I do both. It does make it easier to avoid potential "sound" conflicts at the mix stage, since I'm pretty certain about which one is going to take priority. It also makes it easier if I want to use tonal ambiences or effects, since I make sure the keys match! :)

I do both as well. Doesn't take much knowledge of music theory to be a dangerous composer. Funnily enough, the more I do sound design as its own thing, the less found sound goes in my compositions. Hm. I have, however, found myself be a better sound designer than a composer.

I am entirely self-taught and my musical background has probably extended the equivalent of the first year of a music composition degree over the last decade of sporadic self-learning. I've got a few pro composer pals who I can ask questions of when I reach a plateau; it always helps, as usual, to learn in the shadow of giants.

I've also started working in audio due to my musical background.. As sonsey said it can help you with a lot of stuff.. if you're aware of some music theory basics you can make things breathe differently in both ways, rythmic and harmonic. But.. if you're not carefull.. it can "block" you from doing something more edgy as well..so use it with moderation.. :P

I started out from a music background and I did my degree in composition. I was first really turned on to sound design through electroacoustic music, and I'm finding myself more and more drawn to it. I do find my musical education to be of benefit - concepts like rhythm, pacing, timbre, pitch are relevant whatever the context of a sound.

I was actually thinking of asking a question like this!

I have no background in music at all, save for a bit of mucking around on guitar as a teenager. But it seems like 90% of people in sound post have a musical background.

I compose! I have written music for short films and trailers. But in order to produce the quantity of music at the pace I've heard about at a professional level, then I'm going to need a bit more practice. Fortunately, I love sound design as well. I want to be great at both, really.

I've messed with music my whole life and have always considered music to be my favourite form of relaxation - I do it for me! I have aspirations to score a feature at some stage but it would need to be a certain kind of film (ie one that suits/needs my musical aesthetics) and figure thats for later in life... I've scored a couple of short films and it is fascinating how different it is sound design; the two fields are a whole galaxy apart imho...

As James Bryant, I started with music and studied my degree in Electroacoustic Arts Production and Composition. Since my graduation, my interest became more and more focused in sound in general, and I actually consider the whole sound spectrum as the sum of potentialities such as music or "applied" sound. Right now I'm near to graduate from a master in Audiovisual Post-production (sound program).

I compose music and sound design for film and tv, and next week I'll start working as the main composer of a music production company in Buenos Aires who focuses in scoring ads.

I compose but I'm not very good at it, Here are some of my songs: http://www.soundwizardry.com/Music/Dude%2C%20where%20is%20my%20horse.mp3 http://www.soundwizardry.com/Music/I%20shot%20the%20outlined%20horse.mp3 http://www.soundwizardry.com/Music/Goodbye.mp3

I'm a composer probably first and foremost although over the last year-ish, as I've discovered sound design I've definitely swayed towards wanting to pursue that more than I ever did composition. Hopefully my last year at University (upcoming) will really up my sound design experience so it can match the experience I have in composition.