About Me (Old)

My name is George Sarantinos, an Audio and Music Technology MSc Graduate from the University of York, currently working as a Freelance Sound Designer in Athens, Greece. I am always looking for different opportunities in the fields of Acoustics, Audio and its related Technologies. Although I thoroughly enjoyed recording and producing music, I came to realise that the science behind sound and  the technical side of audio expands way beyond this creative approach. Consequently, I am searching for opportunities to carry on working on the technical side of audio. My strongest areas of interest are Virtual Acoustics and Sound Design which successfully balance science and creativity. In the future, I would like to expand my knowledge on Audio Programming, Physical Modelling Synthesis, Ambisonics and Digital Signal Processing. These could suggest a path of research that I am interested in following. Continue reading the sections below to find out more about my education, professional background, and experience with audio, as well as other hobbies and interests. Alternatively, feel free to view a copy of my CV.

Background

I was born in London in 1996 and moved to Athens, Greece just a year later, obtaining both British and Greek Nationalities. After completing my A-levels in Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry, I searched for studies combining my areas of interest with my passion for music. Hence, I followed the path of Music Technology.

Education

I returned to the UK on September 2015 to study Music Technology as a BSc at the University of York. During my time there, I acquired skills and knowledge in both the creative and technical side of audio and music. I completed several projects focusing on Audio Programming, different types of Sound Synthesis, working with Hardware and Software, programming Microcontrollers, learning Recording Studio Techniques, Human Computer Interaction and more. In the meantime, I enhanced my portfolio by Recording, Mixing and Mastering various musicians including my band and my solo project, while also familiarising myself with sound design and audio for visual media. For my end of year project, I investigated Voice Tracking and Voice Pitch Detection by creating an interactive application for iOS devices. The Project was supervised by professor Andy Hunt and implemented using Swift and the AudioKit framework.

I graduated from the University of York on July 2018 with a BSc Second Class Honours: Division One by scoring an overall mark of 67% and a mark of 70% on my end of year project.

GraduationAs my studies were coming to an end, I came to realise how broad the scope of technology in the field of sound is. That made me seek postgraduate studies focusing on the technical side of audio. I returned to the University of York on September 2018 to do a Taught MSc in Audio and Music Technology. During my studies I familiarised myself with Acoustics, Virtual Acoustics, Ambisonics, Binaural Audio, Impulse Response Measurements and Analysis, Voice Synthesis and some Digital Signal Processing. For my end of year research project, I investigated the propagation of sound in a forest and how this can be modelled and recreated in a virtual environment. The project was supervised by Dr. Frank Stevens, the measurements took place inside the anechoic chamber of the university and the analysis was done using MATLAB.

I graduated from the University of York on January 2020 with a Distinction on my MSc in Audio and Music Technology by scoring an overall mark of 74% in the Taught side of the Masters course and a mark of 76% on my End of Year Research Project.

Working with Audio and Music

Since March 2020, I have been working as a Freelance Sound Designer with most of my projects being given by Steficon. During this time I have completed multiple projects including the following:

  • Audio Post Production for a History Series of the Vouli Channel of the National Greek Television, consisting of 54 hourly episodes
  • Sound Design and Ambisonic Mixing for 360-Video and VR, as part of a Research Project of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens for virtual tourism in the island of Santorini
  • Audio Post Production for a short Documentary for ANIMA NGO
  • Audio for other promotional videos and more

On April 2018, I toured across the UK with the band Domination Inc. as a guitar and bass technician helping them with their gear and sound. I assisted the band towards improving their live sound and even acted as a sound engineer in two different venues.

My longest occupation to date has been my band Overcliff with which I made my first steps into music performance and composition. Later on, I was introduced to music production and sound engineering which directed me towards a different approach of audio and music. My first proper sound engineering project was the recording and editing of guitars for my band’s first album, “Depiction of Intimacy” which was released on September 2016. The album was then Reamped, Mixed and Mastered in MIH Studios, Athens, Greece.

Throughout my second academic year in York, 2016/2017, I hosted a radio show as a co-producer with Bernardas Pikutis at the University Radio York, where we played different genres of metal music focusing on new releases. At the same time, we attended concerts in nearby cities and interviewed bands such as Revocation, Wormrot and more.

During my time at the university, I helped various friends from the Theater Film and Television department with their films as boom operator. My responsibility was listening to the background noise and making sure that dialogue, ambiance and other sounds were being captured correctly by the microphone during the shooting of the films.

Other Working Experience

I did two summer internships at Steficon, Athens, Greece on July 2016 and from July until September 2018. During my time there I served as a Web Content Executive, responsible for loading information onto websites as requested by each client. I worked on the websites of the Greek National Gallery, Blue Star Ferries, Cheese Lovers and others. In addition to this, I performed alpha and beta testing on websites and applications designed by the company.

During my time at the University of York, I got involved in multiple societies based on my interests. For two years, from  2016 to 2018, I acted as a member of the committee of  The Fringe: Metal and Alternative Music Society of the University of York. My responsibility for the first year was to organise events for the society as well as obtain student discount tickets for regional concerts and festivals such as Damnation Festival. For the second year, I acted as an “Ordinary Member”, providing help to the newer members of the committee when needed and using my previous experience to guide them.

Throughout my life I have participated in several volunteering events for different organisations. The most important to date can be found below:

  • Worked with Syrian refuges who arrived at the port of Piraeus in Greece with a team of students from the University of York on April 2016
  • Helped with the setting up and running of the annual summer festival of Axanemos, Chios, Greece for 4 consequent years from 2011 to 2014
  • Participated at reforestation of the mountains of Attica, Greece after major wildfires

Hobbies and Interests

I can hardly remember myself not playing music. My journey began at the age of 7 when I started taking piano lessons. At the age of 14, as I developed a musical taste of my own, I picked up the electric guitar. I joined the Classic Conservatory of Cholargos where I learned how to play the instrument alongside taking music theory lessons. Due to my musical background and passion I made quick progress, and only two years after picking it up, I formed my first band Overcliff in 2012. Thanks to the band I also learnt to play Bass Guitar and Drums.

On my free time, except from playing the guitar, I enjoy hiking, editing pictures on Photoshop  and exercising. In the summer of 2018 I started taking martial arts classes and I have been since practicing Judo and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Regular exercise has helped me structure my daily routine and unwind after a long day’s work. Furthermore, it has increased my productivity and quality of work produced by relieving stress, healthily increasing competition, while also improving the quality of my sleep.

Aspirations

My wish and intention is to continue working with sound and further develop in its technical sides towards Acoustics, Audio and Music Technology, whether through work or research. I will certainly continue to listen, play, compose and produce music, for it is my passion. Music Technology has changed my life and my perception of sound and music. I am willing to take this path while being open to the multiple possibilities lying ahead in the field!