Today we’d like to introduce you to Alek Hand.
Hi Alek, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, you could tell our readers some of your backstories.
I have been making music for enjoyment since I was a kid, and I always knew I wanted to produce bands. As a teenager, I learned a bit about audio by mixing my dad’s bar shows and messing with (messing up) the board at my local church. I borrowed that board to record my first “album” in my best friend’s basement. We recorded the drums by going stereo from the board into his laptop’s 3.5mm mic jack. Anyone who knows audio knows there is a better way to do things, and it sounded terrible! Those experiences always kept my passion alive, though, and in early 2020 when I found myself with no job and nothing to do, they helped me decide how to move forward. I had toured some audio engineering schools when I was a junior in HS, and I decided, about 7 years after touring, to go ahead and enroll. The school I picked is called The Recording Conservatory of Austin, located on the west side of town on City Park Rd. The school was inspiring, the studio was incredible, and in mid-2020, I was one of the only people interested in going outside, let alone to a recording studio! I found some other people who had the itch as much as I did, and it felt like I had the studio all to myself for months as I figured out how to record real instruments for the first time. I have to credit the curriculum and teachers at TRCOA as well. They helped me learn this intricate craft quickly and intuitively, keeping me from screwing up anyone’s music. They want you to make music and put in as many hours of real production as possible. After graduating summa cum laude and quickly transitioning into a tutoring/studio tech role at TRCOA, I began to try to grow my personal production business. I’ve been lucky enough to produce or mix many amazing songs over the past few years, and every day I focus on leveling up my clients in any way I can. I have a home studio where I do about 80% of my recording, mixing, and mastering, but I still love using the facilities at TRCOA for drum tracking and larger projects. It’s extraordinary to record a whole band at once, and I feel super lucky to be able to do that. So here is my story! I am one of the few who can say I live the dream.
Alright, let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what challenges have you had to overcome?
In this business, there needs to be a smooth road. It’s freelancing, and that’s a daily struggle. The financial obligations come out of the woodwork as you accumulate gear and software. My biggest struggle has been creating an accurate listening environment for myself. Accurate listening is the single most important aspect of my job. I can’t decide how to treat the audio if I can’t hear. Any producers out there will have had this experience in their early days:
- You mix for hours on speakers in your small untreated room.
- It sounds perfect.
- You have a listen in the car.
It sounds unrecognizably terrible. This is caused by the reflections off the walls of your room building up or canceling out tons of frequencies across the spectrum, causing you to hear a warped version while you are working on the mix. Fixing this problem in my room took over a year, 4 pairs of speakers, and a lot of acoustic treatment. However, I’m proud to say I am happy with how my room sounds now! Soon though, I will buy a sub and screw everything up again.
Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I produce records for the most part, though I do some live sound gigs and podcasts as well. I am most known for my “Live tracked” sessions, where everyone gets in the room together and records as a band. It requires a lot of trickery to get sufficient isolation between instruments, but the vibe of the band playing together is unbeatable!
Little known fact: I also have a beat production collective with a few other producers called IAMI! @prodbyiami
Before we go, can you talk to us about how people can work, collaborate, or support you?
I want to work on your music! Let’s make something incredible! You can get in touch with me through my website or Instagram.
Contact Info:
- Website:www.fiascosounds.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fiascosounds/
Image Credits
Tyler Rogers, Nicole Montgomery
