Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Soya Soo. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Soya, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
To be frank, the moment I chose to pursue audio engineering in college I inadvertently started my journey in taking life changing risks, big and small. Growing up in a traditional Asian family, my parents could not see how I could pursue a career in Malaysia with a bachelor’s degree in music due to the limited job opportunities and resources. At that time, I also had limited understanding and knowledge about audio engineering as well. In addition to that, I decided to obtain my bachelor’s degree in the United States; it was like throwing myself in the Sahara Desert and try to find the oasis by myself.
The next big risk was my decision to stay and build my career in the States. This was a big risk because even though I clearly knew that I wanted to work in the music post production field for the film & video game industry, I had to go through the visa application process as an international student who had just graduated from college in Boston and was moving to Los Angeles with limited resources and network.
The next risk, is more of a personal challenge as I had to step out from my comfort zone and start from the ground up as the competition in our industry is big, and there are tons of talented and professional audio engineers out there.
I started my career here in Los Angeles as a studio intern and barely worked on audio engineering related tasks. Although it sounded depressing, I managed to gain my knowledge and learn new ones by observing and understanding the process and workflow of a film score production in Hollywood. Those experiences helped to prepare myself and led me on the track to becoming a better audio engineer in this industry.
If you risk nothing, then you risk everything. Recalling all the risks that I took, I won’t be who I am today if I chose to stay in my comfort zone.
Soya, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
Well, I would say: Hi, I’m Soya Soo, a music producer & engineer who specializes in film & video game score’s mixing, orchestral recording, instruments overdubbing, editing and sampling. I also work on Podcast and/or audio book projects as well as sound design and foley.
With the on-going advancement of technologies and experiences in the industry, I always have solutions to apply and simplify the workflow of a complex project in order to become more efficient & productive, and to make impossible things possible in terms of recording, sound sampling and foley.
Undeniably, hard work always pays off. The commitment I have put into my career so far has rewarded me with 5 Grammy nominations and 1 Academy Award win as part of the music team for the projects that I have been fortunate to work on so far. Those are the top awards for the music and film industry (respectively) that’s coveted by everyone in the industry! While I am happy with my present achievements at this moment, the ultimate goal of having the golden Grammy gramaphone in my name motivates me to work harder, smarter and of course, play harder as well while I’m at it.
Is there mission driving your creative journey?
Definitely! I have a list of long term and short term goals that I had set out for myself since I started my career. Becoming a score mixer for Hollywood blockbuster productions is definitely the a long term and THE ultimate goal that keeps me working hard on this journey.
Second item on the long term goal list is to work with all my musical heroes/idols (composers and engineers). Fortunately, my expertise has led me to have had the opportunities to work with most of my musical heroes in the industry.
My third long term goal is to help bring more talented Malaysians and Asian engineers, composers and musicians to the industry. I strongly believe that when you dare to dream big, you are taking an active role in your life. You are being present and allowing yourself to experience things as they happen. As you make a conscious effort to set goals and achieve them, you are going to have a richer life.
Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?
There are several books that I wanted to share here.
The first book is called “Remember Who You Are: Life Stories That Inspire the Heart and Mind” by Daisy Wademan. In this inspirational book, the writer gathers lessons on balancing the personal and professional responsibilities of leadership from faculty members of Harvard Business School. The faculty members shared their life lessons of respect for people rather than job titles. These unforgettable stories and reflections reminded us that great leadership is not only about the mind, but the heart. Leadership requires many attributes besides intelligence and business savvy courage. We should not forget that human values such as character, compassion and respect are equally important too.
The other books are Kevin Tsai’s “Speaking Skills vol.1” & “Speaking Skills vol.2″and “The Emotional Quotient Lesson of Kevin Tsai vo1.1: Live For Yourself For Once” & “The Emotional Quotient Lesson of Kevin Tsai vol.2: Because This Is Your Life”. The author of these books, Kevin Tsai, a Taiwanese television host and writer, explores the art of communication and emphasizes that having a high emotional quotient (EQ) is as crucial as effective speaking. Since communication is essential in both our daily lives and professional environments, it is important to learn how to read the room, choose the right words at the right time, simplify messages, and be direct with people’s feelings. By developing a high EQ, we can better navigate interpersonal relationships, overcome self-doubt, fear, self-deception, and emptiness, and ultimately live more authentically.
Last but not least, I highly recommend “18 In France” by Mia Wang, a Taiwanese violinist who offers an insightful narrative of her transformative year as a high school exchange student in France. The book details her experiences living with three different host families, navigating cultural adjustments, and overcoming language barriers. Through this journey, Mia reflects on her past rebellious behavior and the complex relationship with her ‘tiger mom’. Initially seeking distance, she ultimately gains a profound understanding of her mother’s intentions and the love embedded in her strict upbringing, particularly the discipline required for daily violin practice. By the end of the exchange student life, she found herself, yet she found the meaning of and the connections between violin, music and her life.This memoir resonates deeply with me, as it mirrors my own struggles with rebellion and highlights the enduring appreciation for our parents’ unspoken sacrifices and unwavering support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.soyasoo.com
- Facebook: Soya Soo
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soya-soo-17ab5989/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@soyabeansoo
Image Credits
Studio headshot photography by Tomorrow MingTian
