Chris Hall always felt his love of science and technology was in competition with his love of creativity and art, until he found the perfect blend studying a Bachelor of Audio at SAE.
“I’ve always had this juxtaposition between doing something creative, but also something really technical,” he said.
“I was quite good at science when I was in high school, but then I was also doing arts, so I finished high school with dance and music and theatre as well as biology, geography and maths – a complex mix when deciding what to do next!”
After starting a Bachelor of Science at a large public university in Perth, Chris turned to a course that ticked the boxes on both sides of his interests.
“I looked into the audio degree at SAE, because I’ve always been a ‘tech person’, so it really piqued my interest,” he said.
“I went to the open day and I thought, ‘I think this is probably what I want to do’. A few weeks in, I became obsessed.”
SAE’s Bachelor of Audio equips students with theoretical knowledge applied to real-world industry scenarios, while also teaching best practice while accessing studios. Students learn proficiency in all the major equipment and software needed for various jobs in the creative industries. For Chris, it opened up a world of experiences. After graduating as valedictorian in 2022, he took on diverse roles, from live sound production to the product design side of the industry.
He currently works at Australian company RØDE on a wide range of products including the small portable microphones you probably recognise from some of your favourite content creators’ videos.
At RØDE microphones, Chris oversees 30 agents across the world, helps maintain the brand’s strong reputation in global service and support and develops brand-new cutting-edge technology for the Australian brand.
“I’m the learning and development coordinator for service and product worldwide … so it’s a pretty significant jump from what I was doing before,” he said.
Before RØDE, Chris cut his teeth at a bespoke live event production company in Sydney, working with world-famous names.
“I was one of their lead audiovisual technicians, and I was so glad for the live sound experience from SAE because all of that paid off in this role,” he said.
“It wasn’t just audio; I was doing lighting, camera work, comms, and I got to do some really great stuff.”
Role highlights included an exclusive party for the Super Bowl with Rihanna’s Fenty brand, and World Pride at The Domain in Sydney.
“I was doing monitors with Kylie Minogue’s engineer, I handed the microphone to Charlie XCX before she got on stage, and I assisted Jessica Mauboy’s band,” Chris said. “It was an incredible experience.”
Audio opportunities
Chris said his employment journey is a great example of the diverse career pathways available to graduates of audio.
“Most people are inclined to think about jobs such as studio assisting, making and recording albums or live sound work,” he said.
“The manufacturing side of our industry is a world that I didn’t think about as a student, but working in manufacturing allows me to turn my audio knowledge and excitement for technology into something real.”
For Chris, SAE was an investment in his future which paid dividends.
More than just the equipment, Chris most valued his lecturers and tutors at SAE, particularly the fact that many work in the industries they teach.
He said thanks to those connections, he felt he was mentored by ‘the industry’, rather than by a curriculum.
“I recommend SAE to so many people because of that hands-on, real-world application of the learning … it is really important,” he said.
For more information on studying audio or music SAE University College visit: sae.edu.au/audio or sae.edu.au/music
