Need advice: How to get into record engineering.

[Edurado]

I would really like to get a job doing record engineering. I just want to know if there are any options out there other then college. Like an apprenticeship or something along that line. I been looking for a few months with no luck. I have been considering going into some studios to ask if they would accept me as an apprentice. Good idea? Let me know! Thanks!

Eddie

[dragonworks]

Try it it cant hurt. Try calling around and save yourself some money and possible face to face disapointment. You could always marry a woman with tons o money and build your own dream studio.

[Roel]

Those woman are hard to find... Been looking everywhere...

The way I got into it (I'm just starting out really): I started as a roadie with a band, assisting the PA dudes cuase they mostly fucked up, just saying more punch in the bass, more guitars, more... After asking alot of questions and being nice, I got enough experience to just step up and say, "hello, I'm the bands soundguy, which channel is what, I like a delay on vocals, set it up at 300ms for start, any gates and comps allready connected, what's the talkback? STEVE, TURN DOWN THAT AMP!!! I'm Roel, nice to meet you..."

I've mixed live shows about once a month for 2 years now, bought a VS1880 standalone recorder and a few mics, recorded some demo's along the way, allready have alot of live-experience by playing in bands.

I have a daytime job and know alot of bands but have little time, so I choose which ones I want to work with, and keep the ones that are good or pay... Now, one of those bands I like to work with is recording a cd. They took me in as help-tech, and the studio owner gave me more control then I could ever hope for!

So, my advice, get together with interesting local bands, get live mixing experience, follow some small courses to learn the basics, get more live experience, go along with any guys that go to a studio and learn.

And make the phonecall. Those engineers are all freaks, and are more than happy to talk tech-talk to somebody that doesn't just pretend to be interested and really tries to get what he says.

[Roel]

One more thing, look on the internet for the manuals of any device that you come along on your way. And READ them, after a while, they will start to make sense. They are all very simular, if you've worked with 50 of 'em, you can find your way on most of 'em. Also, if you know what you will be working with, read the manuals on forehand.

[Edurado]

Thannks for the advise. I have read about some other people getting into it that way also. I am probably going to start by calling some places, and see how far I can get that way. Thanks again!

Eddie

[darrin_h2000]

I volunteer for free at night at a nearby studio. If you arent getting paid for it you get alot more options. Someday I may even get to be a paid Intern.

Ive allready got an engineering degree, and a high tech day job that pays the bills. the money isnt important as getting to experience the jobs. Ive done the same at television studios and Ive acted in a few movies. Ive never been paid but I can say Ive done It.

[SPINSTERWUN]

You should call some studios to try to get an internship (that is not likely, because you are not in an accredited school studing sound engineering ), or can try to "volunteer" some time at a studio, which equates to being the "gopher" for a while, "go for this go for that".

But... If you are serious you'll do whatever it takes to get into one of these studios.

I would suggest that you go to the studios and let them know that you want to volunteer some time and that you are VERY interested in being an engineer, etc, etc, etc.

At least you should give it a try...

Good luck

spin

[Downside Studio]

Here's my story :

started as a keyboardplayer and found out chicks only liked singers. Never was able to cinvince the audience that I could sing (?) so stayed keyboard player. Since I had most of the knobs, the band bombed me to be the contact towards PA-people. I hated the sound those bastards made from our band and tried it myself. No luck though. Started as a lighting guy, standing next to the sound-guy. Saw all he did right and wrong. Remembered that, and after one or two smart quotes I got to play with the mixing-console. Three years later I was FOH mixer of some big productions (right time right place etc.) I met some fellow musicians and allready had bought myself a lot of equipment. On one occasion I was FOH and (sound)management on a very big tour. It was cancelled however 2 days before first show (after 3/4 year of preporation aaagghhhh) The bassplayer called me 1 year later saying he had bought a house near my place, and had room for a studio. I had most of the equipment so.....there was the studio. Studio made some nice recordings, expanded and expanded, and I made some nice live mixes, so we took over the soundequipment from the theatreproductions I was mixing. My girlfriend is a pro guitarplayer (acoustic) and she started a musicschool in our city. BTW the best way to meet musicians......(in about 5 years I will continue this store telling how I became a multimillionair and after that broke by buying lots of nice equipments stuffies I really didn't need.........)

So what lesson is to be learned out of this story.....everybody just seemes to be kind of coincidentally falling into this job. The best way is really to start as a roadie with a !!!! good !!!! soundcompany or band. You have to learn it the hard way, bars and beer over the console. Irritating drunk people and low rates. That's the music business.

Oh yeah, if you see bugs bunny standing on stage you'll probably have drunk too much jagermeister.

[old guy]

I put my first home studio together in 1974...Can you say "Reel to Reel" boys and girls.
First unit was an Akai 4000 DS, moved on to the Teac 3440, like moving from a Studebaker to a Porche, and just as scary.
I ran sound for the four or five garage bands that I had in my youth..waaaaay back.
Check out some of your local community colleges. I know we've got one here that runs classes on digital sound engineering. I haven't enrolled, but I understand they're pretty good.
Check out some of the Home recording rags. "Recording", "Home Recording", etc. they can be extremely helpful. Personally, "Recording" magizine is my bible. The information is endless, and well layed out.
Good Luck in your endeavours Edurado.
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