Black Bat Records

The other day, my friend and I were reminiscing about our childhood aspirations. My answer? Sound Engineer. He looked at me in disbelief, unable to fathom my excitement about this profession, given my gender. I’ve promised to share my entire story here.

My father was an amateur engineer with a passion for building things from scratch, including impressive speakers and amplifiers. Unimpressed with the offerings on the market and hindered by the scarcity of resources in communist Czechoslovakia, he aimed to build a mixing console. That’s when I first delved into the world of sound engineering. 

Music had been my love since childhood, and my after-school hours were spent in a classical music school. My father’s collection of a magazine called “Radio,” filled with electrical DIY know-how, further fueled my technical interests. As a technical enthusiast, I enjoyed watching him fix TVs and other gadgets. Despite my plea to teach me, our excitement hit a roadblock when my mother vehemently declared, “Over my dead body.” Her concern stemmed from my father’s habit of not unplugging the TVs during repairs, leading to occasional electric shocks. My passionate pleas weren’t enough to change her mind, and the project was grounded with her ultimatum: “Until you turn 18, you’ll either stay on the couch or be in your room.” I never got over it.

Later, at around 12 years old, I delved into quantum physics, quantum mechanics, industrial music, and EBM. With the end of the communist regime, these music genres became available, and I found myself drawn to synthesizers. I couldn’t pass a music shop without entering and playing with synths. My first serious synth love was Korg. Years passed, and I dreamt of becoming a sound engineer, sitting by a mixing console. However, my mother’s fear of electricity, instilled in me during childhood, deterred me from studying engineering when my friends, who pursued engineering at university, mentioned failing electricity. The situation at home became dire. Unable to see eye to eye with my mother, I moved to London at the age of 18. The tipping point was when she single-handedly destroyed all my chances of studying at least music composition, a decision I’ve never forgiven her for.

As my English improved, I stumbled upon Morley College in London one day. Excitement coursed through me when I discovered a course named “Sound Technician for Recording Studios” in their offerings. I got accepted, and with overwhelming joy, attended the first class. About 10 minutes into the learning session, the door swung open, revealing a guy who resembled Trent Reznor. He apologized for being tardy, and I found myself staring at him for a full 10 minutes. Trent Reznor was my biggest idol at the time. His name? Jason. We became buddies, hanging out in cemeteries and The World’s End pub in Camden Town.

I completed both basic and advanced courses and officially became a Sound Engineer. I also undertook Sound Sampling basic and advanced courses. Despite being financially tight, all my dreams were finally realized in 1997, as the era of spanking new digital technology started to infiltrate my analogue world.

My old analogue skills became insufficient not long after, but I learned digital techniques much later. I’m still learning—it’s a never-ending process, and I cherish every minute of it. Currently, I’m immersed in post-production, mastering in depth, and I still aspire to learn everything there is about sound synthesis and sound engineering.