I was young, I decided to combine my affinity for sound and games into my profession.

I’ve worked with almost every facet of audio development for games, with demonstrated experience in sound design, dialogue editing, motion capture voiceover engineering, and technical implementation in multiple game engines and audio middleware. Some of my credits include Highguard, Destiny 2, Life is Strange: True Colors, and Life is Strange: Before the Storm. I pride myself on building immersive game worlds through sound. If that sounds intriguing to you, then let’s get in touch!

Matt VanKleeck

Sound Designer | Dialogue Specialist

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