The dictionary defines an audiophile simply as “an audio enthusiast.” A short, all too simple definition for my lifelong obsession with sound. Thanks go to my dad for getting the ball rolling on my aural hobby. As early as age three I remember his portable reel-to-reel and microphone recording me in one of his interviews with me his toddler son barely old enough to talk. Flash forward a few years later I had taken up the hobby recording sound effects—doors slamming, thunder clapping—with a stereo cassette boom box and an electret condenser microphone. Just like Daddy I had been bitten by the audio bug.
Age 17, I began and continued a career in radio only as an excuse to play with all the knobs and switches that shaped sound. It was never for the purpose of money or fame. I was also a very young and capable soundman in church often wearing my emotions on my sleeve because older folks often lacked the deep understanding of audio I possessed. In time I learned to put my hobby in perspective: got a real job, learned how to deal with ignorance, developed diplomacy and generally became less of a nerd. As the short dictionary definition proves, society as a whole cares much less than I do for audio. That’s alright we all have our interests. If only I could combine my experience and attitude now into my teen ears.
Stay tuned
©2010 Neal Rhoden. The Peanut Whistle blog. All rights reserved.
