Exploring the World of Audio Engineering with Trevor Noakes

Hey there, music lovers! 🎶 Welcome back to another episode of the podcast where we dive deep into the world of sound, creativity, and everything in between. This week, we had the pleasure of chatting with Trevor Noakes—an audio engineer based in the UK who has quite a journey to share.

From DJing to Audio Engineering

Trevor kicked things off by taking us back to when he was just 14 years old. He got his start as a DJ and became fascinated not only with spinning records but also with how music is produced. His curiosity led him down the path of becoming an audio engineer after completing night school courses. After some ups and downs in his career, he decided in 2021 that it was time to take a leap and start his own business—talk about an inspiring move!

But it’s not all work for Trevor; when he's not behind the mixing board or mastering tracks, you can find him riding adventure motorcycles. He’s got two KTM bikes ready for thrill-seeking rides—definitely sounds like an adrenaline junkie!

The Aha Moment: Discovering Mastering

One thing that really resonated during our conversation was what we like to call "the aha moment." For Trevor, this came when he first experienced pro-level DJ gear—he realized just how much manipulation could be done with music beyond simply playing records. As he dug deeper into audio engineering, he began realizing his potential as a mixing and mastering engineer.

We discussed some essential aspects of mixing vs mastering (let's be real: they're different animals!). Interestingly enough, Trevor mentioned that right now he's leaning more toward mastering compared to mixing because it's rewarding for him at this stage.

Best Advice for Aspiring Engineers

If you're starting out in audio engineering or production—listen up! The biggest takeaway from our chat? Keep it simple! Overmixing is one common pitfall beginners fall into; less can definitely be more when it comes to creating great-sounding tracks.

Trevor emphasized understanding your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) inside-out before diving into fancy plugins. Stock plugins can get you pretty far if used effectively—you don’t need every plugin under the sun right away!

Also worth noting? Capture quality is key! If your initial recordings aren’t solid, no amount of mixing will fix them up perfectly later on.

On Collaboration & Creativity 

One fascinating part of our discussion touched on collaboration—the modern era has made remote collaborations easier than ever! With many artistsrecording from home studios, Trevor shared how technology has allowed him to work with musicians worldwide. He noted that the creativity sparked during lockdown times led to many unique projects emerging from bedroom producers and aspiring artists.

The Changing Landscape of Music Releases

As we wrapped up our chat, we couldn’t help but dive into the current landscape of music releases. There’s a shift happening where singles dominate rather than full albums—a trend that some feel takes away from the art of storytelling through longer formats. Trevor pointed out that while streaming services make it easy to skip around, there’s still hope for a resurgence in album-focused releases as vinyl sales rise and fans crave deeper connections with whole bodies of work.

Of course, as he said, “you can’t just throw out an album; you need to have something cohesive.” This is where good mixing and mastering come into play—making sure every track flows seamlessly within an album can create a memorable listening experience!

Final Thoughts

Before saying goodbye, we asked Trevor what he was currently vibing with musically. Interestingly enough, he’s ventured back into EDM (which makes sense given his DJ background). We had a laugh about how once it’s in your veins—especially dance music—it never really leaves!

Whether you’re just starting your audio journey or are already knee-deep in production magic like Trevor is, remember: it’s all about having fun! As long as you’re enjoying the process and creating what speaks to you (and maybe even trying your hand at mastering while you're at it), you're on the right path.

So keep those creative juices flowing! 🎤✨ 

Until next time on ZHZ Podcast, don't forget to check out more episodes wherever you get your podcasts and give us a shout-out if you've enjoyed our chat today! Let us know who you'd love for us to interview next in this wild world of music-making. Catch ya later!

Trevor's Links:  https://trevornokesmusic.co.uk

https://www.facebook.com/trevor.nokes

📺Watch the entire episode on YouTube https://youtu.be/NuAHirczKVw

Our Website: ZHZ Podcast