Mac Smith Music & Sound
Creating immersive experiences through sound
What I do…
I am a music producer and sound designer creating aural environments that heighten emotions through original music and immersive sound FX. By combining intuitive storytelling with a diverse musical language, I help people forget where they are for an afternoon or who’s turn it is to do the dishes. Stories are transformative and the aural environment surrounding your story can be the key element to an immersive experience. Whether you want to express love, joy, terror, or tragedy using acoustic, electronic, or hybrid scoring; I work with you through creative collaboration (aka the best thing ever) to find your unique sound. Not sure if I can help you? Contact me for a free consultation. I’d love to create together!
“McKenna did amazing work on my film Grace. She really understood my piece and that meant so much to me. I’ve already recommended her to fellow creatives.”
—Chance Parker, Filmmaker/Animator
“McKenna was a godsend during the last leg of completing the Sound Design on my documentary, Eggs Over Easy: Black Women & Fertility. Because we shot indoors and outdoors, the audio was varied, with some of the indoor audio competing with the on-and-off of air conditioning that we couldn’t silence on site. Not only did McKenna balance these various rooms, but she also added original scoring in some of the places that needed additional music. I’m very proud of our finished product.”
—Chiquita Lockley, Filmmaker
Who I am…
Hi! My name is McKenna (Mac) Smith. I am a storyteller and an artist. I’m passionate about capturing the emotive essence of a story through sound, a medium that shamelessly allows for emotive indulgence. In 2015, I graduated from Berklee College of Music with my M.A. in Film Scoring and spoke at the Berklee Valencia TEDx Event in Valencia, Spain. Check it out HERE.
In 2017, I spoke at the University of Chicago Charter School’s “Black History Month Celebration” and conducted an original piece commissioned by the school called “Weight.” Since then I’ve had projects air on the Oprah Winfrey Network and worked with prominent production houses like Wieden + Kennedy in Portland, OR.
I believe we can impact society through our entertainment. By creating content that reflects our core values we can positively influence our culture. Inclusivity, emotional intelligence, and integrity are values that I work towards everyday. I want nothing more than to work with other passionate creatives who also believe in these values.
What I offer…
Music/Orchestration
No matter what medium you choose to tell your story through (ie: film, dance, visual art…) original music can heighten its impact and help it grow its own unique character. Maybe you’re a musician who has a killer guitar lick or piano piece but wants to fill out your story with more instruments. I work with a large collection of sound libraries and industry leading tools that allow me to blend and balance additional orchestration. I can turn your guitar lick into a rock band and your piano piece into a concerto.
Sound Design/FX
I’m meticulous in creating balanced and holistic aural worlds through synth manipulation and real-world sound layering. I build the sound of the action on-screen as well as off-screen sounds and atmospheric noise. The result is an immersive aural experience that supports the realism or fantasy of your story.
Cleaning/Mixing
A lot can go wrong when recording. Clicks, pops, air conditioning or other unexpected noises often find their way into audio recordings and can drastically take away from the realism of your project. I combine industry leading plugins like iZotope, Audio Ease, and Waves, with creative problem solving to eliminate these noises. I balance your films audio for a smooth listening experience free of jarring volume spikes or atmospheric changes.