Michelle Hwu - Alumni Spotlight
Jeremy Alves | July 2, 2026
From OIART to Game Audio: Michelle Hwu’s Career in Sound Design
Michelle Hwu’s career is a great example of how audio can lead in directions you might not expect.
A 2015 graduate of OIART, Michelle has built a career across post-production and game audio, working as a Sound Designer and Audio Engineer with experience in recording, sound design, voice design, audio integration, environmental audio, adaptive music, and final mixing.
Her path has included post-production work, Ubisoft Toronto, indie game studios, and most recently helping shape the audio for Ambrosia Sky at Soft Rains.
It was not a straight line, and that is part of what makes her story so valuable.
“It was kind of unexpected where I ended up, from post-production into games,”
Michelle says. “It’s kind of a squiggly path how that happened.”
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Watch my journey with OIART and see how it changed my life!
From Post-Production to Game Audio
After graduating from OIART, Michelle started in post-production through an internship at what was then Tattersall Sound & Picture, which later became part of SIM and is now connected to Formosa Group.
While working in post-production, she also took on side projects, including short films and smaller post work. From there, she worked at Farmhouse Creative Labs, where she spent several years on projects including reality TV, documentaries, and features.
That post-production foundation eventually helped lead her into game audio.
Someone she knew from the post-production world had moved to Ubisoft Toronto. When Ubisoft was looking for a voice designer, Michelle was encouraged to apply.
“I grew up playing games, but I didn’t really think of it as a path necessarily for me,”
she says.
Taking that opportunity meant stepping into unfamiliar territory. She had to learn new workflows, proprietary game engines, and Reaper. It was intimidating, but it was also a chance to move toward something exciting.
“I just took the dive because it seemed like such a great opportunity to meet new people, different artists, and make games, which is such a dream,”
Michelle says.
What Game Audio Work Can Look Like
At Ubisoft Toronto, Michelle worked as a voice designer. She describes the studio as a large environment with hundreds of employees, multiple co-development studios, and many specialized teams working together.
In game audio, that can mean one person is focused on voice, another on ambiences, another on weapons, another on music, and many others working across specific systems and features.
“You get to meet a lot more people because there are so many specialists,”
Michelle says.
That was one of the biggest differences between large studio game development and indie game development.
In a large studio, work can be highly specialized. In indie games, Michelle describes the process as more like “the Wild West,” where people take the experience they have and use it to build new pipelines, solve problems, and make the project work.
That difference is important for future students to understand. Game audio is not one single job. It can involve sound design, voice design, implementation, systems thinking, creative problem solving, technical troubleshooting, and collaboration with designers, programmers, artists, writers, and other audio professionals.
Most recently, Michelle helped lead the audio vision for Ambrosia Sky at Soft Rains, where her work included environmental audio, VO pipeline development, adaptive music systems, reactive gameplay audio, audio integration, and final mix work.
That kind of end-to-end experience shows how wide a game audio role can become.
Why Michelle Chose OIART
Michelle found OIART after already completing university. She knew she did not want to start another four-year program, so the 11-month structure stood out.
She also reached out to someone who had attended OIART to ask about their experience. After hearing
positive feedback, taking a tour, and learning more about the school, she decided to jump in.
“I think this is for me,”
she remembers thinking.
“It’s 11 months, a very condensed program.”
Another major factor was OIART’s focus on helping students move into
work after graduation.
“At the time, my mindset was, ‘I want to find something that could help me find work right away,’” Michelle says.
For Michelle, that decision had a major impact on the start of her career.
“If it wasn’t for OIART, I don’t think I would have been able to intern and then go into post-production,” she says.
Learning by Doing
Michelle says labs were one of her favourite parts of the course because they gave students the chance to turn classroom knowledge into actual work.
Whether it was a sound design short, a music production project, or recording a band, the labs helped students apply what they were learning in a practical way.
“Labs were my favourite,”
Michelle says.
“It’s the time to apply all the knowledge that you learned in class.”
That hands-on structure mattered because the work students were doing in labs was similar to the kind of work they would eventually do professionally.
“It’s also the kind of stuff you’ll be making in the real world as well,” she says.
That connection between learning and doing is one of the biggest reasons OIART’s format worked for her.
OIART's Audio Recording Technology Program Includes:
✓ Small Class Sizes
✓ On Site Facilities
✓ Industry Leading Instructors
✓ Post Grad Support & Guidance
✓ Exclusive 11 Month Program
Instructors Who Let You Think
Michelle also points to the instructors as a major part of her experience.
“The teachers are all masters of their craft at OIART,” she says.
For Michelle, Mark Vogelsang was an important support while she was exploring sound design and audio for visual media. She says he was available for questions, gave constructive feedback, and helped students think through problems instead of simply handing them the answer.
“A lot of times, in my experience, they would not always give you the answer answer,”
Michelle says.
“They would lead you to the path toward the answer.”
That approach helped her build confidence and independence.
Instead of being told exactly what to do at every step, students were encouraged to try things, solve problems, come back with questions, and work through the process like adults.
“It was very much like working together,” Michelle says.
The Skills That Still Matter
When Michelle talks about the skills from OIART that still show up in her career, one of the first things she mentions is signal flow.
“Shout out to signal flow,”
she says.
That might sound basic, but it is one of the
foundations of audio work. Whether you are dealing with hardware, software, microphones, speakers, DAWs, plug-in chains, routing, or troubleshooting, understanding where the signal is going and why something is not working is essential.
“Stay calm. Go back to the basics. Where’s the power coming from?”
Michelle says. “That definitely helps.”
She also points to hot keys, DAW navigation, troubleshooting, and knowing how to move quickly and efficiently inside audio software.
But not every skill is technical.
Michelle says OIART also helped her learn how to give and receive feedback, which has become a major part of her professional life.
In sound design and game audio, feedback is not always simple or literal. People may describe sounds through feelings, colours, textures, emotion, intensity, or story. Being able to understand that language and translate it into audio is part of the job.
“You’re talking about colours, feelings, and textures,”
Michelle says. “When you get better at it, it’s like a language.”
That communication skill helps build trust with collaborators.
The Value of a Squiggly Career Path
Michelle’s career has moved through post-production, sound design, voice design, AAA games, indie games, and side projects. That kind of path can feel hard to predict, but it also shows how connected the audio industry can be.
Her advice is to network, meet different people, explore different parts of audio, and not assume the first job you take has to define the rest of your career.
“There are so many jobs out there,”
she says.
“Meeting different people helps you find out what’s right for you.”
She also encourages students and grads to remember that every job can teach you something, even if it is not the perfect fit forever.
“You don’t have to be stuck in the job if it’s not right for you,”
Michelle says.
“There’s always something to take from jobs out there.”
That is especially useful advice in creative industries, where careers often grow through relationships, projects, timing, and unexpected opportunities.
Why Hobbies and Life Outside Audio Matter
One of Michelle’s most honest pieces of advice is that audio professionals need lives outside of audio too.
She talks about networking, exploring different interests, celebrating the accomplishments of peers, and making time to avoid burnout.
Audio can feel like a small world, especially when someone is focused on building a career. But Michelle points out that the wider world matters too.
“Have different hobbies,”
she says.
“That’s really important, not just for your mental health, but also because you can bring different things into your work to make it more original.”
That is especially true in sound design.
A sound designer’s taste, imagination, references, and life experience all affect the work. Inspiration can come from games, films, sports, gardening, television, music, nature, or anything else that shapes how someone hears and understands the world.
Michelle also warns that burnout can sneak up on people when they are always chasing the next thing.
“If you’re always go, go, go, I’ve got to find the next thing, and you don’t take the time to celebrate and think about what you’ve done, you’re definitely going to feel burnout,”
she says.
For students and
grads, that is a valuable reminder. Building a career matters, but so does staying healthy enough to enjoy it.
Who Should Consider OIART?
Michelle says anyone interested in audio should look into OIART because there are so many possible career paths.
That includes live audio, music production, acoustics, sound design for movies, sound design for games, and other areas of the industry.
But she also says students who have a goal in mind may get even more out of the course.
“Do your research,”
Michelle says.
“Look into what kind of career you imagine for yourself after the fact so you can get the most out of the course.”
That does not mean students need to have everything figured out before they arrive. Michelle’s own career changed direction over time. But having curiosity, direction, and a willingness to explore can help students use the year more intentionally.
A Real Example of Where Audio Training Can Lead
Michelle’s story shows how audio careers can grow in unexpected ways.
She came to OIART after university because she wanted a focused, practical course that could help her move toward work. She started in post-production, built experience through internships, side projects, and studio work, then moved into game audio through a connection from her post-production network.
Since then, her work has touched voice design, sound effects, environmental audio, game systems, VO pipelines, adaptive music, integration, final mix, and both AAA and indie development.
That is not a straight path, but it is a real one.
For future students, that might be the most important takeaway. You may not know exactly where audio will take you when you start. But with a strong foundation, real projects, technical skills, creative curiosity, and a willingness to keep learning, the path can open up in ways you did not expect.
Watch Michelle’s Grad Spotlight
In this Grad Spotlight, Michelle Hwu talks about her path from OIART to post-production, Ubisoft Toronto, game audio, sound design, indie games, and the lessons she has learned across a creative audio career.
FAQs About Michelle's Time at OIART
Michelle Hwu’s Career in Sound Designer & Audio Enginee Photos
Video Transcript
Interested in Where Audio Training Could Take You?
OIART’s 11 month Audio Recording Technology program is designed to help students build real skills across music production, live sound, studio recording, and audio for visual media.
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OIART's Program Includes:
✓ Small Class Sizes
✓ On Site Facilities
✓ Industry Leading Instructors
✓ Post Grad Support & Guidance
✓ Exclusive 11 Month Program
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