JR

About

Jerson Rivas is a Los Angeles based audio engineer, sound designer, producer, and musician. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego with a B.A. in Interdisciplinary Computing in the Arts (Music) and a minor in Computer Science, and will begin pursuing an M.S. in Music Technology at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 2026.

His work blends field recordings, electronic production, acoustic instrumentation, and technical audio systems to create experiences that are immersive, tactile, and emotionally resonant. Drawing from both engineering and musical performance, his process bridges creative storytelling with sound design, and emerging audio technologies.

Alongside his production and sound design work, Jerson is an active live performer and multi-instrumentalist, particularly recognized for his drumming. His versatility allows him to move fluidly between studio production, technical audio environments, and live performance, bringing the same attention to detail and expressive energy to each. He was recognized by the UC San Diego Musicians Club as Best Drummer in both 2024 and 2025.

Portrait of Jerson

Skills

Ableton Live Pro Tools Dante QLab Field Recording Live Audio Mixing Sound Design Music Production Networks Programming
View detailed skill descriptions
  • DAW Proficiency: Fluent in Ableton Live and Studio One; working knowledge of Pro Tools and Reaper, and a strong grasp of audio workflow optimization.
  • Audio Processing: Mixing, compression, EQ, and effects processing for studio and live contexts.
  • Voiceover: Recording, editing, and processing voiceover tracks tailored for theater productions.
  • Version Control: Perforce and Git for collaborative development.
  • Programming: Java, Python, C, C++, HTML, CSS Processing, Pure Data.
  • Design: Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator, Figma, InDesign, Canva.



EDUCATION

2026 - Present

Master's Degree

Georgia Institute of Technology

M.S. in Music Technology

2020 - 2025

Bachelor's Degree

University of California San Diego

B.A. in Interdiciplinary Computing and the Arts (Music), with a Computer Science minor

2016 - 2020

High School Diploma

Performin Arts Community School at Diego Rivera Learning Complex

EXPERIENCE

May 2025 - Apr 2026

The Theatre School @ NCRT

Sound designer for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Jan 2025 - June 2025

UCSD Theater Department

Sound designer assistant for graduate theater productions

Dec 2024 - May 2025

Company 157

Sound designer assistant, and lead sound designer for the Wagner New Play Festival

Oct 2024 - Oct 2025

FrightBox Recording

Mixing and mastering workshop participant