What’s a movie or a video game without sound effects. No fun, right? Well, a lot goes on behind the scenes to make those sounds hype up the excitement. For someone like Calvin Ho Qing Yong who heads audio engineering at Fuse Adventures in Audio, the auditory landscape is a fascinating terrain.
“Sometimes you’ll see me working on projects, making footsteps, and sometimes just weird noises,” says Calvin, a Limkokwing University graduate who revels in this career that blends technical skill and creative expression.
Calvin’s journey into the world of sound wasn’t a straight path. Like many audio professionals, he started with a love for music. But it wasn’t until his final years in the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Recording Arts course at Limkokwing that he discovered his love for sound design. “I was exposed to filmmaking and sound design for film, and I told myself, okay, maybe this is what I want to try,” he recalls.
That exposure came largely thanks to Limkokwing’s emphasis on practical experience and cross-faculty collaboration. Calvin worked with students from the multimedia department, trying his hand at composing and film scoring. These experiences, combined with encouragement from his lecturers to explore opportunities outside the classroom, set the stage for his future career.
Today, Calvin’s work goes far beyond just making things sound good. He sees his role as essential to storytelling across various media. Whether it’s a TV commercial, a feature film, or a video game, Calvin’s job is to enhance the narrative and bring the creator’s vision to life through sound.
One of his proudest achievements was working on “Budak Flat,” Malaysia’s first Amazon premiere feature film. “It taught me a lot about film audio, the deadlines, and the work process,” Calvin says. He also had the chance to work on sound design for the game GigaBash, including creating audio for the iconic Godzilla. These projects showcase Calvin’s versatility, adapting his skills from the big screen to interactive gaming experiences.
But Calvin isn’t content to rest on his laurels. He’s always looking ahead, excited about pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in sound design. “I’m looking into spaces where people wouldn’t just be able to hear sound, but to feel it,” he explains, hinting at more immersive audio experiences on the horizon.
As he advances in his career, Calvin wants to be known as more than just a skilled technician. “I want to be known as a thinker,” he says. He sees himself becoming more involved in the conceptual side of audio production, not just executing others’ ideas but shaping the processes that drive audio design.
Calvin has some straightforward advice for students looking to follow in his footsteps: don’t be afraid to ask questions. “There’s no such thing as a wrong question,” he insists. “I’m still asking questions. I’m still learning from my peers and from people younger than me.”
Calvin attributes this openness to learning partly to his time at Limkokwing. The university’s diverse environment and emphasis on real-world experience helped prepare him for the collaborative nature of the audio industry. “A lot of what I’ve learned definitely carried forward to what I do now. I’d say it has quite a huge impact on what I’m now,” he reflects.
Calvin Ho Qing Yong’s story is a prime example of the impact of finding one’s passion and pursuing it wholeheartedly. From a curious student experimenting with different aspects of audio production to a respected professional in Malaysia’s audio engineering landscape, he embodies the spirit of innovation that Limkokwing University aims to instil in its graduates.
Check out more of Calvin’s work here.
