A summer job at Genelec led alum Sauli Norja to his dream job

Sound is, at its most basic, vibration. What it means to us emerges when we hear it. That experience is what drew Sauli Norja to acoustics. 

‘I’m interested in how different sounds relate to each other, and how you can use them to create spaces and emotions,’ he says.

Today Norja works as a research and development engineer at Genelec, which was his dream workplace even before he started his studies. Genelec is a Finnish loudspeaker and headphone manufacturer whose products are widely used for listening to music and even in research into sound and hearing. 

‘Genelec is an excellent place to work with sound. When I saw their demonstration of immersive audio production, I could see how much the company invests in research and development.’

Norja works mainly at Genelec’s Helsinki office, an old wooden villa in Arabia.

‘Wood is an excellent material for acoustics, as low frequencies pass through wooden walls. This means the room has little effect on sound reproduction.’ 

Hands-on experience helped him find his direction

His first contact with audio technology came at Vaskivuori Upper Secondary School. As a singer and guitarist, Norja became familiar with recording when the band made its own record. The school had Genelec speakers, and he was impressed by their quality.

‘I wanted our songs to sound the same as the albums of “real bands”. Through recording I learned to listen to music with fresh ears and wanted to know how sound is created technically.’ 

When Norja did not get into university on his first attempt, he completed his civilian service at the Vernissa cultural centre. There he gained practical experience as a sound engineer. He applied to study sound design at Uniarts Helsinki’s Theatre Academy and to Aalto University, where he wanted to specialise in acoustics and audio technology.

‘I saw what the everyday life of a freelancer in stage technology is like, and I learned a huge amount from professionals in the field. That was when I decided to apply to Aalto specifically to study technical expertise. The following autumn I started my studies in electrical engineering at the School of Electrical Engineering.’ 

A summer job opened the door to Genelec

When it was time to write his bachelor’s thesis, Norja sent Genelec an open application for a summer job. He called the person in charge of product development and was soon invited to an interview. He had a few possible topics in mind but went into the meeting with an open mind.

‘At the interview, Genelec suggested topics they were interested in but couldn’t justify spending extra staff hours on. We found one that suited my skills and interests,’ he says. 

The summer job took Norja to Genelec’s factory in Iisalmi, where he worked on automating system testing for software. His bachelor’s thesis gave the company useful information on how to make the software easier to test. The project also opened the door to further work in Genelec’s product development team alongside his studies and during later summers.

‘Moving to Iisalmi for the summer was exciting but also relaxing. During the first summer I worked and wrote my thesis. In later summers, I had my evenings free and could enjoy the feeling of being on holiday.’

A master’s thesis led to a permanent job

For his master’s thesis, Norja found a topic in psychoacoustics and signal processing that interested both him and Genelec: how people perceive changes in sound pressure and different sound sources.

‘The aim was to build a hearing model that could check whether loudspeaker drivers produce audible distortion, such as buzzing or crackling. The model helps the production line identify drivers and loudspeakers with faults people can hear,’ he explains.

Norja praises the Genelec work community, where he was immediately made part of the team. 

‘I was given a lot of responsibility right from the start. We had many discussions within the team about different technical options. Experienced colleagues asked for my opinion and valued it, especially because of my background as a sound engineer. That felt good.’ 

The master’s thesis brought Norja a permanent position in Genelec’s product development team, as the company wanted to develop the hearing model to make it suitable for production. In addition, he has developed software for functional testing of loudspeaker signal processing and works as part of the product development team. 

He draws on what he learned at Aalto University every day.

‘Before my studies, I couldn’t code at all. I also gained a great deal of mathematical knowledge and an understanding of physics at Aalto.’

'In addition to the balance of the sound, I get to express myself through choices of musical reverbs and how I throw in delay effects. That way the singer’s voice can sound, for example, big or small and delicate.'

Norja has toured with Ellimei’s band since 2024. Their shows have included performances on the beach stage at Ruisrock and at the SuomiPop festival in Jyväskylä.

Courage and an open mind pay off for students and employers 

If Norja had not found a way into his dream workplace at Genelec, his studies might have helped him discover another company that suited him.

'Representatives from many companies and Aalto alumni visited our master’s programme lectures to talk about their work. I found that hugely inspiring.'

Norja encourages students to approach an employer by email or by calling with an open mind. That way you can present yourself and your interests more informally than in an application. You never know what collaboration will lead to.

‘I approached my career from the point of view of where I want to end up. In the end I focused on one company and put effort into applying,’ he says.

'Every company has backlogged tasks. It is worth finding the right person and giving them plenty of responsibility. For example, in product development you learn best when you are thrown in at the deep end.'

Looking towards new soundscapes and research 

Looking ahead, Norja is interested in developing headphone sound towards the experience offered by loudspeakers. He would also like to combine art and technology, perhaps in sound installations.

‘I’m particularly interested in auralisation – how different sound sources can create experiences and emotions within a space.’

Thanks to his studies, reading scientific articles is no longer frightening and searching for information has become easier. He regularly reads scientific research in his field, as a result of which doctoral studies have also started to appeal.

‘My spouse is very close to finishing a doctorate, so maybe I’ll have to go back to studying too. If I find a suitable research topic through work, why not?’ Norja says with a smile.

Text: Mariia Kukkakorpi
English translation: Maarit Heikkinen