By Sydney Schabacker

Psychology major Daniel Sinclair achieved a big step in the music world with the completion of a demo for one of the bands he played with, Doctors Hate Us. This originally started out as a hobby to complement his college workload in October 2014, when Sinclair began looking to turn his hobby into something more serious.

Sinclair did most of the preliminary recording, mastering and mixing while learning new techniques along the way.

“I wanted to start making music and have never had formal training, but I decided that wasn’t going to stop me,” he said. “I had heard some low-fi recordings of local punk rock bands and decided that if they can do that in their garages,  I can do that in my living room.”

Sinclair’s dedication to his music inspired him to overcome limited resources in order to pursue his interest. It is expensive to make recordings, buy equipment, reference books and marketing aids as well as fund general maintenance. However the financial considerations didn’t faze Sinclair, who saw them as an opportunity to exercise resourcefulness.

“What good hobby or business doesn’t require some investment?” he said.

It was clear with every penny how strongly he believes in his music.

Sinclair and his current band mates play alternative punk, but he is an eclectic music lover.

“I don’t like the idea of limiting myself to one style or instrument because I feel that would limit my creativity,” he said. “So I am open to playing everything from thrash metal to classical, and maybe some hip-hop on a rainy day.”

For anyone interested in making music a business, Sinclair has some advice.

“Get ready to put in a lot of hours. This is very much a process, not an overnight ordeal,” he said. “Learning how to make all of the pieces work together is very rewarding at times, but also takes an incredible amount of patience and people skills.”

It sounds like Sinclair has found a formula that will work for any endeavor.  To make an aspiration into an achievement takes hard work, communication skills, commitment and the desire to achieve.

“Turning my downtime into something creative has been invigorating, and gives me something that I can take pride in while becoming a more well-rounded person,” Sinclair said.

It also helps that his music is excellent.