While many musicians' formative memories may be jamming out on their instruments, Tyler Hester, at the age of five, remembers playing with the equalizer on his toy keyboard more than playing the keyboard itself. As he grew Tyler realized his interest in sound, especially using his knowledge and ability to help others as an engineer, recording and documenting their material and skills, and has been working professionally in the audio field since 2021, but has been receiving an education in recording audio since 2015.

Not only proficient in recording and working digitally, he is also adept at recording to, and maintaining analog multitrack tape recorders. He currently works during his off-time from college as a live sound technician for theatrical productions, religious gatherings, and corporate events around the California Bay Area. Employed by the Audio/Visual Company, Desired Effect, Tyler has worked on many shows around the Bay Area. He has acted as Front of House audio for events such as the San Francisco Choral Society’s 2021 Festival of Carols at the First Universalist Unitarian Church of San Francisco, Bay Area Children’s Theater’s original show Imaginaries at their Berkley theater, Musical Theater Works’ performance of Shrek The Musical at the Randall Museum, and classes hosted by the California Institute of Integral Studies at the San Francisco Grand Hyatt. He also has composed and performed material for Portland State University’s Theater Department’s show Manifesto, from the school’s 2023 Rewire Festival.

He continued his interest in recording technology as he grew, starting to collect recording equipment at the age of twelve, slowly accruing microphones and mixing consoles to build a home studio in his bedroom. The studio he had configured as a home recording setup involved a twenty-four-track console, an eight-track digital recorder, and an isolation and drum booth in his closet. He took advantage of his personal studio to help record and mix music and voiceovers for his friends and peers.

Tyler started honing his audio prowess by taking advantage of video and audio productions regional occupancy programs offered by his high school, where he developed his knowledge and realized his passion for helping others. He continued his education by receiving an associate degree from Los Medanos College, whose facilities included two analog recording studios, with one being designed as a downscaled version of the one found at Skywalker Sound, and being taught by recording veterans who had engineered Grammy award-winning albums. While there, he learned how to record Otari MTR-90 multitrack tape recorders, and how to maintain them to create the best recordings possible, as well as being taught the principles of working in a studio professionally. He currently attends Portland State University, working towards a degree in Sonic Arts and Music Production.