"Overload" - Finalist at Sonic Dash 2025

Theme: Too much information

Meet Nicole, a mother of three—two of them toddler twins. One of her kids gets overwhelmed when playing. She does too with her busy family life.

The story took shape as an exploration of what it’s like to be overwhelmed by both external and internal stimuli. We intentionally layered a lot of information both verbal and nonverbal, using recorded interviews with kids, 3D sound, and snapshots of other Brooklyn playgrounds to complement the sonic experience. Our goal was to place the listener in that heightened state of sensory awareness and overload.

The competition is held over a weekend — on Friday afternoon, contestants are emailed a short prompt and given 48 hours to create a completely-from-scratch 2-minute-long audio piece. No stock music, no canned sound effects. Theme 2025: TMI/Too much information

About the Sonic Dash

  • Recorded and edited by Laura Rojas & Vivien Schütz

  • Music and sound design by Joseph Tisdall