My Journey

Life Before Sound

Born-and-raised in Cardiff, I came to Manchester for university in 2014. I studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics, graduating in 2017. I enjoyed my degree and had a few jobs in the following four years mostly relating to my passion for social justice.

During my student years, I began putting on gigs at Fuel in south Manchester. I continued to do this in my spare time after graduating at the venues Partisan Collective and The Peer Hat. This experience as a tiny gig promoter planted a seed for my interest in audio. Booking bands, liaising with them about gear, sitting through soundchecks, talking to sound engineers – all of these things began my understanding of audio and made it seem much less intimidating. I then moved to the other side of this and started playing in a band. In my band’s rehearsal room, I noticed I was usually the person setting up the mics, mixer and amps in the practice room and trying to make it sound as good as possible despite my limited knowledge.

Then in March 2020, we all know what happened. The Covid-19 lockdown hit and the world came to a halt. Unable to play with my band, I invested in some home recording gear and used a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) – Ableton – for the first time. As much as I enjoyed the writing and producing side of making music, I noticed how much I enjoyed the recording and mixing side too.

I realised how much hands-on working suited me. Office life had never made much sense to me and it occurred to me that having a desk job for the next few decades is something I did not want. So I looked into pursuing audio engineering professionally. I was working two part-time administration jobs at the time. I didn’t want to do another degree so I shopped around for short courses. In early 2021, I started a six-month Audio Engineering course two evenings a week at the School of Electronic Music (SEM) in Salford.

It was an intense few months juggling work and studies. But I was enthralled by what I was learning, fascinated by all the technical aspects of sound and making the most of the facilities at SEM. I got to record musicians using an SSL desk and hone my mixing skills. Most of the course was centered around music but there was a section on sound for visual media. I really enjoyed discovering this area I hadn’t before considered.

Career Change

After completing my course, I was scratching my head over how to get started working in the world of sound. A friend suggested looking at jobs in MediaCityUK and – lo and behold – Dock10 had a job listing for an Entry Level Sound Assistant. I applied on a whim, not expecting much to come from it. But following an interview, I got the job! I was concerned my lack of industry-related degree and experience would put me at a disadvantage. But in fact, they liked that I had experience of another working world.

The role lasted 18 months and equipped me with the skills and navigation of freelance life. I got stuck into learning about the world of TV studios and the unique audio gear used in these spaces.

The role was designed to get set up for freelancing which I started doing in August 2023. It was a scary new world but the support system I had built through my traineeship was invaluable.

Around the same time, I secured a place on the BBC’s Open Music Scheme. I was one of 30 successful candidates out of 900 applicants. The scheme involved 18 days spread out over the course of a year. There was also a mentoring scheme and I was fortunate enough to have BBC Philharmonic producer Jennifer Redmond as my mentor.

I have also worked as a technician at Factory International (Aviva Studios) and Contact Theatre in Manchester.