Appietus, a well-known sound engineer and music producer, has criticized the rise of self-taught sound engineers in Ghana.
He argued that those who learn their skills through online resources like YouTube are negatively affecting the quality of music production in the country.
“You have to understand sound engineering, the frequency range listeners can hear, the decibel range you can go, the dynamics, and all the technicalities. You need to understand all these things. It’s only in our industry that you find people saying, ‘Oh, I learned sound engineering on YouTube,’” Appietus argued.
Appietus, whose full name is Appiah Dankwah, suggests that the prevalence of untrained engineers is leading to lower production standards, which, in turn, hampers the international success of Ghanaian music.
He advocates for formal training and education for sound engineers to ensure they meet industry benchmarks.
He drawed an analogy with the medical profession, stating that just as becoming a doctor requires formal education beyond online tutorials, sound engineering also demands thorough, professional training.
“For you to become a medical doctor or a surgeon, you cannot go and learn it on YouTube. Nobody is going to lie down and say, okay, this is my stomach, operate on me because you learned it on a social platform. But in Ghana, we have people saying, ‘Oh, I learned it on YouTube, so I know.’ Come on, please. These internet communities cannot teach you the real thing,” he disclosed.
Appietus emphasizes that the global music industry expects high-quality production, and work that fails to meet these standards is likely to be overlooked. He urges self-taught engineers to seek out proper training to elevate their skills and enhance Ghana’s music industry on the world stage.
“Works from these amateurs are a contributory factor to why most of our songs are not breaking the global market. The international marketplace knows good quality, so if it’s low, they will not accept it. There’s something called industry standard in sound; if you do not have it, come on, they will just throw your music away.”