Aerik Harbert
Sound Design
A Little Bit About Aerik
Aerik Harbert is a sound designer based out of Los Angeles by way of Pasadena, Maryland. He holds an MFA in Sound Design from the University of California, Irvine, and currently teaches, mentors, and designs at California State University, Fullerton while freelancing around the greater Los Angeles/Orange County area.
After graduating from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County with his BA in Design and Production, theatre allowed him to travel across the Mid-Atlantic, working stints at the Totem Pole Playhouse, Baltimore Center Stage, Hangar Theatre Company, and Towson University before making his way to SoCal where he resides now. Some of his favorite past productions include Measure for Measure, Quit Bitchin’, The Revolutionists, The Prom, and This Is On Fire.
Aerik’s work focuses on crafting immersive ambiances which help audiences settle into the world of a show, connecting them more deeply to the characters they see on stage. He also takes every opportunity to supplement his sound designs with original compositions tailored to the emotional context of the storytelling unfolding on stage moment by moment. Aerik also loves working with actors in the studio, coaching, recording, and editing voice over performances.
Aerik also developed a critical listening training program using MaxMSP as part of his thesis. MaxYourEars is available for both Windows and Mac, and is designed to help audio beginners and pros alike hone their listening skills by identifying various forms of signal processing such as equalization, compression, and reverb. It’s still a bit buggy since Aerik hasn’t had time to return to the project after graduating, but future features and polishing are in the pipeline. (Note that Melda Productions’ MFreeFXBundle must be installed for MaxYourEars to function).
When he isn’t working on a production or stuck in LA traffic, Aerik can usually be found playing video games, rewatching a television series, or standing in line at the nearest boba shop. He also enjoys his weekly online D&D game, and always says he’d like to go hiking more often (but never does).