We started the Biannual Sonic Dash in 2024 as a response to tumultuous changes in the audio world. Massive layoffs, lengthy strikes, and the blind, enthusiastic adoption of A.I. tools conspired to make the future seem impossible for audio producers and their collaborators. We knew a little audio competition wouldn’t fix that, but we knew it wouldn’t hurt to give folks a chance to show off their skills and ingenuity.
Actually, it really wasn’t all that portentous. We just thought it would be fun (perhaps the kind of fun we needed at that point of time). Y’all seemed to agree. We were utterly floored by the amount of inventiveness and creativity on display in our first two contests.
If you’re curious of what’s even possible for an audio producer to make within the confines of a weekend, take a look at some of our past winners and hear for yourself!
“Are You Out There” Summer 2024
Finalists
“Not Out There" by Kylie Miller, Tom Sayers, Andrés Pacheco-Girón
"Mass Evaporation" by Rowan Petersen, Aster Baldwin
"Twenty-Six Missed Birthdays" by Ashlie Stevens, Stephen Pate
“Am I Alone in Here?” by Tessa Flannery / “Step 1” by Nisha Venky / “Extinct” by Pippa Johnstone / “How to Put Yourself Out There” by Sonic Adventurers (Vivien Schütz, Laura Rojas Aponte, Joseph Tisdall) / “In the Backyard” by Graelyn Brashear and Anonymous / “Fish Story” by Spicy Wonton Inc. (Ting Su & Eddie Yukun Long) / “Eye Contact on the N Train” by Lauren Vespoli and Sarah Dalgleish
Prizes
$1,000 Cash Prize / Precision 5690 Laptop from Dell worth over $5K / Choice of E7 Standing Desk or C7 Ergonomic Chair from Flexispot / REAPER Pro License / $350 of Audio Services from Silver Sound / AATranslator2 Extended / Acoustica Pro Audio Suite / A Focusrite Vocaster Two Studio
Judges
Mark Blumberg / Cory Choy / Joanna Fang / Justin Frankel / Davy Gardner / Jonathan Mitchell / Arielle Nissenblatt / Cindy Olivo / Emily Reeves / Kate Tellers
“Left Turns” Winter 2024
Finalists
“Azcapotzalco” by Jacki Huntington
“The Ocean Line” by Sarah Dalgleish and Nic Neves
“When You Hit Anniesland Cross” by Amber Devereux and Ross MacFarlane
Laughing Skull Audio (Kevin Rae, Brandon Brooks, Cameron Rose, Carson Lambing), "Dead Ahead" / Charlotte Morlie, "Cover Letter" / PB&K (Patrick Boyd and Kaitlyn Leaf), "LASCAR" / The Two of Us (Vivien S. Schütz and Joseph Tisdall), "10 Weeks" / Emily Rizzo and Grant Hill, "Dead End" / Tessa Flannery and Olivia Wardwell, Untitled / Maddy Searle, Untitled
Prizes
$350 Worth of Audio Services from Silver Sound / DaVinci Resolve Pro License (Fairlight) / MovieMaker Magazine Subscription / $500 Cash Prize / REAPER Pro License
Judges
Mark Blumberg / Cory Choy / John Delore / Dierdre McCarrick / Arielle Nissenblatt / Emily Reeves / Julie Shapiro / Jamie Zelermyer
