We are not the source of truth. The music is.
Note
As audio engineers we are not the source of truth. The music is. The moment this principle is forgotten, some may begin to lose their way.
The industry is accelerating, we have to accept that a service we offered five years ago may no longer be useful today. We must learn, adapt, and understand the people and the music we work for. To shape it and help it be heard we need to understand and support the underlying truth.
In the middle of a cultural and existential escalation, we must hold on to the essential minimum: respect for one another and the genuine curiosity about what other human beings do. I come from a small country shaped by conflict and division so I’m not entirely surprised that recently I’ve experienced engineers I have always respected reaching out to my clients questioning my work.
I still feel respect and love towards these colleagues and I completely understand, that the world of audio and music is extremely hard to survive in now. But as audio engineers we must always remember: we are not the source of truth. The music is.