a journey in five milestones

about

Natalie “Nat” Margaret Houle is an LA-based sound designer, audio engineer, and composer from the Hudson Valley, New York nearly fifteen years of experience in audio that began at age thirteen. She recently received her MFA in Sound Design at the University of California, Irvine.

On the West Coast, she has worked with Arizona Theatre Company, Pacific Conservatory Theatre, Geffen Playhouse, Western Stage, Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles, Cal State Northridge, Cal State Los Angeles, Rubicon Theatre Company, and REDCAT.

Back on the East Coast, Nat primarily frequented West Point and Good Morning America at Times Square Studios, ACT of Connecticut, NYU Skirball, the CENTER for Performing Arts at Rhinebeck, County Players, Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center, and WNET/BroadwayHD.

She is most well-known for creating nmhspatial, the world’s first resource of its kind: an approachable product-agnostic analysis of object-based audio specifically through the theatrical sound designer’s lens. It addresses both the technical and the creative sides of spatial audio, bridges the gap between manufacturer and end user by presenting questions that can be asked about spatial solutions, and presents philosophies to consider in theatrical works. Released on June 30, 2024, this website has been accessed on every continent across the globe (except Antarctica) and praised by many manufacturers, freelancers, students, and professors as an important resource and contribution to the community.

She was one of the recipients of the 2020 Pat MacKay Scholarship for Diversity in Design which you can hear or read about. Nat was featured by L-Acoustics in 2022 — watch L-ISA Studio x Nat Houle. She also received a 2023 Medici Scholarship, which supported her thesis exploration during her last year at UCI. Most recently, she received the Rising Star Award sponsored by Live Design.

Nat is a member of TSDCA, USITT, AES, ANBC (Audio Nerd Book Club), and Soundgirls.

Aside from moving sound around, she enjoys tea ceremony, meditation, and yoga.

e: houlenatalie@gmail.com

c: 949-933-4123