Bio

Dustin Painter is a Richmond, VA-based music and audio production professional whose work spans film, television, video games, and immersive media. With credits on more than 80 projects, his diverse portfolio includes the Indie Rock score for Jason Nash is Married, the EDM/Dubstep soundtrack for Shove Pro on iOS, the Industrial Horror score for Mr. Lockjaw, and the orchestral and world-inspired score for Scotch: A Golden Dream. His music and audio work have been featured on Comedy Central, SyFy, CBS, Hulu, Steam, the Apple iOS App Store, and United Launch Alliance.

Painter began his studies at Western Carolina University, earning a Bachelor of Science in Music Education and a Bachelor of Music in Commercial and Electronic Music in 2011. He went on to receive a Graduate Certificate in Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television from the University of Southern California in 2012, where he was awarded the Harry Warren Endowed Scholarship. In 2021, he completed his Master of Fine Arts in Recording Arts and Technologies at Middle Tennessee State University. While at MTSU, he was awarded the API Saul Walker Memorial Scholarship, named Outstanding MFA Student of the Year, and presented his final project Binaural Audio with End User Control, which earned second place at MTSU’s Scholars Week for its innovative approach to immersive audio.

During his time in Nashville, Painter worked in professional recording environments such as The Tracking Room, where he gained experience as a producer, tracking engineer, mix engineer, guitarist, and synthesist. After completing his MFA, he joined the faculty at SAE Institute – Nashville, teaching courses in game audio and sound design. In 2023, he became a certified Dolby Atmos Mix Engineer through EngineEars, a platform founded by Grammy-winning engineer Derek “MixedByAli” Ali.

Currently, Painter serves as the Coordinator of Music Production Technology at Virginia State University, where he teaches courses in audio production, electronic music, sound design, media composition, and immersive audio. At VSU, he has overseen the design and build of four new facilities in Davis Hall, including a traditional recording studio, a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos mix room, and two electronic music labs. His teaching combines technical rigor with creative exploration, preparing students for careers across the music, film, and interactive media industries.

Beyond his university role, Painter remains an active recording specialist, mix engineer, and composer, with a particular focus on on-location ensemble recording, mixing, and immersive audio production. He also contributes nationally as the Music Business and Industry Officer for the College Music Society’s Mid-Atlantic Region, serves on the MIDI in Music Education Editorial Review Board, and advises companies such as ADAM Audio, Eventide, PSPAudioware, oeksound, The Les Paul Foundation, and Audiomovers through academic and educator ambassador roles.