New opportunity: Audio Trainee, PitStop Productions

YSWN has teamed up with PitStop Productions to offer a paid Audio Traineeship opportunity.

As part of YSWN’s mission to provide better opportunities specifically for women and people of minority genders within the music industry, we are working with music and sound industry employers to challenge and change the gender gap.

Supported by the Youth Music Incubator Fund, this is a positive action paid trainee opportunity aimed at women and minority gendered people aged 18-25 years old, with applications particularly welcomed from those of the global majority.

PitStop Productions is a team of 80 audio professionals in voice, sound design and music. As an Audio Trainee, you will have the opportunity to gain experience in game audio for projects big and small in a way that can be tailored to your own interests in the field.

The sound design and voice department are offering a flexible traineeship, in which an applicant aged 18-25 is able to explore game audio from the perspective of sound design, voice and production depending on their unique interests. The successful candidate would also receive support from a knowledgeable audio team, coming from a range of backgrounds in the audio industry, to ensure that they come away from the traineeship with the tools they need to begin working in the games industry.

What you’ll learn:
• The sound design and voice pipeline for game development from AAA to indie.
• How to use industry standard softwares and tools to edit dialogue ready to be implemented into a game.
• How audio progresses from concept to game, considering its creative and technical philosophies.
• An overview of the quality control processes used across sound design and voice.
• An overview of the role production plays in the process of setting up, running, and completing a project at PitStop.

Tasks may include:
• Audio and voiceover editing using Reaper and Audition
• Asset management
• Foley and field recording assistance
• Supervised sound design and dialogue edit exercises, including feedback sessions
• Performing R&D tasks with other members of the sound design team
• Assisting senior team members in project reviews and dialogue mastering sessions
• Helping to create and maintain audio documentation
• Taking information from the client to formulate a production plan and workflow.

You will receive a further £500 bursary towards undertaking their own creative project or professional development opportunity (such as a training course), to be discussed and agreed with PitStop and YSWN.

As part of the placement, you will also receive 10 hours of mentoring from a YSWN associate with experience in the audio technology & music business industry.

Skills / Experience / Attributes:
We are looking for individuals who:
• Have a strong interest in video game audio.
• Have some experience with digital audio workstations (DAWs) such as Reaper (this is not essential and basic knowledge is fine).
• Are proactive, organised, and eager to learn.
• Team player
• Great communication skills
• Self-motivated with strong work ethic and commitment to projects

Duration: This traineeship will run between January 2025 – March 2025, for one day a week over 10 weeks amounting to 10 days (7.5 hours per day). The role is in-person working in Barnsley, worked flexibly in agreement with PitStop Productions. There is scope to have up to four days’ extra work over the course of the traineeship, depending on the candidate.

Fee: £12.50 per hour (Daily rate of £93.75 inclusive of travel costs)

Place of work: PitStop Productions, Barnsley

How to apply: For full details and to apply for the role, fill out the application form link below, including uploading a copy of your CV and a showreel (2 mins max) if you have one.

YSWN x PitStop Productions Audio Trainee application form

Closing date: 12pm (midday), Monday 18 November 2024.