You are Never Alone!

Recently I found myself stuck on a particular audio edit for dialogue that was driving me mad. I could not seem to clean up the ambient noise without severely destroying the quality of the vocals. I could have added some iZoptope Rx or something to de-reverb, however my budget does not allow for such treats!

Anyway, whilst stuck in this “loop” of frustration, I decided to google some simple questions to try help with me with the edit. Within 5 minutes I was able to land on a tutorial video that helped me start resolving the issue at hand. This got me thinking – Why had I allowed almost 3 hours of endless “tweaking” consume me? Why hadn’t I just Googled the problem in the first place? I recognised the answer (well at least for me), was that I was trying to fix a problem that I did not have the skillset for and for some reason, I did not think to ask for help.

It highlighted a common pattern for me. I often waste precious time trying to solve an issue because I think I “should” be able to. I guess this extends beyond my audio editing skillset. It moves into all areas of my life. The belief that when I have a problem, asking for help is not an option. I am sure many of you have experienced this in one form or another in your life?

The reason I am speaking about this is because I want to encourage you, that whatever you are struggling with, asking for help is sometimes the most humbling, most efficient, and most effective way of getting to the route of, and solving your problems. Whether it is in your career or in your personal life. It takes a certain amount of ego-bashing, to admit you don’t know how to do something, but at the end of the day, you find the solution SO much faster, and you encourage the idea of connection, which is in essence how we as humans thrive – through connection to others (you can see the importance of this over the past year and a half where we have craved human connection during the pandemic of COVID).

Having the absolute honour of studying at Abbey Road Institute this year in Johannesburg has also taught me that the number one key to success in the audio industry is connection. At this Institute they emphasize the importance of connection and collaboration, and there is never a time when I have an audio issue that I will not be given undivided attention to help solve my issue. This industry is tough, yes! BUT it is also one filled with genuine people who are willing to help you, should you simply ask. There are also numerous online resources that are available to us all for help in the audio field. Community pages such as this one on SoundDex, Places like Image-line or ProTools Expert for DAW specific tips and queries, Organizations such an SoundGirls.org for female audio engineering support, YouTube channels like Produce Like a Pro, In the Mix and Recording Revolution, Facebook groups like South African Sound Engineers (for those in SA), Instagram profiles like @producerfocus – the list goes on.

So next time you feel stuck in a rut with your project – or in any other area of life, do not forget that reaching out for help is often the best and fastest ways to see results.

Struggling with mental health in your career? That is where I step in! I am passionate about supporting people with their mental health in the creative industry. So, get out your comfort zone today – reach out, what is the worst that could happen?