ann aarat portfolio

BIO

Ann Aarat is a New York-based sound designer and audio engineer specializing in synthesis architecture, procedural sound design, and music production. Holding a Master’s degree with Distinction in Creative Media & Technology from Berklee College of Music NYC, she combines deep synthesis workflows (FM, wavetable, granular resynthesis) specifically using field recordings, with rigorous critical listening and sample metadata auditing for commercial software instruments.

TECHNICAL SPECIALTIES & SYSTEMS

Organic Sampling & Vocal Resynthesis: Advanced workflow converting raw field recordings and human voice into fully mapped instruments, using granular resynthesis, spectral pitch shifts, and dynamic formant shaping to build unconventional drums, textures, basses, and melodic leads.
Sample Development & QA: Currently designing original sample kits and loop libraries for Output’s Arcade platform; implements comprehensive QA, instrument classification, key/scale verification, and semantic metadata tagging across expanding cloud databases.
Synthesis & Sound Design: Macro modulation mapping, and soundscape design utilizing Wavetable, FM (Operator) and Granular resynthesis.
AV Systems & Live Sound Engineering: Live sound reinforcement and stage production management, proficient in signal routing, system tuning, microphone technique, and Dante IP-networked audio distribution for dynamic performance environments.
Audio Restoration & Signal Processing: Surgical spectral repair, dialogue denoising, phase alignment, and transient shaping via iZotope RX series.
DAWs & Production Environments: Ableton Live (Native instruments & racks), Max for Live.
Education & Credentials: M.A. in Creative Media and Tech with Distinction, Berklee College of Music NYC; Dante Certified (Level 1).

Original Music & Sound Design

*A sound design project with the sole use of Ableton in-stock synthesizers Operator and Wavetable.

Written, Produced & Mixed by: Ann Aarat

*A sound design project with the sole use of Ableton and vocal samples, transforming voices to mimic instruments like drums, guitars, bass, and synths.

Written, Produced & Mixed by: Ann Aarat

*A sound design project with the sole use of Ableton and vocal samples, transforming voices to mimic instruments like drums, guitars, bass, and synths.

Written, Produced & Mixed by: Ann Aarat

Drums by: Juan Pablo Ochoa

Guitars by: Sam Levine

Bass by: Filippo Bubbico

Written, Produced & Mixed by: Taceō (former moniker of Ann Aarat)

Remix by: Nipun Divecha

PRESS

“Aarat builds her sonic worlds from unconventional materials: field recordings captured on city streets, reversed vocal samples that become ghostly melodies, and intricate digital effects that transform the human voice into a full orchestra. This is music that priorities texture and tension, creating immersive experiences that are as anxious as they are beautiful.” - New York Art Life

"The song "We” includes slow and moody production that complements Taceō’s mild vocals perfectly." - Rolling Stone India

"Her work doesn’t chase trends or fit neatly into playlists. Instead, it lingers in memory because it feels personal and unpolished in the best sense: alive, in process, reaching for something bigger." - Ahmedabad mirror

“Aarat’s background in Mumbai and her ongoing devotion to sculpting otherworldly tones through field recordings and Ableton have culminated in a track that scratches the itch for intimacy without spilling into confessional territory.” - A&R Factory

credits

Produced, Mixed & Mastered by: Ann Aarat

Mixed by: Ann Aarat

Vocals, Co-written, Co-produced & Mixed by: Ann Aarat

Music Videos, Immersive A-V shows & Film

Metadata auditor & Sound designer

Metadata Auditor & Sound Designer

Contract Sound Design & Content Development: Currently producing original sample kits and custom loop libraries for Output’s Arcade ecosystem; engineers assets across defined harmonic keys and tempos, optimizing audio for dynamic slice playback, macro manipulation, and modulation modifiers.
Co-Producer QA & Generative Search Auditing: Implemented comprehensive metadata auditing and quality assurance across large-scale sample sets for Output’s AI-powered Co-Producer, validating harmonic accuracy, modal scale integrity, instrument tagging, and descriptive taxonomy to optimize algorithmic search retrieval.
Audio Fidelity & Benchmarking: Conducts rigorous critical-listening passes to detect phase anomalies, digital artifacts, and sample-edge clipping, ensuring consistent loudness and studio-grade fidelity across the platform's cloud database.

Music Videos, Immersive A-V shows & Film

Stay awake - Official music video

This track mirrors Ann's focus on musical storytelling over lyrical narrative. Made entirely with Ableton stock synthesizers for all elements (including drums), the track integrates unconventional song structures and film-score depth with dark club energy. Lyrically and sonically, it captures the eerie, overthinking alarm of feeling inferior and out of reach around people you respect, waking up from a toxic mental loop back into reality.

MUSIC - Written, Produced & Mixed by: Ann Aarat

VIDEO - Directed & Edited by Ann Aarat | Projection mapping and Shot by Ellie Holliday

Wake Up - Official music video

This track stands as a captivating testament to experimental sound design and artistic ingenuity. Ann has been focused on crafting an entire track made solely from vocal samples, transforming voices to mimic instruments like drums, guitars, bass, and synths. Paired with vocal recordings and built entirely using Ableton’s stock plugins like Simpler, Sampler, Operator, and Wavetable, the challenge of sculpting entire soundscapes and compositions from these minimal elements has been both thrilling and personal for her. Through this raw, human-centered approach, the track blurs the line between organic performance and modern electronic production.

MUSIC - Written, Produced & Mixed by: Ann Aarat

VIDEO - Directed & Edited by Ann Aarat | Projection mapping and Shot by Ellie Holliday

RED - Official LYRIC video

The first piece produced after moving to New York City, this track channels the adrenaline and anxiety of chasing an artistic career from scratch. Both the composition and the self-directed video document NYC through Ann’s lens, capturing the city's relentless momentum alongside the vulnerability of rebuilding life in an overwhelming environment.

MUSIC - Written, Produced & Mixed by: Ann Aarat | Drums by: Juan Pablo Ochoa | Guitars by: Sam Levine | Bass by: Filippo Bubbico

VIDEO - Directed & Edited by Ann Aarat | Projection mapping and Shot by Ellie Holliday

The Junkyard Party

produced by Ann Aarat & Ellie Holliday

The Junkyard Party is an immersive audio-visual show and underground event series fusing experimental sound design, raw visual art, and high-energy nightlife. Transforming unconventional spaces into dystopian, living installations, the project lives at the intersection of performance art and rave culture.

Audio Direction (Ann Aarat): Dark, textured, and hypnotic soundscapes blending industrial, experimental electronic, and atmospheric club music designed as interactive environments.
Visual Direction (Ellie Holliday): Visceral installations, glitching projection works, dystopian environments, and dynamic lighting design.
The Experience: The night opens as a multi-sensory, installation-led art experience before escalating into a full-throttle underground rave featuring curated DJ lineups.

"why her?" - short film

Director & music

why her? - is a psychological drama short film by Ann Aarat. It’s a deeply personal project that’s rooted in her passion for music. What makes this film special is the process behind it — instead of building a narrative first, she began by composing the theme score, allowing the music to guide and inspire the story that unfolded.

At its heart, why her? touches on the eerie and unpredictable nature of our human minds, and how powerful our thoughts can be in shaping the way we perceive, experience, and lead our lives.

It was a challenging and time-consuming approach, but one that proved incredibly rewarding. As someone who has always expressed emotions most naturally through sound, this experience reaffirmed for her, how powerful music can be in shaping visual storytelling. Through this film, she was able to explore the profound connection between sound and emotion, and how a score can elevate and transform the impact of a narrative, reaching audiences on a much deeper, more visceral level.

It’s not just a film; it’s an experiment in letting sound design and composition lead the way, and a reflection on the kind of cinematic storytelling I hope to keep creating.

_____

INSTAGRAM: @whyherfilm

CREDITS:

Directed and Edited by: Ann Aarat

Music, Score and ADR by: Ann Aarat

Cast: Ann Aarat, Ellie Holliday, Stephanie P. Boolean, Tricia Phillips, Adhithiya Tavorath, Owen Braithwaite