From Seattle With Confidence

Ann Fang recently graduated from the Audio Recording program as an international student. Since graduating, her mentor, Ken Fordyce, has offered her a job at his Seattle studio, and she has recently finished her first fully polished professional EP. I sat down with this charmingly humble newbie to discuss her life, the program, her dreams for the future, and her new EP.

 

How did you originally get interested in music?

I grew up in the church. I got involved in live sound engineering to help out with the music in my congregation. They taught me a lot.

 

Did you start out on the technical side of things, or did you begin in the choir or orchestra?

I don’t play instruments, I don’t sing, I’m not a musician. My church was transitioning from analog to digital acoustics, and wanted to find a young person who can learn fast. I volunteered. It sounded cool. I thought, “I can do that!” It led me to wanting to be a live sound engineer, as a job. It made me want to keep learning and come to America.

 

Tell us about coming to The States.

I’m from Taiwan, originally. I came to the United States last year, to Seattle. I quit my job and came to visit my friend as a kind of vacation before taking a new job. My friend convinced me to stay longer and I found Recording Connection. I ended up studying in the Audio Recording program, actually. It’s a bit different from the Live Sound program, but obviously related.

 

How did you discover Recording Connection?

I found it online. The website really spoke to me. I had studied live sound for two years, and the Audio Recording program felt new and exciting.

 

It seems like you and your mentor, Ken Fordyce, had a great relationship. What was he like?

He is the best teacher I’ve ever met in this industry! He has an incredible level of knowledge. As an international student– English is not my native language– I would say that he’s very patient.  He always used the easiest possible words to explain things to me, until I understood. I really appreciated that. He taught me everything he knew, so that I could have a solid foundation. I’m so grateful to have had him as my teacher. He’s a great mentor and guided me and helped me a lot!

 

“[Ken] is the best teacher I’ve ever met in this industry!”

 

He just offered you a job at his studio, right?

He asked me and I said yes, but the timeline is not decided yet– I have to go back home for a bit first. I was shocked when he asked. It felt like, ‘Wow, after only a year of coming here, someone feels like I am worthy of a position like this!’ It exceeded my expectations.

 

What does your ideal future career look like?

My dream is to have my own studio. A place like Ken’s. A place to host clients, and help them make their album or EP a reality. All kinds of music. Religious music, contemporary, everything.

 

Tell us about your new EP.

Recently friends and I put together an EP. I mixed three songs for them: Just Another Day, 晚安歌, and 瑄子. For me, it’s a significant step in my career. It’s the first time my mixing was released on YouTube; first time I have had certain commercial cooperation as well. I have improved a lot this year! But I won’t take all of the credit. My mentor helped me a lot in this entire experience, and I learned so much.

 

“Recently friends and I put together an EP… It’s a significant step in my career.”

Can you expand on what all you’ve learned?

Back when I would try to record music for my church, it always ended up not sounding right. I really wanted to figure out how to nail it. From what I learned from my mentor and on the ground, when I listen to this new music, I think to myself, ‘Oh wow, it’s not that awful anymore.’

 

‘Not that awful anymore?’ Come on, give yourself some credit. I listened to the tracks. They’re cool! How’d you achieve that dreamy textural sound?

When it comes to those three songs, I really dove into a lot of similar music. I spent time listening to it and trying to figure out what made it tick. I kept asking myself, “How can I make my music have that same cool vibe? What do I do to create a suitable effect for this song?” I kept trying to utilize different ways to achieve the sound I wanted. I’m always trying to be creative and innovative. This process was like being a painter with a black-and-white canvas, trying to add colors to make it pop. But I also realized that it’s important to not just focus on my own ideas. I needed to communicate with Clint, my collaborator. That way, I could understand what he wanted and figure out how to blend our musical styles together.

 

This process was like being a painter with a black-and-white canvas, trying to add colors to make it pop.

 

I have to say, your mentor really pushed for you to be interviewed. Why do you think he believes in you so much?

Honestly, I’m not quite sure. I’m not a very confident person. Could it be because I took his class seriously and am passionate about music? Or perhaps it’s because I have some natural talent? It’s a bit of a mystery. The only thing I know is that I do put in a lot of time and effort, attending sessions whenever I can. Nevertheless, I’m truly grateful for the recognition he’s given me. It’s something I never would have anticipated!

Do you think having someone believing in you has helped your confidence grow?

Yea, it’s encouraged me so much. In Taiwan, no one said that I was special. But here everyone is enthusiastic and complimentary. ‘Wow, you’re so cool! Your music is amazing!’ That’s something I have not quite experienced back home. I know it’s kind of a part of American culture, I can’t quite take it seriously. But it does make me more confident, it’s built me up. When I go back, I know I’ll be much more self-assured. I’ll carry with me all that I’ve learned and accomplished here. Before, I used to doubt myself a lot, but now I feel like I can rely on my own abilities