Ricky Young MM '21: How a Berklee Culminating Experience Became a Global Platform

Audio engineer, music producer, guitarist, and music educator Ricky Young MM ’21 transformed his final master’s thesis project at Berklee Valencia into AudioHaze, a thriving YouTube channel. Amassing over a million monthly viewers within a short period of its founding, he recreates iconic records, teaches music production, and produces records for emerging talents. What began during the COVID-19 quarantine has become a platform offering local artists a professional stage and growing a global audience.

Young graduated from Berklee Valencia’s music production, technology, and innovation (MPTI) program in 2021. While many classmates produced EPs or live shows for their culminating experience, Young pursued a project as part of his culminating experience that showcased his production talent while offering a viable income stream in the long term. That idea became AudioHaze, a YouTube channel grounded in the belief that modern audio technology makes it possible to craft professional-grade music from a bedroom studio on a tight budget.

While completing his master’s degree, the unexpected rhythm of months quarantining in his room pushed him deeper into YouTube. What began with six views on his first video and seven on the next gradually built momentum.

The most influential thing about the program was the flexibility. . . and how it was individualized to each student.

— Ricky Young MM ’21

As engagement increased, and with encouragement from Berklee Valencia professor Liz Teutsch and former faculty member Elisha Zaide, Young committed fully to the channel. From there, Young set himself one clear challenge: upload a video every week until graduation and reach the 1,000-subscriber monetization threshold. By the end of his master year, he had met the goal of cementing AudioHaze not just as a final thesis project, but as the launchpad for his career.

When reflecting on his time at Berklee, Young revealed how crucial the MPTI program’s structure was to his growth: “I would say the most influential thing about the program was the flexibility when it came to curriculum and how it was individualized to each student.” Built around core, project-based, and elective modules across areas like audio engineering, studio production, electronic performance, video production, and interactive media, the MPTI program is designed to be tailored to each student’s individual goals while exploring cutting-edge developments in music. “I wouldn't be where I am if the program didn't allow students to carve their own path and build an education that's unique to their own goals,“ he added.

After graduation, Young continued producing weekly videos that emphasized authentic performances rather than focusing solely on post-production techniques. AudioHaze quickly gained traction, thanks to Young’s dedication, experimentation, and creative problem-solving. Today, the YouTuber and music producer, known for recreating hit tracks from his small Brooklyn apartment, is expanding AudioHaze with a new local artist series, funded through sponsorships and ad revenue. “The community of artists around me is wholly responsible for this channel even existing at all,” he says. “Because there’s this kind of engagement with the community, the channel doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It now functions as a platform for local artists, which we’re about to formalize even further.”

This new series marks a shift from recreating well-known records to producing original music for emerging artists in his neighborhood. As he puts it, “The series is about producing artists here for free, if I can get a sponsor, it’s a win-win for everyone.”

This approach has already opened doors for the young producer with larger production deals. He’s also scaling his team, hiring editors for video and motion graphics, which allows him to focus on larger production projects and collaborations with labels. In addition to his growing online presence, he continues to collaborate with NYC-based artists as a producer, audio engineer, and mixing consultant, further expanding his reach in the industry.

Young’s advice to aspiring producers is to treat every class project as a professional portfolio piece because that mindset can turn a simple assignment into real-world opportunities, as he did during his time at Berklee Valencia.

“You have access to hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of equipment in the labs.” For him, Berklee Valencia wasn’t just an academic opportunity and learning experience, it was the launchpad that gave him the tools, mentors, and confidence to build a platform now reaching over 2 million views per month.

Today, his vision for AudioHaze extends far beyond YouTube. He hopes to empower artists, and continue proving that high-level music production can happen anywhere, even in a bedroom studio. As Young says, “Use what you have, experiment endlessly, and create something that represents your portfolio. It’s the first step toward a sustainable music career.”