Sound Essentials LLC is owned by Andre La Velle. Originally from the Napa Valley, Andre worked for a number of years at Electronic Arts (EA) as a Music Director and as a Sound Designer on the Godfather and Simpsons franchises. During his tenure as EA, Andre designed and implemented an interactive music playback system for open world video games and won two G.A.N.G. Awards.

Andre holds both a B.A. in Music from Sonoma State University and a B.A.S. in Sound Arts (audio engineering) from Ex'pression College. Prior to his arrival at Electronic Arts, Andre interned at Francis Ford Coppola's Zoetrope studios and worked as a freelance musician and general audio geek.

Since coming to Happy Valley, Andre has expanded Sound Essentials to include multimedia, web design, and content management to his services.

When not behind a computer, Andre can be seen performing music on upright bass with the Nittany Valley Symphony. He also performs regularly in Central Pennsylvania and beyond with the groups Black Coffee, The Skytop Blues, The Sizzlesticks, and other in a variety of genres at local venues and events. If you wish to see where he is playing next, go to Andre's gig calendar page.

Andre is also a volunteer jazz host for WPSU FM playing classic jazz for anyone who will listen on a Friday night.