Dreamscape Soundscape: A sound design workshop

Dreamscape Soundscape: A sound design workshop - Image 2

Dreamscape Soundscape: A sound design workshop

July 27 – Aug 2 (SALT Session)

Dreamscape Soundscape: A Sound Design Workshop with Nic Neves

Intermediate experience: Some audio recording experience and basic understanding of either Pro Tools, Reaper, or an analogous DAW. Music skills are good too, but not required.

In this weeklong sound design workshop, students will transform their dreams into immersive sonic experiences using field recording techniques, Ableton Live, and music composition. The week will begin with documenting and shaping a dream narrative, and refining it for pacing and clarity. From there, students will explore the sonic potential for their dreams, workshopping the kinds of sounds, textures, and music that will make the dreamscape feel most alive.

Using a mix of field recordings, foley techniques, and digital processing, students will gather and create custom sounds to build their dreamscapes. They will experiment with layering and manipulation techniques to create depth and movement. As they refine their work, students will also explore music composition, using Ableton Live to create drones, chord textures, and original music with manipulated field recordings and recorded instruments. Through group editing sessions and instruction, participants will learn how to balance sound elements, blend textures, and craft compelling sonic spaces.

Throughout the workshop, students will receive guidance on recording techniques, audio editing, and digital composition, and gain a deeper understanding of how sound can shape emotion in storytelling. By the end of the week, each participant will have a sound-designed dreamscape to immerse into. Eerie, whimsical, and/or abstract, this workshop is about experimentation and collaboration, taking risks as students explore their interiorities through sound. Open to intermediate skill levels, this workshop is designed for those interested in sound design, music production, and audio storytelling, who want to push the boundaries of what they can dream up with sound.

What to Bring:

Laptop
Headphones
Audio kit – Zoom H5 or similar, a shotgun mic, pistol grip, XLR cable, and windscreen. (Some shared kits will be available. Please contact us if you do not have this equipment.)
Instruments – Please bring instruments, even if you don’t consider yourself a musician. Flutes, guitars, accordions, mandolins, fiddles, harmonicas; we will use anything you’re comfortable making sounds with.
Objects of sound including bells, whistles, metal beams, crinkly plastics, straws; feel free to bring anything and we may find a use for it yet.

This workshop is offered in collaboration with the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies.

Nic M. Neves (he/him) is a freelance audio producer, sound designer, and reporter. Previously with NPR’s Enterprise Storytelling Unit, he’s contributed reporting and production on Planet Money, Rough Translation, Invisibilia, Embedded, and Throughline. His sound design and original music has appeared on Rough Translation, Radiolab, Invisibilia, The Sierra Club’s Let’s Take it Outside, and Audible Original podcast Alaska is the Center of the Universe, which won Silver in the 2024 Signal Award for the episode “The Kushtaka.” He’s also worked as a recording engineer and mix engineer for various independent music projects, most recently Ellie Macphee’s All I Want Is A Trampoline (2025). Neves is an alum of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies at the Maine College of Art & Design. Before that, he studied science and psychology at Brandeis University. He’s currently pursuing an MFA in Literary Reportage at New York University’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute, writing a longform project about end-of-life care. Go to nicmneves.com for more information.

Lodging and Meals

Monson Arts offers on-campus housing in a private (single) or double (shared with one other person) room in a house with shared bathroom and kitchen. Houses are comfortably furnished with linens provided. If you do not need housing, you may register as a day student and pay only for meals. All meals are prepared by the The Quarry, a fine-dining restaurant in downtown Monson and recent James Beard award winner.

Includes tuition, room and board

Single Room: $1610

Double Room: $1370

Day Students:

All meals $1130

Lunch Only: $875

Workshop Registration

Enrollment in each workshop is handled on a first-come, first-served basis. A deposit is required at the time of registration with full payment for all summer workshops due by May 30. If a workshop is full you can contact our office to be placed on the waitlist free of charge. If space becomes available we will let you know. Workshop schedules vary, so please note the dates.

Fees

The cost of participating in a workshop includes tuition, room and board. We offer on-campus housing in a private (single) or double (shared with one other person) room. Room availability is limited and filled on a first-come, first-served basis. If you do not need housing, you may register as a day student at a reduced rate. Whether staying on campus or off, all meals are included and prepared for workshop participants by the Quarry restaurant. Fees for materials and supplies will vary for each studio and can range from $25-$100.

Accommodations

Housing is in new or recently refurbished houses located within walking distance of studios and workshops. Single or double occupancy bedrooms are provided in shared housing. Bedrooms are comfortably furnished with twin beds. Linens and towels are provided, you should bring an extra swim towel.

Cancellation Policy

Cancellations made 30 days prior to the start of your workshop will receive a refund minus a $50 processing fee. Cancellations made 10 days prior will receive a 50% refund. Any cancellations after that will be charged the full rate. However, if you experience illness on the day of planned arrival, we will refund minus $50 to protect all of our participants. Should circumstances change, and we decide it is not possible to safely operate and cancel or postpone a workshop, you will receive a full refund.