About Robbo
Welcome, and thanks for taking an interest in me and my site. After 35 years in the audio industry, it's nice to know that I still have plenty to offer.
If you're interested in how I got here, please take a moment to read below...
Darren "Robbo" Robertson - Owner/Sound Designer/Coffee Boy/Cleaner
ABOUT ROBBO
35 years of experience to help you shine.
Robbo is a highly respected audio professional who has worked with some of the world's best radio and TV networks, advertising agencies, and production houses across a multitude of leading Australian and international brands through his online studio Voodoo Sound.
With over 35 years of experience in both live broadcast and studio settings, across multiple audio disciplines, Robbo is well-placed to assist with any questions or issues you have about your own project be it live or pre-recorded.
Whether it be online content, audiobooks, podcasts, short films, documentaries, or even radio and TV advertising or programs. Robbo's extensive industry knowledge and experience guarantee the perfect solution every time.
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What Robbo's Audio Clients Have To Say...
Graeme Gladman
Principal: Brand Quest
Love your dedication Robbo - you are a true thought-leader for all things audio.
Pleased that we have worked together and collaborated for over 30 years.
Bill Davidson
Freemantle Media
Robbo's dedication, enthusiasm, passion and professionalism to his craft makes having him as part of our production team a joy.
Clare Gerber
Disney Australia
Robbo was great to work with- would highly recommend. We were on a really tight deadline', and he put everything into the project and the outcome was fantastic.
The "Robbo" Story...
THE EARLY YEARS - A LAP OF THE COUNTRY:
I started my journey as an audio engineer in 1988, and the first 10 years of my career were spent in Radio (where else?).
After starting in the Cart Room (and working my way around every capital city in Australia) I landed back in Sydney creating imaging the biggest radio brand in the country at the time, the Austereo-owned Triple M network.
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During my time there I was lucky enough to have to opportunity to work with some of the biggest names in music at the time. Recording "acoustic sessions" with names like John Mellencamp, Jimmy Barnes, Bon Jovi, Boom Crash Opera, Meatloaf, R.E.M. and many more.
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At the completion of my time with Austereo, I was the head of Production, spending my time creating Imaging and content for the network whilst overseeing and training a full complement of staff.
Excited and ready to learn new things, I moved into Advertising, having landed myself a Junior Engineer's role at George Patterson Bates, one of Australia's oldest Agencies.
TV AND AGENCY LAND - NEW SKILLS AND THE OLYMPICS
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Whilst at Patts, I learned the craft of Audio Post Production and Sound Design and worked on major multi-media campaigns for some of Australia's biggest brands.
I created, recorded and designed sound for the likes of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games, Insurance giant AAMI, Car manufacturer Hyundai and one of Australia's largest Telcos Optus to name just a few.
A few years later I was poached by up-and-coming Post Production House, Take 2, where I was appointed "Senior Sound Designer" and worked on a daily basis with a variety of Agency and Production Company clients on brands such as Hyundai, KFC, Big W and Hutchinson Telecom. I also designed sound for a number of long-form TV shows and produced a monthly In-Flight Radio program "The Chat Room" for Virgin Airlines.
THE FREELANCE YEARS
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In 2006, with advancements in technology and the desire for greater freedom and autonomy, I established my own fully equipped studio and, as a base, I researched, wrote and produced a Syndicated Radio Program called "Golden Years".
At its peak, 56 stations countrywide broadcast "Golden Years" each week, reaching an estimated 3 million Australians.
During this time, I was also engaged as a freelance audio engineer at some of the biggest production houses and broadcast facilities in Sydney.
Pay-TV provider Foxtel, Network 10, the Australian Radio Network, 2MMM, and Clemenger BBDO, were the mainstay of my regular work, whilst I was also frequently called upon to mix programs like The Music Jungle, MTV, Police Files Unlocked and Slimefest at studios such as the Playroom, Corner Post and Vynl.
At the same time, I was also consulting for a number of advertising agencies including DDB and Clemenger.​
TODAY AND BEYOND:
These days, I spend most of my time in my own fully equipped studio in leafy suburban Sydney - but with today's digital technology, I could equally be anywhere in the world. In the post-COVID-era, I have the ability for you to join and participate in the session just as you would in a 'traditional Audio Suite', but all from the comfort of your office, car, home, or where ever you may be (even the beach!).
Does location really matter anymore?
While my current client list hasn't changed all that much, my work has become much more diverse.
There are still TVCs and radio commercials of course, but lots of imaging for radio stations both in Australia and abroad, plus content for the web, and most excitingly I produce two Podcasts of my own each week; The Imaging Hangout and The Pro Audio Suite, both of which I really enjoy working on.
These are purely my indulgences and a way for me to journey into new areas creatively, and hone new skills in a discipline that is fast becoming the NEW radio, whilst hopefully being of service to the 900,000-odd people who have listened along the way.
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Creativity is another passion of mine, and I have read widely on the topic, and spent 7 years creating "The Mojo Radio Show" with an old radio buddy of mine, talking with and interviewing some of the greatest minds on the subject from across the planet. Something I still draw on today when in the studio and dealing with "life" in general.
Finally, after being afforded the chance to spend so many years of my life doing exactly what I love to do, I've also dedicated myself to passing on much of what I have learned to the next generation of Audio Gurus. It's my hope that "Just Ask Robbo" will help inspire them to carry the torch of creativity and integrity that producing great audio demands. After all, as George Lucas once said "Video is only half the picture"...
