Check Out Jon Autopsy’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Jon Autopsy.

Hi Jon, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When I first started messing around with the sound design and music production, it was nothing more than a hobby I had in high school. As I had always been a big fan of the Halloween season, writing scary music and haunted house soundtracks was something I did to learn the basics of the DAW that I was using. Eventually, the tracks I was creating got the attention of a Southern California haunted attraction owner. That was how I landed my first gig, creating the audio experience for haunted houses and Halloween events. The next year, I worked with The Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA, creating the sound and music for the first annual ‘Dark Harbor’ Halloween event on the ship.

You wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
I started with many people telling me I’d never make money off creating haunted attraction audio and how events needed more money to afford their sound person. These comments came from people I considered friends but were missing the point. It wasn’t about the money for me but about creating more for Halloween events than just spooky wind sounds. I wanted to create entire audio worlds to envelop the guests that attended Halloween attractions, which I’m now known for across the US and in other parts of the world.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a sound designer and music producer specializing in Halloween, haunted attractions, and horror audio. Halloween audio is my favorite thing to do (and it has been the most successful for me at that! Mixing ambient audio with pule-driving industrial music, I have created the music and sounds for dozens of haunted attractions and Halloween events worldwide. Since 2006, millions have heard my music played at attractions such as The Winchester Mystery House, Old Tucson, The Queen Mary, Knott’s Berry Farm, The Disneyland Resort, and many other venues, both major and independent. While anyone can go out and buy a cd with spooky Halloween audio, I work directly with venue owners and operators to create custom sound design and music packages specifically for their events. The audio I create goes back and forth between event directors and me until the perfect soundtrack is locked down as just what they want to hear. And I’m not just a sound designer for Halloween; I’ve also created audio for radio commercials, video games, movies, and many others that have spanned various genres.

Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
I love Halloween; okay, everyone knows that! I’ve never been professionally taught or had any instructional class on how to be a sound designer, music producer, etc. Everything from Day 1 was simply me wanting to make music. I listened to a lot of independent music in my teens, which made it hard for me to join bands since my musical influences were all over the place (usually bands that no one else had ever heard of). On top of that, I wasn’t allowed to have musical instruments growing up, so sound design was a way for me to do music solo without the benefit of a synthesizer or guitar.

Pricing:

• Price varies from client to client. I make it affordable for anyone, whether independent or an entire-blown amusement park.

Contact Info:

• Website: YouTube.com/JonAutopsy
• Instagram: @official_jon_autopsy
• Facebook: Facebook.com/OfficialJonAutopsy

Image Credits
Dave Starbuck, D-Star Photography; Orange County, CA.