Welcome to the community! It's just about to get better :)

Thank you Steven!

I agree with fixing things at the source as another mentioned. Even now..just..spending time to mic things correctly, even if all you record is vocals is significant. I think over the last 20 years, I would tell myself to just do whatever necessary manage room acoustics but also not to be shy and afraid of networking. I think being introverted and not going out to meet others in the industry really held me back from developing any opportunities, not just in skill development but overall connection to a music community/industry which is constantly changing. I remember when I began the journey, it was the start of the DIY and a lot of studios closed down and I'm not sure how it is now, but ultimately it was sexist, and if you weren't into coke and late nights, forget it, so I never quite put myself out there to attend events in the city and it could've helped. But the greatest advice I could tell myself is to not give in to societal pressures or expectations, I completed a music production certificate in college but at that time I was going through a lot after someone I knew died by suicide so my ability to create was hindered and I wasn't in the best mental space. After college, I didn't know of any opportunities to pursue, so I guess I could've told myself to look at other careers in the music industry, even if it wasn't engineering, what could have placed me in that environment...But instead I pursued a different degree, been through about 4 career changes just to come back to music. I get that things happen for a reason and if I pursued audio engineering at a school, I probably would've never found mastering.com...or I would've and might've been kicking myself for all the money I spent on outdated education and practices. But overall yea...don't give in to society or even family pressures, pursue what resonates with you, I often think of what could've been if I had just remained stubborn.

@Monroe Neese That was ruthless 😂😂😂 I wish there was a gif of them running off the stage.

So I'm usually at work when the events happen now, but when I am ready to watch the replay, I hope it would still be available. And I say when I am ready...because I thought a lot about sync work, looking for other avenues where sound is an attainable, sustainable career, especially in the age of DIY...It's something that crossed my mind because a good friend of mine does videography, and while I'm learning to improve myself as a producer and engineer, there would be opportunities...even just for fun...to give sync a try and see how I like it. I was able to briefly catch a bit of today's event and Matt? I think his name was...mentioned how he played all day in a church and to go home and work on the sync stuff it was very exhausting...I think that spoke volumes and made me wonder if I would find any sort of enjoyment from it...aside from the royalties lol. Like many here, I create what I create because I thoroughly enjoy what I do and what I learn on the technical side but when it comes to creating for let's say a business...It really requires a degree of openness cause in a way...just from my perspective...a bit of individual creativity is stifled, or for those that established their own sound...it takes a whole lot of humility to put it aside and literally make music your business...rather than what it is for a lot of us...something personal, beautiful...a piece of our soul that we share with the world. Or like the 10 people willing to listen 😂

@Monroe Neese I love this! And its the truth! Since the person I mentioned previously got himself a new laptop etc. I am literally considering a trip to Pennsylvania to meet him in person cause I just want to LEARN from him, his creativity and signature sound, I don't even want to work WITH him I just want to see him work hahahaha. But it just goes to show how creative we even were...when we first started, what we did to get the best sound we possibly could with nothing...I remember using a bent up hanger and panty hose for a pop filter and hanging up the heaviest blankets I could find in the house in my closet...and even then...I used to just use presets and tweak it...That's something I NEED to go back to...at some point later on in the journey I became less humble and just stopped using presets overall...Except in Serum...LOL I need to, my sound design ability is below novice. But yeaaa...and that's what he made me remember...cause...I had some pretty good recordings for what I had...It got me into a college program where only 25 people got in each semester...out of 5000 applicants...So it's definitely not all about gear...I say...as I pay off my debt...and eagerly buy an Apollo Twin while its still on sale...😂😂

@Monroe Neese People know the band/musician but never the back end, the ghostwriters, producers, engineers etc that made it all possible. My favourite thing to do with some of my friends who are more avid listeners of music than creators is I would show them something new I made and gauge what they think...and then I show them the raw demo of it all and their eyes would widen. Respect the process lol.