Devin Hoare - Alumni Spotlight

Shortly after graduating OIART in 2015, Devin Hoare secured a position at IMAX Corporate Headquarters in their Soundtracks Mastering Department. As part of the soundtrack mastering team, Devin is responsible for qualifying all audio content that will play back in IMAX theatres around the world. This includes Hollywood features and trailers as well as first and third party IMAX documentaries, along with all the international versions of each of these films. Because the IMAX audio format is specially designed compared to a typical theatre the soundtrack is remixed specifically for IMAX before being delivered to the soundtracks mastering facility. Devin ensures that the audio translation to IMAX is free of any technical anomalies and fully utilizes the advantages of the IMAX sound system. Once the soundtrack is qualified and formatted at IMAX soundtracks, files are sent to IMAX’s LA Office where the picture and audio are reviewed and approved by the filmmakers to ensure that the IMAX audio/visual presentation of the film is the highest quality available to moviegoers around the world.


In addition to soundtrack qualification, Devin and the soundtracks team also transfer soundtracks to a variety of audio formats based on the requirements of the various theatres throughout IMAX’s 1000+ theatre network. Though most theatres have switched to a hard drive based digital playback system, there are still a number of IMAX theatres (primarily institutional such as museums and science centers) with 35mm mag, 1/2’’ tape, D-88, CD and DVD-based audio playback systems representing IMAX’s nearly 50-year history in the cinema business. All of which are still created, shipped and supported by Devin and the soundtracks team at IMAX.

Devin is also responsible for completing audio censorship cuts and mutes for international territories as required and works with the Creative Services department to mix promotional video content, which plays at special events or business meetings within IMAX.

“After completing an undergraduate degree in music performance, I was looking to find a focused audio technology program where I could learn skills that I could apply to a career in audio. I couldn’t have found a better fit for what I was looking for than OIART’s Audio Recording Technology program. It covered every aspect of the audio industry from music production and recording, to audio for pictures, live audio, computers, analog and digital technology, acoustics and career management in only one year, in addition to providing an extensive lab schedule where I could apply everything I learned about in class in a real-life situation. I’m very grateful to the staff and my classmates at OIART for giving me the opportunity to quickly develop the skills I needed to get a job in the audio industry. I was working as a dishwasher before attending OIART and now after a year and a half at IMAX I’ve had the pleasure of working on over 70 feature films (including Star Wars VII, La La Land, Wonder Woman, and many others)… it really is amazing!”