Hi, I’m Dren McDonald, an audio director and composer with over a decade and a half of experience shaping audio/music for games. I've written, produced and implemented many music for many different game genres and platforms. Of specific interest to your project, you might have a listen to the music I did for the Stranger Things VR game, which is on this page _Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup_ Thanks for listening!…

Dren McDonald

Hi, I’m Dren McDonald, an audio director and composer with over a decade and a half of experience shaping audio/music for games. I've written, produced and implemented many music for many different game genres and platforms. Of specific interest to your project, you might have a listen to the music I did for the Stranger Things VR game, which is on this page _Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup_ Thanks for listening!…

Available to hire

Hi, I’m Dren McDonald, an audio director and composer with over a decade and a half of experience shaping audio/music for games. I’ve written, produced and implemented many music for many different game genres and platforms. Of specific interest to your project, you might have a listen to the music I did for the Stranger Things VR game, which is on this page Website not available. Sign in: https://www.twine.net/signup Thanks for listening!

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Skills

Experience Level

Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Audio Director at NerdTracks Audio
February 1, 2009 - Present
Audio directed, composed and sound designed for 75+ game projects; built audio pipelines and middleware integrations; established source control workflows; recruited and managed team members; collaborated with major publishers and studios (Valve, Netflix, Glu Mobile/EA, Razer, Zynga, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Romero Games, SeaWorld, Adidas) to create compelling audio for mobile, VR/AR and in-game experiences.
Composer/Sound Designer at Meta (formerly Facebook)
November 1, 2022 - September 20, 2025
Led audio design for AR/VR initiatives and content as Audio Director and lead composer for Horizon Worlds, Portal: Storytime, Quill VR animated films and AR effects across Instagram, Messenger, Facebook App and Messenger Kids; developed tutorials and documentation for audio integration into Unity and Quilt VR tools; composed and mixed 35+ tracks used in Facebook Sound Collection.
Audio Director at Windup Minds
July 1, 2023 - Present
Audio Director for a remote studio of game industry veterans; led audio for Stay: Forever Home MR/VR game; recorded and organized creature VO, music, sound design; composed all music and sound design; implemented audio using Wwise, Unity3D and Meta immersive audio SDK; collaborated with designers, engineers and QA for a seamless audio experience on MR/VR platform.
Audio Director at Loot Drop
August 1, 2012 - September 20, 2025
Hired as Audio Director to set up and run the short live studio audio pipeline; composed, sound designed and directed voice talent for Flash/social games.
Audio Lead at 6 Waves / LOLapps
December 1, 2011 - September 20, 2025
Lead audio for social games with up to 20M monthly players; created all audio for high-traffic titles; established pipelines and tools for efficient audio production.
Audio Director at Windup Minds
July 1, 2023 - Present
Audio Director for Windup Minds, a MR/VR game studio formed by veterans from Oculus, PopCap, Arkane, Magic Leap, Bungie, EA, and more. Led all audio for the studio’s MR/VR project Stay: Forever Home, a virtual pet experience for Meta Quest. Recorded and organized creature VO, music, musicians, sound design, and produced all audio content; composed the score and sound design; implemented audio using Wwise and Unity3D, leveraging Meta’s immersive audio SDK to achieve an immersive experience. Collaborated with designers, engineers and QA to ensure a smooth audio experience across MR and VR platforms.
Composer/Sound Designer at Meta (formerly Facebook)
November 1, 2022 - September 20, 2025
Led audio teams as Audio Director and lead composer for AR/VR projects including Horizon Worlds, Portal (Storytime), Quill VR animated films and AR effects on Instagram, Messenger, FB App and Messenger Kids. Led AR tutorials on the Spark AR AR effects software hub, delivering 12 tutorials on audio for AR effects. Created documentation and sample projects for Facebook Audio integration into Unity and for Quil VR (an animation tool) to help teams learn in-house tools. Composed, produced and mixed over 35 songs included in the Facebook Sound Collection used in Instagram music overlays.
CEO, Audio Director at NERDTRACKS AUDIO
February 1, 2009 - Present
Founded NerdTracks Audio and served as CEO and Audio Director. Directed, composed and sound designed 75+ game projects; designed audio pipelines and middleware integrations; hired and led teams; scaled projects from small mobile games to multi-year releases and larger music projects for themes parks. Collaborated with Valve Software, Netflix, Glu Mobile (EA), Razer, Zynga, Microsoft, Ubisoft and more.
Adjunct Professor at San Francisco Conservatory of Music
May 1, 2018 - September 20, 2025
Taught graduate and undergraduate students in the Technology in Applied Composition program; designed course curriculum in game audio, sound design and mixing with virtual instruments.
Audio Director at Loot Drop
August 1, 2012 - September 20, 2025
Hired as Audio Director for John Romero, Brenda Romero and Tom Hall’s Loot Drop studio. Set up the short live studio, composed, sound designed and implemented all audio; auditioned and directed voice talent.
Audio Lead at 6 Waves/LOLapps
December 1, 2011 - September 20, 2025
The studio’s sole audio person, creating all audio for popular social games (20M+ monthly players). Titles included Ravenwood Fair, Ravenskye City and Ravenspire Castle.
Audio Director at Windup Minds
July 1, 2023 - Present
Audio Director for a remote game studio composed of veterans from Oculus, PopCap, Arkane, Magic Leap, Bungie, EA and more. Led audio for the MR/VR game Stay: Forever Home for Meta Quest, including recording and organizing creature VO, music, sound design, and all audio content; composed all music and sound design. Implemented audio in Wwise and Unity3D, using Meta’s immersive audio SDK for a fully immersive AR/MR/VR experience. Collaborated with designers, engineers and QA to ensure smooth audio across mixed reality and virtual reality platforms.
Composer/Sound Designer at META (formerly Facebook)
November 1, 2022 - September 20, 2025
Led audio teams as Audio Director and lead composer for AR/VR projects, including Horizon Worlds, Portal (Storytime), Quill VR animated films and AR effects on Instagram, Messenger, FB App and Messenger Kids. Directed Spark AR audio tutorials for AR Hub (12 tutorials). Created documentation and sample projects for FB Audio integration into Unity and Quill VR. Composed, produced and mixed over 35 songs included in the Facebook Sound Collection, used in Instagram overlays for Stories and Reels.
CEO, Audio Director at NERDTRACKS AUDIO
February 1, 2009 - Present
Audio directed, composed and sound designed for over 75 different game projects. Designed audio pipelines, middleware integration and source control solutions, and recruited team members as projects scaled. Collaborated with major companies such as Valve Software, Netflix, Glu Mobile (EA), Razer, Zynga, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Originator, Rome Ro Games, Sea World, Adidas, and more. Notable titles include Stranger Things VR, Counterstrike 2, Hit It Rich Slots, Transformers: Age of Extinction The Game, Cooking Dash, Diner Dash, Gordon Ramsay Dash, and more.
Audio Director at Loot Drop
August 1, 2012 - September 20, 2025
Set up the short live studio audio pipeline, composed, sound designed and implemented all audio. Auditioned, hired and directed voice talent. Worked on titles including Ghost Recon Commander (Ubisoft), Pett ington Park (Zynga), Cloudforest Expedition (Rock You), and Charmacraft Hollow.
Audio Lead at 6 Waves/LOLapps
December 1, 2011 - September 20, 2025
As the sole audio person at the studio, created all audio for popular social games during the studio’s peak (20M monthly players). Notable titles included Ravenwood Fair (designed by John Romero), Ravenskye City and RavenShire Castle.
Adjunct Professor (part time) at San Francisco Conservatory of Music
May 1, 2018 - September 20, 2025
Taught graduate and undergraduate students in the Technology in Applied Composition program, designing coursework in game audio, sound design and mixing with virtual instruments.

Education

Adjunct Professor (part-time) at San Francisco Conservatory of Music
August 1, 2015 - May 1, 2018

Qualifications

Tribeca Film Festival
June 6, 2022 - June 10, 2022
Interactive Festival VR Feature "Mescaform Hill: The Missing Five" score, and audio direction
Venice Film Festival
July 10, 2023 - July 28, 2023
Interactive VR Feature; "Perennials" (score and sound design)
Venice Film Festival
July 10, 2023 - July 28, 2023
Interactive VR Feature; "Pepitos" (audio direction)
Best Audio in an Indie Game Award (Game Audio Network Guild)
April 3, 2016 - April 8, 2016
Game: "Gathering Sky" (score, sound design and audio direction)

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Computers & Electronics, Gaming, Software & Internet, Education, Professional Services

Skills

Experience Level