Hi! I'm Chel Wong.
I'll make your game sound really good.
I write in any style of music, specializing in dynamic melodies in layers that evolve with progression.
I work closely with you to design a custom audio palette from the ground up.
I make games emotionally meaningful, memorable, and provide a new layer of polish.
NEW! Whisker Squadron: Survivor
Testimonials
Chel is the composer and sound designer for Flippflys' game, Whisker Squadron: Survivor. Not only is she a kickass composer and sound designer, but she's become a super enthusiastic member of our team and a major promotor of our work on her own social media. I highly recommend hiring Chel!
Aaron San Filippo | Flippfly, Owner and Creative Director
Chel is, without a doubt, one of the most talented and hardworking people I've had the pleasure to work with in the gaming industry. We've worked together on She Dreams Elsewhere for nearly a year now, and I'm not exaggerating when I say that the game truly reached new heights with her contributions to its sound design.Her spirit, drive, and sheer quality of work cannot be overstated, and I couldn't be happier to work with such an amazing friend on this project. If you're looking for any audio work, make no mistake - Chel Wong is the one for you!
Davionne Gooden | Studio Zevere, Creative Director
I hired Chel to compose for my game. Little did I know they would first play the game in its entirety multiple times, then pitch several elegant song ideas, and then request to play the game again after their music was integrated just to make sure that it fit perfectly.Chel isn't just a musician. Chel is a passionate gamer and game developer. They understands that music is just part of the experience, a piece of a composition that is the entire game, and they was a pleasure to work with. I will be hiring them again very soon!
Gwen Frey | Chump Squad, CEO
Chel designed music for BostonFIG as we moved to online/streaming for our 2020 year due to COVID-19. They were easy to work with, and nailed exactly what I was looking for on the first pass! I've known them for years due to their participation and leadership in the Boston-area games community, and they're always an incredible supporter of other creators and proponent of sharing their creative knowledge and talents. They're fun and easy to work with and would be a blessing to have on any team or project!
Caro Murphy | BostonFIG, CEO
Chel is a force whose compositions dazzle with a versatility of styles. My pleasure in directing her through numerous compositions for two mobile games has been in experiencing how she adapts an unusual range of inspirational sources while balancing a sonic throughline of her own design to musically maintain overarching creative themes. Whether quickly turning around work in a week or taking her time to research more conceptually complex work to get it just right, Chel’s determination and expertise shines through in her dedication to composing the catchiest of bops.
Giuliana Funkhauser | Zelgor Games, Creative Director
We hired Chel to create a new intro for our podcast and simply loved the result! Despite the pitiful amount of guidance we could give her, she knew how to build a track that fits our podcast perfectly and kept us in the loop the whole way. We would absolutely hire Chel again when we need more audio work!
Jay Powell | The Powell Group, CEO
In January of 2021 I was the project lead for a 10-day game called Dangers in the Motor Vortex. On this project, Chel was responsible for everything related to sound, which was chiefly comprised of musical composition but included some sound design. As our solo sound department, she was my direct report on this project.Chel was an absolute joy to work with, produced high-quality music and sound that elevated the entire project, and delivered everything with immaculate punctuality and professionalism. I would work with Chel again in a heartbeat and recommend her without hesitation or qualification.
Jake Vander Ende | Game Developer (Project Lead on DMV)
Chel is a rare talent; her command of melody and charm is something not often encountered (and highly coveted!). She delivers quickly, and with razor sharp understanding of what is needed to make the game sound awesome. I was a fan of hers before we contracted her, and can’t wait to work again!
Adam Gubman | Moonwalk Audio, Lead Composer
Chel managed to take my wide array of desired feelings and synthesize them into a wonderful main theme and alternate version. She included subtle homages to the references I provided and gave the songs an appropriately nostalgic yet fresh feel. I was impressed by the depth of subtle elements on the tracks, which complimented the main elements of each of the other tracks. This is the second time I have hired Chel because her music is so listenable for looping game music, and hopefully it will not be the last.
Nic Barkdull | Game Developer
Chel composed and produced high quality music for various themed levels. She was always quick with her production and never missed the mark. She has a talent in creating a unique tone for these virtual environments.
Julia Fairbrother | Zelgor Games, Sound Designer
Chel's music is pretty dope and fits the theme of the games perfectly. Their themes have a varied range of styles too. They're also been a great help on the creative and marketing side and is really easy to communicate with.
"Deaymon" | Blue Jackalope Games, Game Developer
Chel composes high quality video game-themed music at a prompt speed, and produces good music in a variety of styles. I highly recommend them for your music needs.
Brian Liu | Hardly Working Games, Co-Founder
Bold has been added for ease of skimming.
Reach out today!
© ChelWongAudio. All rights reserved.
Note from Chris (Feb 2025): I added these prompts to the main contact form area.
This section is not accessible from the navigation bar, I left a copy here in case we decide to revive it.
Improve your game dev life and career
Free advice on work/life balance
Develop a mentality to propel your career forward
Learn tips on meeting better clients and earning more
© ChelWongAudio. All rights reserved.
EXPERIENCE
Featured Projects
She Dreams Elsewhere
Studio Zevere
2023
Sound Design
In Development
I founded and produce Charity EPJam, in partnership with AbleGamers Charity!
Collaborating with many game composers, we've partnered with Able Gamers to create an album where 100% of the proceeds go to their cause. Like a game jam, a theme is provided and composers are given a limited amount of time to write a track based on the theme! If you are interested in participating, feel free to contact me here, and I hope this project continues to grow bigger and better each year!
Game Trailer
Drake Hollow
The Molasses Flood
Music (Starting at 0:58)
Additional Credits
© ChelWongAudio. All rights reserved.
SPEAKING
Chel Wong is an adjunct professor at Northeastern University, teaching video game music and audio. She has regularly given talks at both local and large scale events such as GDC, PAX West, PAX Online, High Score, Game Sound Con, Nordic Games Conference, BostonFIG Talks & Learns, IGDA LA, and also guest lectured at Curry College and Emmanuel College.Chel likes to share creative and technical knowledge about game audio, advice on networking and freelance business, and discussing trends in game music and the games industry. Her mission is to empower marginalized groups and teach freelancers and game audio professionals to have a sustainable and fulfilling career.If you're interested in hiring me as a speaker or a consultant, contact Chel today!
Tutorials, Talks, Panels, and Podcasts
How to Make Money as a Freelancer
Too many freelancers have to constantly work to make ends meet, or go through long periods with no paid work.
How to Market Yourself: Self Promote Effectively
Let's go over ways to make yourself more visible and also prove that you're the go to person for the job
When the opportunity arrives you want to be ready. Here's actionable advice for closing the deal
5 Tips on How to Network Better
How to improve your soft skills to find and land better clients. These tips work both for in person and online
How to Break Into the Industry Part 2
This episode is more advanced, suitable for intermediate individuals looking to get to the next level
Work-Life Balance Panel: Navigating Our New Normal
Panel with Eva/Booribap-Host, Chel Wong, Miranda Due, Kate Sánchez, Juan Vaca, Kyle Royce
Game Composer Chel Wong - How To Network As A Freelancer
IndieGameBusiness / MeetToMatch talk about making it as a freelancer and tips for networking.
How to Write Layered Music for Video Games
A somewhat technical talk about writing layered music that stacks up dynamically based on gameplay!
How to Make it as a Freelancer in the Games Industry During a Pandemic
Making it as a freelancer has always been challenging, now we're adapting to freelancing and networking online.
IGDA LA: How to Make it in Game Audio
Akash Thakkar, Chase Bethea, Chel Wong, Thomas and Seth of StrikeCast, facilitated by Dru Erridge for IGDA LA.
© ChelWongAudio. All rights reserved.
ABOUT
Hi I'm Chel Wong!
I'm an award-winning freelance composer for video games! I'm also the founder and producer of The Charity EP Jam, a professor at Northeastern University, and a former Organizer of Game Audio Boston.I'm a bass trombonist and low brass player with 2 decades of studio and performing experience. I regularly collect weird instruments and record them for my work. Besides music and video games, I am a proud advocate for queer, POC, and disability rights, with a passionate interest in balisong flipping (butterfly knives) anime, martial arts, education, and 🍞.I love fighting games. I used to compete in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, for which I was the #1 solo K Rool main in MA. I won small tournaments for Guilty Gear Strive.Before composing, I conducted an orchestra dedicated to performing video game music. Videos of these recordings are online for Chrono Cross and Undertale, the latter of which has over 800k views!
Media I love:
Video Games: Super Mario 64, Paper Mario TTYD, Tales of Symphonia, MGS3: Snake Eater, Super Smash Bros. (all of them but Smash 4), Guilty Gear Strive, A Hat in Time, Ghost Trick, Banjo-Kazooie, Bastion, The Outer Wilds, Obra Dinn, Butterfly SoupAnime: Gurren Lagann, Baccano!, One Piece, FLCL, Ping Pong The Animation, Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinju, Delicious in Dungeon, Hunter X Hunter, Yuri manga in general, Spy x Family, and a buncha films.Media I hate:
Glover
If you are:
A game developer looking for a composer or an audio specialist
A composer in need of live low brass recordings
An event organizer or podcast host looking for a speaker on audio, freelancing, or networking
Or you just have questions you'd like to ask or need to hire a consultant
Contact me and tell me about you and your wonderful project!
I would love to get to know you and provide your project with the spark you've been looking for.
© ChelWongAudio. All rights reserved.
AWARDS/PRESS
PRESS
"The jazzy soundtrack is nothing short of magical"
THE XBOX HUB
"Kine is a story about living musical instruments, so the soundtrack should be excellent. And it is. I found myself humming a few tunes when the game wasn’t even on. The soundtrack is integrated in ways that players might not even realize."
NINTENDO ENTHUSIAST
"The compulsive, looping jazz soundtrack kept me returning, though, driving me forward onto the next puzzle grid of musical gymnastics with its percussive momentum."
GAMESPOT
"The entire game is accompanied by a light jazz score that builds in complexity as players progress. [...] Kine looks and sounds fun. That’s an underappreciated but key component to a good puzzle game. A charming atmosphere is key to that, and Kine nails it."
KOTAKU
© ChelWongAudio. All rights reserved.
CONTACT
Use this form to:
Work with me
Book me for a talk or consulting
Discuss work/life balance, advancing your career, finding better clients or earning more
Say hello
© ChelWongAudio. All rights reserved.
Thanks for Reaching Out!
I can't wait to meet you!