Meet Ally Hustings | Recording Engineer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ally Hustings and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ally, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking
Taking risks is a foundational and necessary pillar of growth for me, it’s just a part of who I am. Every time I’ve advanced the quality of my life it’s because I saw the gap between where I was and where I wanted to be, took a deep breath, and took the plunge to put myself out there. Risks come in all shapes and sizes, and while I can’t find the source of this quote, I read somewhere that courage isn’t the absence of fear, it’s choosing to advance through it and I remind myself of that often.

To date I would say the most transformative risk I’ve ever taken was moving to Los Angeles from Minneapolis, Minnesota three days after my college graduation at 19 years old. I didn’t know anyone in the city at that time, and while I spent almost 6 months leading up to it reading everything I could about how to break into my industry, I reached a point where there really wasn’t anything else I could prepare for – I just had to get myself out here and figure the rest out.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I started attending college to obtain an Associate in Applied Science degree in Audio Engineering at 17. Shortly after, I began interning and assisting in professional recording studios where the bulk of my responsibilities involved cleaning and dishes, running errands, making coffee, and generally being as helpful to those working in the facilities as possible. I totally immersed myself in audio, recording, music, and film. I wanted to absorb every drop of information, every technique, but my appetite appropriately exceeded my skill level at that time.

I’ve always had very sensitive hearing but learning how to interpret what I was hearing was not an easy process. We used to do ear training in school, where they would play a frequency and we would have to know which one it was so that we could effectively identify problem areas in recordings and mixes.

Building up the physical and mental stamina to listen for over 8 hours a day, and to be able to make accurate and creative choices without compromising speed was challenging.

When I first got into the scene, it wasn’t that there was necessarily less art and content being produced, but there were far fewer outlets and fewer positions it seemed. The general game plan most people took was to get an internship at a studio and hang around as long as possible until a position opened up and you could be promoted. I interned at a studio for 6 months – 3 months longer than the position was supposed to run before my supervisor sat me down with a letter of recommendation, saying that no one in the company was slated to retire for at least another 2 years and I needed to spread my wings. I fell into a workaholic state where I worked from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. six days a week for years. I would split my time between several studios and freelance opportunities and maintained a full time job at restaurants to cover my bills. I honestly can’t remember much about my life from that time – all I know is that when I emerged on the other side my skills were far sharper. I didn’t have anyone who could help me out at that time, so I did what I needed to do to push forward.

Through these challenges, I retain a deep satisfaction for my work and I feel fortunate that I have thrived in a competitive and changing industry. Being diligent and thorough have brought me my greatest successes, and I would encourage anyone interested in the same to practice open-mindedness, grace, and consistency.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
I love this! For eating I would say Tacos Super Gallitos, Irori Sushi, Gwen, Benny’s Tacos & Rotisserie Chicken, Etta, Kotoya Ramen, Le Grand, and Wally’s are absolutely on the list. For drinks, the Mandrake is my absolute favorite place, and Verdugo Bar and Gold Diggers are top tier as well. We would have a picnic at Kenneth Hahn and watch the sunset at Jerome C. Daniel Overlook. Walk through Thai Town and Silverlake, go to the Porsche Driving School, maybe some horseback riding and skydiving nearby. If it were winter, we would spend a morning in the snow up at Big Bear, and wrap up the day at Point Mugu Beach. We would go to the Getty, the Academy museum, and watch a movie in Imax at the TCL Chinese Theater. And we would absolutely go to some concerts, there’s too many wonderful places here to list.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Trying to support yourself and not only survive, but thrive can be incredibly challenging. I’m especially grateful for a handful of very dear people who assisted in providing me safe and stable shelter in my younger years. These acts of compassion were certainly not always convenient, but propelled me forward and will never be forgotten.

Instagram: lahusty

Other: https://imdb.me/allyhustings