The Role

We’re hiring a Founding Interactive Audio Engineer (Mobile) to own everything that turns this vision into a real, responsive musical experience: low‑latency audio, pitch and rhythm detection, and game‑like feedback that is fun(not boring!)

What you’ll do

Own the real‑time audio engine

• Design and implement low‑latency audio input and playback for our vocal coaching experiences (mobile/web).
• Handle [even] the messy bits: audio buffers, sample rates, device quirks, latency compensation, echo/headphone behavior, and more.

Turn raw voice audio inputs into clear feedback

• Build and/or integrate algorithms for:
• • Monophonic pitch detection (singing, simple melodic lines)
  • Rhythm / onset / timing phrasing, and singing in time
• Map noisy real‑world input into clear, kind feedback: “a bit flat”, “late on the beat”, “nailed that phrase”, and similar messages.

Create interactive vocal exercises

• Work with the team to design and implement practice modes and experiences which may include:
• • Sing‑back and call‑and‑response drills
  • Clap or sing in time with a beat or backing track
• Prototype new mechanics quickly and iterate based on feel and user feedback.

Build foundations

• Help choose and shape our audio stack (for example, native iOS/Android audio, WebAudio, or a shared C++/Unity core).
• Create interfaces so the rest of the team can use your audio engine without touching DSP internals.
• Influence product direction: suggest what’s technically possible, where we can delight users, and where we should avoid over‑engineering.

You might be a fit if…

You have real‑time audio / music tech experience

• You’ve built or shipped something like:
• • A music or singing app, rhythm game, tuner, looper, DAW tool, or audio‑reactive experience.
• You’re comfortable with:
• • Buffers, latency, sample formats, audio threads and real‑time constraints.

You’re hands‑on with at least one of these ecosystems

• Native mobile audio:
• • iOS (Core Audio, AVAudioEngine, Audio Units)
  • Android (AudioTrack, AAudio, Oboe)
• Or game / cross‑platform stacks:
• • Unity with strong audio integration, or frameworks like JUCE, PortAudio, or similar
  • Flutter with Flame(or other) engines, isolates, cross platform testing/debugging
• Or WebAudio experience for browser‑based prototypes.

You know the basics of DSP / music signal processing

• Practical experience with:
• • Pitch detection, onset/beat detection, simple filtering, spectral analysis, or similar techniques.
• Able to read a paper or blog post and turn it into working, well‑tested code.

You have solid engineering fundamentals

• Proficiency in one or more of C/C++, Swift, Kotlin, C#, or similar performance‑minded languages.
• You care about testability and can practice it.

Nice‑to‑haves

• Experience working on rhythm or music games (hit windows, latency calibration, scroll speeds, “perfect/good/miss” feedback).
• Familiarity with using or integrating AI/ML models for audio (pitch/beat tracking, timbre analysis, style matching, etc.).
• Experience building cross‑platform audio libraries consumed by mobile apps.
• Early‑stage startup experience, or comfort working in a small, fast‑moving team.
• You sing or play an instrument (any level is great!)
• You understand pitch, intervals, rhythm, tempo, and subdivisions, and can talk about why some feedback feels “musical” and some does not.

Please note: This position is for one of Playdawn's clients, and successful candidates will be hired directly by the client, not by Playdawn.

Our client is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. They are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where all individuals are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities, regardless of race, color, religion, gender, age, disability, or other protected characteristics. They believe that diversity fuels innovation and creativity, and they strive to create an environment where everyone can thrive and contribute to shared success.