I was put on this earth to climb mountains with the people I love. It’s a joy that I have a hard time articulating. There’s just something about hiking for 12 hours and reaching the peak to see all your hard work accumulated into a view that brings tears to your eyes and puts life into perspective. I imagine I’ll feel this same sense of pride when I finish working on my digital product in a few short weeks.

This past week my husband Mike and I trekked into the White Mountains so I could record outdoor inspired sound effects for the digital product I am developing. Armed with a Rode mic, Zoom recorder, and hiking and camping equipment, we spent almost 8 hours in the mountains recording audio.

Just like climbing the mountain, I faced and overcame many challenges while recording and left the woods with a new skill and sense of accomplishment. The horizon of getting my digital product to completion still looks mountainous, but I feel more confident than ever that they’re peaks worth climbing.

ADAPT OR PERISH

Much like hiking, I have had to adapt to new challenges. Going into this project I had a long list of sound effects I wrote out eager to record. Looking back, I think I was a bit ambitious.

At first, I wanted to record over 1,000 sounds but quickly realized this was not a realistic goal in the timeframe I have to get this done. So, I lowered that goal to 500. Now, I will be thrilled with anything over 200.

The point of all this was never about the numbers. I could always record more sound effects in the future. The real goal here is to actually make and sell my first ever digital product. I keep going back to MVP (most viable product) thinking to stay on track. If I walk away with a library of sounds I am truly proud of and make even one sale, then I will have succeeded.

While recording, I struggled heavily with organization. I knew I wanted to record a bunch of footsteps first, but then I would get distracted along our hike with an insect or piece of peeling bark I hadn’t seen anywhere else. At some point I had to just accept that I was going to record sounds as I encountered them. Looking back, I think there are better ways to organize this. It won’t ever be perfect and there will be moments of spontaneous sounds, but I still feel like I could have handled organization while recording better.

Where I do feel confident in organization though is in post-production. After watching this video that discussed the best tips for editing field recordings, I came up with a solid file structure that kept my project organized. I am splitting my final exports up into multiple folders:

• 01_FOOTSTEPS
• 02_BIRDS
• 03_HIKING GEAR
• 04_ VEGETATION
• 06_INSECTS
• 07_WEATHER
• 08_WATER
• 09_CAMPING
• 10_TREES
• 12_COASTAL
• 13_RECREATION
• 14_HUMANS

This structure will help me package my final product in a way that is clear for the audience purchasing my content.

WHERE WILL I SELL MY PRODUCT?

After doing a lot of platform research on Reddit and other forums, I have decided I will be selling my folder of audio files on Gumroad. The other site I was really interested in is A Sound Effect but after reading a reply on a Reddit post from a professional, I think Gumroad is my best option as a beginner.

Gumroad has a low barrier to entry, and I have already signed up for an account. There are no monthly fees, so I won’t have to worry about accruing costs while trying to sell my product.

Similar to this listing, I would like my main selling page to feature a YouTube video that samples some of the sounds in the folder. I will also likely include a “how to” guide for downloading and navigating the folders.

WHAT’S NEXT?

Next week I will be refining my sound effects and making sure everything is completely functional. I will work on the YouTube videos I need to create and start thinking about packaging. My project is about 70% done right now, and we are approaching the end of the trail. The summit is in sight!

Climbing mountains is what I am built for. There are so many things I can relate climbing mountains to in my everyday life, but this journey of developing a digital product is one I am currently experiencing the precipice of.

I can’t wait to reach the top of this mountain and look back on the journey it took to get here. The view ahead will be excellent, but the view down below will be the one I am most proud of. Stick along to see the final climbs!