Soundlister: The One Place to Look for Audio Professionals and Hobbyists

The recently launched website Soundlister.com is all about matching audio professionals with their customers. If everything goes as planned, it may become the one-stop source for people looking for composers, sound designers, voice actors and more. The website’s creators told us the story behind Soundlister and all you need to know if you’re going to use it.

The pair behind the website, Asbjoern Andersen and Zdravko Djordjevic, is all but inexperienced in the audio business: With Asbjoern being the man behind ASoundEffect.com and Zdravko having created TheAudioSpotlight.com, there is good reason to put high hopes into this recently launched collaboration project. In the past, both Asbjoern and Zdravko have been in the position of trying to find audio pros to help out with projects, and they both struggled to find the ideal candidate most of the time. So when they first talked about what would later become Soundlister, “it just made so much sense for both of us”, as Asbjoern puts it.

When Zdravko, who is in charge of Soundlister’s source code, came up with The Audio Spotlight, one of his intentions was (and still is) to promote newcomers, so the idea of creating a database of audio professionals had been in his head for a long time. In fact, Zdravko created numerous drafts of such databases (some of which were actually live), experimenting with different kinds of options and filters. When he talked to Asbjoern about his previous attempts, the two quickly realized that this was an idea that could prove very useful for lots of people.

Extensive filter options

There hadn’t been a website providing an overview of audio professionals (and hobbyists) out there, much less one that allowed for the kind of specified searching and filtering Soundlister does: As of now, it is possible to filter by level of experience, specialization, primary field of work, and location, and you may enter any further keywords to specify your request. Once you have found an interesting candidate, you can immediately see their portfolio on the website and listen to examples to get an idea of their style and skill set. I put the concept to a test, created a profile of my own and filtered through the database to find it. At the end, the results were down to myself and a friend of mine who also works in German game audio.

Increase traffic on your homepage

On the provider’s side, obviously, Soundlister is an excellent opportunity to showcase previous creations, and to be contacted by potential clients. After all, Soundlister is about “bringing the audio community closer together – and at the same time making it more visible to the outside world”, Zdravko says. If you’re worried about Soundlister replacing your carefully designed homepage, don’t be: If anything, you are going to get more traffic by linking to your website, IMDB page or any professional social media appearances you have set up.

The use of Soundlister is absolutely free for all the parties involved. Asbjoern and Zdravko have created and will maintain the website in their free time, and all the costs (e. g. for the servers) are covered by A Sound Effect.

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Zdravko Djordjevic: “Our initial thought was for people working in the games, television and film industries – but really, it’s for anyone who needs audio pros. We’d encourage everyone to take it for a spin, and to set up a profile.”

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Asbjoern Andersen: “The idea is to bring more traffic to your site by making you more visible to a larger audience. We’re doing this as a community project, in our spare time. There aren’t any fees, and we don’t have any plans for premium options as it is. “[/column][/columns]

Feel free to share

The word about Soundlister is slowly but steadily spreading; of course via The Audio Spotlight and A Sound Effect, but also through social media, to which everyone is invited to contribute. Speaking of contributions: If you have any feedback, the creators are always happy to hear it. I personally would like to have a means of seeing how many people had a look at my portfolio, whether they clicked anything, and what percentage of visitors actually decided to contact me. Any addition of transparency (that’s legally and technically possible) on the providers’ end would be a great source of learning and would help determine how to present oneself to potential clients.

Now, the success of this idea depends entirely on how much both sides actually make use of it. If you are an audio pro and you want it to work, make sure to sign up soon. The creators encourage everyone to “join now to help give the site a good foundation” – and it’s true: The earlier it gains momentum, the more likely it is going to spread around the globe. As a composer and sound designer, I love the idea of having a place where potential clients can find my portfolio and those of my colleagues. As somebody who might want to find an audio pro some time in the future, so should you. So let’s help Soundlister get a bit of visibility, shall we?

You can find more info about Soundlister on the official website as well as on Facebook and Twitter.