Some advice please?

P

PhilLondon

New member
While I’m not strictly a newbie here I’ve always found people very helpful here, so if this is the wrong forum I do apologise. I could do with some advice.

I’ve always been really into mixing and recording as a hobby. I seem to get some decent results with not very expensive gear in the little home studio I have. I’ve also been told by a few engineers that my mixes are quite good for someone with no real training except from YouTube videos and my own initiative.

But the real issue is I’m 34 and im getting to the point where I think that if I don’t do what I really want to do, it’ll be way too late to do it. This is a do it now or accept your lot kind of deal. So I want to go and study Sound Engineering or something similar at university and work with recording bands or artists and then mixing or mastering their music. I guess my main focus if I had to choose would be on actually recording the music. I love working with amps and guitars and old microphones and compressors etc.

I can still work in my current field, in a casual shift by shift basis while I study and I can always go back to it. I’m a Nurse.

I have played in bands my whole life. No hearing protection, stupid I know. I had a drummer who would hit very hard and I always stood to his left.

In my right ear I cant hear much at all above 14k. My left ear is about 18k or so, and I’ve also got a slight dip in the around 11k. I also have tinnitus in my right ear. I normally swap headphones over to hear both sides and use frequency analysers so I can identify problematic frequencies and the balance of the mix if I think something is up. If I turn the mix up I can hear frequencies in the higher ranges. I believe I get decent results like this as an amateur and with some formal training, I think I can be really good at it.

I have a few questions:

Will this issue affect my ability to complete the course if I decide to embark on it? And will this seriously affect my career if I went the mixing or mastering route or can you compensate? I can still hear frequencies up into the upper ranges with other ear so I’m hoping that will save me.

Would it affect me if I decided to go a more studio based route which involved actually recording the bands or would it actually be a better career move all things considered? Would Music Production suit me more than Sound Engineering? I feel like Sound Engineering is the course I really want to do as Music Production seems to focus on electronic music a bit more and I’m not into that as much.

Im open to alternative options within the field too that might suit me better if anyone has any suggestions.

Thanks for reading.
 
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It's a question I've asked myself over the years, if I swap my hobby and passion for a job would I feel the same about it?

I suppose you also have to ask if the scene you are in will support it? there are considerably fewer financially viable studios around these days, is there work in the live / festival / theatre scene?

As long as you can pay your bills and satisfy your hours requirement for revalidation (450 over 3 years) give it a go and give yourself a 5 year deadline?

I don't see the hearing thing being a problem you are obviously doing ok at the moment and TBH I'm sure most of us have never tested their ears:)

There is no greater regret than missed opportunity :)
 
I had a "moderate" drop off in my left ear and need hearing aid for speech. I have a fancy gizmo that has a decent music setting. My hearings never hindered me and I'm way past 60 now.
Of course, purists will say you can't do music with slightly faulty hearing, or with an aid, but that's because they're purists. And most people over "a certain age" lose much of their high frequency hearing. And I mean people like - well, let's say the Rolling Stones. McCartney et al fall into the over a certain age category.
Go for your life. Good luck.
 
Well, I have heard from many engineers that their hearing is gone, but the good ones know what they are doing and know how to get the main point of the song and the areas where they can't hear, they know where everything goes. So, I think you have to be able to hear, how well, hard to say. If you know sound, then you can probably make up for that which you don't have.

Now the hard part of the question, will your love be as great as a wife as she was as a girlfriend. Many great producers/mixers would never want to do anything else. Others have used it as a spring board and moved on to other things (Jimmy Iovine, Rick Rubin, go look at their body of works). I really feel that just mixing won't get you interested, but maybe mixing, then producing, working with bands, and staying involved somehow in music, might be what you are looking for.

If you do pursue it, don't pigeon hole yourself and keep your mind open. It could lead you to a very rewarding and satisfying second career. Only way to fail is, fail to try.
 
Thanks guys. I think first I have to see if my current qualifications will get me on the degree.

But you’re all right. I’m gonna go for it! It’ll be September 2019 anyway, plenty of time to think about it all.
 
im confident a lot of mixing and mastering and artists, for that matter, have hearing issues...

do not let this hinder your thinking positive here. if you love mixing and sound and art and music. then what the fuck you waiting for? get your ass out there and start now doing what you love. life is too short to even ponder past asking this. you know it in your heart. that is why you asked here... yes there are others out there who have the same issue and no we did not let it stop us from deciding to chase our dreams. go for it!
 
Hi Phil, I can't help you with your,ah, LIFE style decision but would like to comment about your hearing issue?

First off, there is a thread at Sound on Sound forum very much related to this, I shall have a look after..

You are doing pretty well at 34 to get 18kHz! 14Khz would be Nirvana for me (20dB down at 2kHz then off a cliff, both lugs) but then I don't mix or indeed play these days. The thing is, the balance engineers of old did not have a chuffing CLUE how their hearing was! In my case 20yrs ago the right ear went down first but I never noticed any problems listening to a stereo system? In fact it was just increasing difficulty hearing WTF people were saying that made me go for a test.

Speaking of tests? Since you are "in the trade" did you have a proper test by an audiologist? Many people post their hearing acuity or lack thereof on forums and they have self tested and like defending yourself, they have fools working for them!

Take care of your hearing (from now on!) by all means but I would not be "conscious" of it in day to day sound work.

Dave.
 
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