Freelance Audio Careers: Getting Started in Montreal

Some graduates walk straight into a staff position at a studio; many more piece together a freelance career from the start. Freelancing in audio is entirely viable in Montreal — the city has enough studios, post houses, game developers, and independent artists to sustain it — but the graduates who make it work treat it like a business, not a hobby that might pay someday.

Start with one thing you do well

The biggest mistake new freelancers make is trying to offer everything — mixing, mastering, sound design, voiceover recording, live sound — from day one. Clients don't hire generalists; they hire the person who clearly does one specific thing. Pick the skill you're genuinely strongest at from your program, lead with that, and let the rest come later. A clear specialty makes you findable and referable; a vague list of services makes you interchangeable with every other recent graduate.

Price like a professional, not like a student

Underpricing to "get work" is the fastest way to get stuck there. Clients who hire on price alone will always find someone cheaper, and they'll never respect your time. Set rates that reflect the value of the work, not your anxiety about whether anyone will hire you. A useful framing: what would this work cost from an established studio in Montreal, and what fraction of that can you justify charging while building your portfolio and reputation?

Build a real portfolio site

A free social media page is not a portfolio. A simple, fast website with three to five strong examples of your actual work — each with a sentence about the project, what you did, and what tools you used — is enough to start. The point isn't a flashy design; it's giving a prospective client one link they can click to hear what you're capable of. Update it every time you finish something better than what's already there.

Network where the work actually is

Montreal's audio industry runs on relationships, not job boards. The freelance work comes from being known by the people who hire — studio owners, game audio leads, post supervisors, music supervisors, other freelancers who overflow their own work. Show up where they are: industry events, album release nights, game jams. Don't lead with a pitch; lead with genuine interest in what they do. The work follows the relationships, not the other way around.

Handle the business side properly

Register your business, track every expense, invoice promptly, and for the love of your own sanity, put money aside for taxes throughout the year — not in April. The freelancers who last are the ones whose business habits are as solid as their technical ones. If the business side feels foreign, that's a skill to develop just like mixing — ask us about it during the admissions process, or book a visit to discuss how we prepare graduates for this reality.