TURN YOUR MUSIC & AUDIO SKILLS INTO A FREELANCE CAREER

 

The Sound Designer’s Blueprint: From Beginner to Screen-Ready Audio
For frustrated musicians, career changers, and creative grads ready to break into sound design for film, media, and beyond.

ESCAPE THE 9-5 - If you're a musician, producer, composer, or creative stuck in a job you hate, this course teaches you how to pivot into freelance sound design - using the tools and talent you already have. From the technical and creative foundations to landing your first client, this course covers it all.

 

I’m James a sound designer, composer and founder of Obodo Sound - I was stuck in an advertising job I couldn’t stand. I had studio skills, music experience, and a creative brain, but I had no idea how to turn it into a career. Fast forward seven years: I’ve completed over 360 projects and generated close to £500,000 working on TV, film, cultural exhibitions, and advertising, all whilst working for myself. This course is the roadmap I wish I had when I started. It’ll show you how to go from frustrated creative to paid Sound Designer. Building this business, I’ve mastered the technical demands of high-level projects, whilst managing difficult clients and bouncing back from failed outreach. I designed this course to give you the clarity and confidence I didn’t have starting out.

 

FOR AUDIO TALENT READY TO TURN SKILL INTO INCOME

 

    • Musicians and producers who want real income

    • Mix engineers tired of working for free

    • Composers ready for a new revenue stream

    • Video editors who want to offer full post services

    • Creatives stuck in unfulfilling jobs

    • Music degree students wondering what to do next

    • Audio hobbyists building a new career

    • Pro Tools workflow and templates

    • Formating AAF/OMF + Video files

    • Mix and master for TV, web, and cinema

    • Build soundscapes with SFX and ambient beds

    • Deliver pro work to clients, with full confidence

    • Handle feedback, scope creep, and comms

    • Price your work, build outreach, and stay booked

 

FREELANCE FREEDOM FOR MUSICIANS & CREATIVES

 

  • Before diving into the modules, you’ll be introduced to a comprehensive 60-page handbook. Your foundational guide to the business of post-production sound. This resource covers everything from understanding the different roles and talents in the post-production world, to building clear procedures that help you work with clients effectively and professionally. It’s the mindset and systems layer that will support everything you learn in the course.

  • Create a rock-solid technical base, from import to trouble shooting.

    • DAW setup

    • AAFs/OMFs and Formating

    • Importing media & Sync

    • File Management & Delivery

    • Software

    • Sound Libraries 

    • Session Templates & Plugin Presets

    • Free Download: Obodo Pro Tools template

    • Free Practice Material: Example short commercial + AAF & Video

  • Master the standard industry process of breaking down and organising a project.

    • Dialogue tracks

    • FX and ambience

    • Wild tracks & VO

    • Music beds & temp scores

    • Ambience & room tone

    • Creating a clean working session

  • Clean and shape dialogue for clarity and emotion.

    • Dialogue Editing: EQ, De-noise, De-click

    • Compression and Automation

    • FX Layering & Sound Creation

    • Using Reverb & Space

    • Basic Mixing Tips

  • Make scenes feel immersive and emotionally powerful.

    • Layering & sound bed techniques

    • Real-world SFX workflows

    • Ambient design

    • Walkthroughs of short-form content

    • Foley

  • Deliver technically sound, professional mixes that meet platform-specific requirements.

    • Understanding LUFS, peak levels, and dynamic range per platform

    • Setting up delivery templates for broadcast (TV), streaming (YouTube, Spotify), and cinema (DCP requirements)

    • Mixing dialogue, music, and FX to meet spec — without compromising creativity

    • Exporting stems, mixes, and M&E versions correctly

    • Loudness metering tools and plugins walkthrough

    • Common rejections and how to fix them (QC fails, clipping, phase issues)

    • Final delivery checklists and naming conventions

  • Goal: Apply everything in context with real projects.

    • Short Film Breakdown: Start to Finish

    • Ad Spot Breakdown: Fast-Paced, Clean Mix

    • Documentary Breakdown: Dialogue-Heavy Work

    • Common Pitfalls (and How to Avoid Them)

  • Goal: Show you how to actually get work and manage workflow.

    • Outreach strategies that convert

    • Freelance contracts & invoicing

    • Email & comms templates

    • Client Language & Workflow 

    • Landing your first client

    • How to build a £90k/year workflow

  • Apply everything you’ve learned by responding to a real client-style brief — and get direct feedback to refine your work.

    What’s Included:

    • A downloadable live-style brief from a mock client (with picture, notes, and delivery requirements)

    • You'll complete a full sound design and mix pass, just like in a real project

    • Submit your work and receive:

    • Detailed feedback from me (on your timing, creative choices, technical quality, and delivery)

    • Notes on what worked and what could be improved

    • Option to revise your project and resubmit

    • Tips for building this into a showreel piece

    • Live Q&A 

    • WhatsApp Group Invite

    • Exclusive Library Sample Pack

    • Obodo 60 page handbook (production services, quotes, production schedules & more)

    • Sound & Music - Cost Calculator for Feature Films, Docs, Commercials and Podcasts

  • Everything you need to run your freelance sound design business like a pro from day one:

    • 🧾 Freelance Contract Template

    • 📄 Invoice Template

    • 🧾 Client Brief Templates Pack (for sound design, music, post workflows, and more)

    • 📨 Client Outreach & Follow-Up Email Scripts

    • 🗂️ Project Scoping & Briefing Templates

    • 🧠 Client Lingo & Communication Cheat Sheet

    • 📊 Project & Income Tracker (Notion or Google Sheets)

    • 📁 Delivery Folder & File Naming Template

    • 🧩 Sound & Music Cost Calculator (for TV, Film, Podcasts)

 

COURSES

 
Kickstart
£59.00
One time

The DIY Audio Pivot

✓ Modules 1–2
✓ Pro Tools Template
✓ One full practice project
✓ Email and outreach templates
Freelance Ready
£159.00
One time

Sound Design Startup Kit

✓ All Kickstart
✓ Modules 1–4
✓ Contract & Invoice templates
✓ 3 full project files to practice
✓ Quote Cost Calculator
Pro Career Blueprint
£259.00
One time

The Full-Time Sound Designer Path

✓ All Freelance Ready
✓ Modules 1-8 + Bonuses
✓ Freelancer Starter Kit
✓ Access to private WhatsApp groups
✓ Live client brief + personal feedback for me
 

CLIENTS

YOU’RE CLOSER TO A CREATIVE CAREER THAN YOU THINK.