I'm Ed Varga, a seasoned music composer, sound designer, and audio engineer based in Portland, OR. I bring 25+ years of studio, production, and project management experience to film, TV, and video games, crafting immersive soundscapes and emotional scores from concept to delivery. I work with Logic Pro, Finale, Unity, FMOD, Wwise, and a range of hardware and software to create unique palettes for each project. I work very collaboratively with directors, developers, content producers and musicians of all experience levels.

Ed Varga

I'm Ed Varga, a seasoned music composer, sound designer, and audio engineer based in Portland, OR. I bring 25+ years of studio, production, and project management experience to film, TV, and video games, crafting immersive soundscapes and emotional scores from concept to delivery. I work with Logic Pro, Finale, Unity, FMOD, Wwise, and a range of hardware and software to create unique palettes for each project. I work very collaboratively with directors, developers, content producers and musicians of all experience levels.

Available to hire

I’m Ed Varga, a seasoned music composer, sound designer, and audio engineer based in Portland, OR. I bring 25+ years of studio, production, and project management experience to film, TV, and video games, crafting immersive soundscapes and emotional scores from concept to delivery. I work with Logic Pro, Finale, Unity, FMOD, Wwise, and a range of hardware and software to create unique palettes for each project. I work very collaboratively with directors, developers, content producers and musicians of all experience levels.

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Experience Level

Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Expert
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
Intermediate
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Language

English
Fluent

Work Experience

Music Composer at ToneGenerator Studios
January 1, 2011 - Present
Compose music for film, TV and video games; create orchestral arrangements using Logic Pro and Finale; work with sampled, synthesizers, acoustic and electric instruments; craft unique sound palettes; collaborate with directors, producers and developers; manage picture spotting sessions; compose horizontal and vertical scores and adaptive scores for video games; implement music into Unity with FMOD and Wwise; plan recording sessions; record, program, mix and master projects with 20-200+ tracks; deliver files, stems and mixes per client specs.
Freelance Sound Designer and Editor at Independent / Freelance
January 1, 1996 - Present
Create immersive audio for theater, film and video games; source and edit sound effects; design custom sound effects using original recordings and Foley; edit dialogue and interviews; process audio with UAD, iZotope, Soundtoys and other plug-ins; perform audio clean-up and restoration; implement audio into video games using Unity, FMOD and Wwise.
Freelance Audio Engineer at Independent / Freelance
January 1, 1995 - Present
Live and studio audio production using analog and digital equipment; manage studio sessions with musicians and voice over artists; record live performances, speeches and meetings in stereo and multi-track formats; mix and master music and film projects; serve as FOH and/or monitor engineer for music, theater, arts, festivals and corporate events.
Facilities and Technical Director at SOMARTS Cultural Center
January 1, 2013 - October 10, 2025
Oversee planning and implementation of internal and client produced events; maintain standards and procedures for client relations and services; manage the maintenance of a 30,000 square foot building including two art galleries, theater, stage, studios and offices; plan and implement facility and technical improvements; write and revise manuals, policies and procedures; create and implement budgets for labor, equipment and supplies; track labor, budgets and invoicing for events and projects.
Studio Manager at YO YO RECORDINGS
January 1, 2006 - October 10, 2025
Manage all phases of recording projects including basic tracking, overdubs, mixing and mastering; operate and maintain analog and computer equipment; oversee studio calendar and budget; set rates for services, negotiate contracts and collect fees.
Audio, Video, Lighting Technician and Production Manager at Various (Walkers Art Center, Seattle Art Museum, etc.)
January 1, 2009 - October 10, 2025
Plan transportation, logistics, production timelines, equipment and staffing for performance, film, corporate and special events; create floor plans, equipment lists and audio/video/lighting schematics; design and build systems to suit each event; supervise staff and third party vendors during installation, event and load-out; install and operate event audio/video/lighting systems.

Education

BA — LGBTQ Studies at University of Minnesota, Minneapolis
September 15, 1989 - January 1, 1994
BA in Music Composition for Film, TV and Video Games at Berklee College of Music (Online)
September 15, 2019 - January 1, 2023
Certificate in Studio Recording, Mixing and Mastering at The Recording Workshop, Chillicothe, OH
January 1, 2000 - March 1, 2000

Qualifications

Add your qualifications or awards here.

Industry Experience

Media & Entertainment, Gaming, Software & Internet, Professional Services, Education, Other, Non-Profit Organization
    paper Music Composition for Film

    Music that tells stories beyond the screen. A four minute reel featuring original film scores by composer Ed Varga. This collection showcases themes of emotion, tension, atmosphere and empowerment from independent film projects.

    paper Video Game Audio: Original Music, Sound Design and Unity Engine Implementation

    Demonstration of music, sound design and audio implementation in Unity Game Engine. All music and sound design by Ed Varga.

    paper Music and Sound Design for Social Media and Web Content

    Custom music and sound design can elevate your content. I create music that is customized to your video so you don’t have to chop up stock music and try to make it work, saving you time and frustration. My work as a video game sound designer gives me the skills to enhance animations or accent action in your videos.

    paper Interactive Scoring For Video Games Demo

    This was a demo project to demonstrate a casual game (Tetris) and how the game could be scored with interactive music. The music was inspired by Guy Whitmore’s scores for the Peggle games which are casual puzzle games that feature big orchestral scores. I did more of a hybrid score blending orchestral instruments with stylized vocals, synthesizers and drum machines. Rotating the puzzle pieces trigger short, random melodies that blend with the main score. This makes the music interactive for the player and is also a nod to experimental/chance music. These melodies and other musical stingers, along with the main score were implemented into an actual game. The game engine is Unity and the audio middleware that I used to implement the music is Wwise. This video in two parts is a demonstration of the game play and I discuss how I used Wwise to work with Unity to implement the music.

    uniE608 T (feature length narrative film) Lane Michael Stanley dir.
    T is a narrative feature directed by Lane Michael Stanley. It premiered at the Dances with Films festival 2025 at the Chinese Theater in Hollywood. Lane already had some songs temped into the film that he wanted to keep so my job was to compose a complimentary score around those songs. We decided to go with a guitar based instrument palette. This film is an intimate film about individual journeys and the relationships between the 5 main characters and the music had to match that tone. To keep with that tone, Lane wanted the music to simple and have minimal instruments and layers. One thing I always talk to directors about is the main themes of the story and how to connect them using music. In the sample reel below, I've showcased the main theme that we called, "Taking a Step Towards Your Real Self." The first version I wrote was actually version 2. After writing a different piece of music for the opening we decided that this first scene is actually the first step the main character takes towards their true self. So I took the main theme and stripped it down, fragmented it and slowed it down to match the darker tone of the opening. That theme comes back throughout the film to connect the dots of the characters' journeys towards their authentic selves. This reel features another more somber theme scoring moments where characters unintentionally hurt the ones they love. More info here: https://www.twine.net/signin
    uniE608 Earthworm (experimental documentary film) Lane Michael Stanley dir.
    This short film is directed by Lane Michael Stanley. This film is experimental dance film exploring genderqueer femme embodiment through meditation and yoga. It was commissioned by Dance Camera West, California Creative Corps & Kern Dance Alliance. Lane wanted me to blur the lines between sound design and music. We did some pre-production where I did some experimentation, created unique sampled instruments and sent him demos before the on set production began. After several discussions, some experimentation and demos we decided to use the main character's breath work and vocalizations and weave those into the music. I was unable to be on set so I did some planning with Lane and the production audio recordist to capture some sounds on set that we thought would be useful. After more experimentation where I tried to use the sounds like samples, I found it was better to just edit the recorded sounds and put a lot of effects on them and then make them a part of the music. That worked better than putting the sounds in a sampler and trying to use them like different pitches (musical notes) given the material that was recorded. From there I sent Lane more demos to get to three sets of sound palettes/instrumentation for the four sections of the film with the beginning and ending sections sharing the same instrumentation and palettes which fit the bookends feeling of the film. More info here: https://www.twine.net/signin
    uniE608 Forevertown (short narrative film)
    This short film was directed by Oona Garthwaite. Production was in late 2022. Picture locked in March or April of 2023. Before the picture was locked I met with Oona to discuss the film, the type of music she was looking for in the score and how the music could help set the tone of the film. Oona and I did a spotting session together where we identified scenes in the film that I would compose a score for and what the tone of the score in those scenes would be. Oona gave me a couple of musical references, including the score for the film Drive (Cliff Martinez, composer) and I came up with a sound palette that was synth based. After sending her a sample set to a scene in the film, she approved the sound palette. I each cue to get her feedback and then revised it if/as needed. We repeated this collaborative process for each cue until we got to the final versions. I then exported a stereo mix and stems with a cue sheet. One of the biggest challenges of this film and many short films is trying to complete a musical idea in a very short amount of time with scenes and the transitions between scenes being very short. Setting the tone musically for each micro scene in a short film can actually be more challenging that composing music for longer scenes in full length features. The video here is act 2 of the film and you'll see how fast the scenes, transitions and cues move. See the full film here: https://vimeo.com/1056877806