After graduating from IAR in 1996, Rani Merom had several internships at studios in the New York City area. During that time, he did post-production work on projects for ESPN, Fox 5, and the Atlanta Olympics. When he returned to Israel in 1998, Rani continued working in post-production and sound design as well as doing sound for documentaries and TV sitcoms. “In smaller, more concentrated markets like Israel, audio engineers are expected to wear a lot of different hats, so the comprehensive education I received at IAR really gave me a competitive edge,” he said.

Currently, Rani is employed in the quality assurance department at Waves, the audio plug-in company. “It’s really great to be part of the development process of audio plug-ins, knowing that the tools we make have been, and are going to be, used in the creation of so much music. Part of what I do is make sure the plug-ins work the way they’re supposed to before we release them. Since we test them on virtually every computer host and platform, I’m essentially immersed in the computer audio environment day in and day out. Were it not for the well-rounded, hands-on experience I received at IAR, I never would have had the opportunities to work in so many different areas of audio production. And since my job requires proficiency with compressors, limiters, equalizers, reverbs, basically every kind of audio processor imaginable, my IAR education gave me not only the technical background I need to do my job, but the confidence to take on new challenges that test and push my boundaries. You’ve got to know the basics and know them well. But, more importantly, I think you need to bring your own unique ideas and creativity to whatever project you happen to be working on. You can master ProTools, but then again you have to bring your own sense of self to the mix. That cannot be taught. It’s a part of your character.”

Congratulations, Rani!