I was looking for advice or tips. I appreciate the tip to marry rich (haha, my girlfriend wants to be an interior designer), but I was just wondering how any of you got started.
Normally, I don't waste my time giving advice of this type to people who are in your position. And frankly son, I already have. But I'm going out on a limb here.
First off, like you so eloquently put it, take a glance at the name of this BBS.
I don't know how you think, but the first thing that came to mind when I first read it was.......HOME RECORDING. Even at 16, you should be able to surmise there is nothing there that suggests....COMMERCIAL. If it did, there would be a forum here titled "studio business management...or studio business financing etc etc. And if you had taken the time to look around here, you would see that these forums are dedicated to various areas of recording technology and techniques. However, there is only one forum here that truely is dedicated to the Home Studio enthusiast. That is this one. Hence my suggestion to ask questions pertinent to this subject. In that light, let me answer your question above.
Some of the people you are addressing here have spent MANY years pursueing this interest. In my case, almost 40. During my initial introduction to the field of recording, 4 things became painfully obvious.
One, there were no such thing as home studio recording gear that approached any level of technical specifications that pro studio gear achieved. Hell, the cheapest mixer on the market at that time was an Ampex 12 channel priced at a whopping $25,000. In my income bracket, it might as well been a $100k, and in reality, there were a few that were. However, most were designed by inhouse "engineers" of the time, as they WERE real electronics engineers.
Two. Unless you lived in an area that was pro recording viable, there were NO studios to get your foot into the door, to actually partake in the process of recording to learn the craft and art. Let alone the science, as engineers at the time WERE engineers. Most of whom, were electrical or electronics engineers who happened to pursue a career in design, use, and maintenence of high end electronics devoted to audio. This included broadcast, video, and large live venues. Applying the term "audio engineer" to ones occupation in this day and age can possibly be construed to be par to a "sanitary engineer", as neither REQUIRES a degree, years of training, nor even one day of experience, as this bbs surely illustrates daily. If it did, then the "professions"
statutes of state law would incorporate "AUDIO" in the list of enineering types that must be licensed.
Third, the avenues to "gain" an edge towards pursueing a career in this field of endeavor were sorely lacking as there were virtually ZERO for those who did not live in citys that supported this industry. In those days, you could probably count the number of professional "recording engineers" on the fingers of your hand. At least the ones who could run a lathe and a bank of compressors, as these were actually the "engineers" of the time. Mastering was the area of expertise that denoted "professional" as understanding of the electronics subsets and component design was the criteria as some of these "engineers" actually had to build some of the devices in the signal chain. Today, as most involved in this interest knows, that is a laugh.
Forth. As well as the electronic side of high end professional facilities, sudios themselves, were built by a combination of inhouse scientific investigation and application of current known acoustical concepts, such as the British Broadcasting System, RCA, and other corporate media organizations as they had the resources and reason to indulge in this level of scientific endeavor.
As time and recording evolved, smaller, yet no less engineering required, studios came into being, and some even used facilities and equipment with far less sophisticated design, but the same level of product requirment. That being the need for the production of "records" whereby the NEEDLE wouldn't jump out of the groove. That WAS the criteria of the product. Hence the need for engineers who knew the methodology and use of equipment required to produce recordings with the main criteria of "playability". Facility design was far less important at the time.
However, for a layperson interested in these aspects of recording, there was little resources to enlighten him. Especially those who had little or no money. I was among this group. I discovered the field of recording was mostly only open to those who had the ability to "chase" equipment and information, but for those who were like me, exclusion from the pursuit of their interest was the name of the game. Like many other interests, if you had no resources to indulge your pursuit, you might as well go fishing. In my case, I had music as a primary interest. Recording was simply an extension of my musical composition interests.
After 15 years of pursuing the performance side of music, it also became painfully obvious, that income from this occupation was seriously lacking in matching other occupations. DUH! No different today. It was at that time I decided to pursue other avenues of income producing endeavors. I had at one time been employed by the Federal Government, which left people with interests in more creative aptitudes, highly suseptible to questioning their reason for being there. I was among this group too. After 3 years I left. Most regretable decision of my life. But as they say, hindsight is 20/20. Hence my BEST advice to you. Having no other skills other than music and those gained via government employment, I chose to open my own woodworking business. I still do it to this day.
After a few years, a whole new type of recording and playback device came into the market, that being the cassette. Wow. This changed everything. With one cheap device, my interest in this field could now be fullfilled. Or so I thought. Afterall, with no understanding of recording whatsoever, one is left with the feeling that all one had to do was plug a mic in and hit the "record" button. Which I did. Over, and over, and over. Thank goodness for close friends with similar interests, but highly undeveloped sense of quality, and an over developed sense of optimisim and happiness with ones results. This went on for years. And I wouldn't trade those tapes for anything in the world, as they are the proof of ones delight in the simple exploit of music.
After a few more years of toying with cassettes, I had again come to grips with the obvious. When you start a business with ZERO capitol, and very little understanding of the business side of your endeavor, you are destined for failure. Once again I changed careers. This time pursuing employment, although my business had provided me with much need skillsets to which I applied in my new job. I stepped up the ladder of experience quickly, to which I owe a debt of gratitude, as it is what I currently use for generating income.
It was during this early period of employment that I was given an opportunity to design and build a music store in Redondo Beach California. To my delight, Tascam and other audio manufacturing companies began introducing the "semi pro" equipment into retail music and audio stores. Although I was delighted, most was still out of my price range. Hell, even a small mixer and Reel to Reel was around $5,000. However, late night sessions in the back of the store only heightened my desires. I was envious of those involved in pro recording, and being in Redondo Beach in 1980 only made matters worse, as many people who were, visited the store. One such person was Vince Gill, who only depressed me further with tales of local studio sessions and involvement in the "scene".
Digital recorders were new on the recording horizon, which only made for thoughts of being left out of the progression of recording art, as these machines approached $100k. My interest future looked doomed. Not only that, working in a music store did very little to provide the kind of income it took to reside in Redondo Beach. Hell, if anything, the local residents of the area were nothing less than well to do, if not downright rich. I was out of my league, and out of my mind for staying any longer. I decided to return to Sacramento, which was my home. It wasn't long before I got another job in a music store there. I was in my home turf too, which made it easier to accept my position in the recording field at large. I kept up with the cassette recording thing though, and over time evolved a mental attitude towards it that kept me sane. By this time, I became keenly aware that recording was either a hobby for the more financially endowed, or one had the resouces to place himself in debt for many years. I saw it daily, as I worked in the pro audio department of Skips Music, which to this day is the local pro audio outlet in Northern California.
At some point, I reached another conclusion regarding income opportunitys in music store employment. There was NONE.
Minimum wage and small commissions did very little to keep a roof over ones head, let alone pursue their interests in expensive hobbies. During the preceeding 10 years, I had also been exploiting the local pro musician envelope, which also influenced my decision on what was important in life, as I had spent years on the edge of poverty. This caused numerous relationship failures and living challanges. I soon changed occupations again. Only this time, I decided it was time to find a way to get to a better income bracket, instead of spending time following pipedreams. Hindsight reasoning was improving. Enjoyment of ones hobbies was not. But it wasn't important. Cassette recording was going to have to do. My dad finally faced the same point in his pursuit of flying. Took him 25 years to build a plane. He flew it 5 times before fuel and hangers became so expensive, he decided to sell it. I too looked at the realities of my hobby interests.
Time marches on another 5 years. I finally arrive at my occupational destination. And age 50. I'm no farther ahead in pursuit of my interest than I was 10 years before. But what had changed is the technology. Digital was now the evolving method of choice for pro, as well as semi pro recording, which as you well know, left analog gear to fall to the wayside the same as LP's had once cassette production gained acceptance by the masses. CD's had yet to come on the scene, yet for semi pro recording enthusiasts, new computer and standalone digital recording devices were the holy grail of home studio production. Yet, with all this technology, there was still very few resources for those interested in the REAL side of recording. The acoustics.
It was during this period, that I was lucky to come across
a Tascam MSR-16
that was being removed from service in a local "studio", as they were jumping on the digital revolution bandwagon. Hmmmm, it was still $3000 though. That was a hunk of change in my world. Still is. Ever try to gather $3k when your broke? Then you know what I'm talking about. Even though my income had increased dramatically, putting aside a savings for hobbies while paying child support was a laugh. However, it was my reality. Like it or not.
I borrowed the money. Holy shit. Jumping from a cassette oriented hobby to 16 trk was almost mind boggling for me. I now had the means for multitrack recording. It didn't take much to leap from the reality of bedroom recording to dreams of commercial enterprize. Ha! As I soon realized though, having ones own multitrack recorder was the tip of the recording pool of quicksand. Yet, once bitten, all reality becomes fogged in possibility. I began to embed my fingernails into the steep sides of the pit of unenlightenment and studio ownership. I still have scabs on my fingertips. However, this forum has provided many bandages over the years. AND reality checks. Hence others experienced advice to you.
It just so happened, that among my other interests, design and building had
become not just an interest, but an occupation, of which the digital revolution had also enhanced. I became a CAD detailer in a very large store fixture manufacturing facility. This gave my interest in studio design and fabrication an edge, or so I thought, as I routinely designed very large and sophisticated architectural mill products for Macys. In fact, over a 15 year period I personally have managed to design and detail more than 300 Macys interiors and department fixturing. At the beginning, I felt competent in my pursuit of the holy grail of Studio design. My journey in that regard is STILL in progress.
It was at the early stages of my employment that I happened across a copy of Alton Everests new book, The Master Handbook of Acoustics. Ha! At last, my journey, or so I thought, was at an end. Here in my hand was the BIBLE.
As my fingers turned to chapter after chapter, visions of Pro Studio enlightenment danced in my head. It wasn't long before the pages of that book became dogeared, highlighted, and worn, as I devoured each word over, and over and over. Some chapters even became semi reality, as trust in a credentialed author became the word of "god". To this day, this book is referred to on forums by even other credentialed practicianers of the art. Although, over the years, I have become skeptical of so called "science", when associated with products whose design was enhanced by its use and tests of, although, that is another story which continues its chapters here daily.
During the next 10 years, my equipment procurements were dictated by the needs and finanical reserves of the moment. Every weekend, during my friend and mines adventures through recordingland, some need or new awarement would become obvious. Headphones, microphones, mixers, etc etc etc...the list was endless. Especially when computers were now part of the scenario, all though I had yet to fullfill even the minimum equipment equipment need that multitracking required to exploit its full power. Dreams of mixing eluded me for 2 more years untill such time I was able to afford a mixer with the capabilities required. Mics, compressors, FX, headphone amps, amps etc had to wait. Not to mention instruments themself, as I was STILL a musician. Wearing two hats was becoming a lesson in frustration. Still is.
Over the next 7 years, as life has it, things changed, and demanded more respect for ones position in responsibility to it, which equates to less income to spend on ones hobbies. Buying a home becomes a much more difficult endeavor than a mixer. Making sure that one does not lose his investment also becomes more important. Especially when employment has no guarantees of continuing. Hence my suggestion of a DEGREE in a PROFESSION. The depth of opportunity somehow seems appropriate when you become 60, although, at 16, it means nothing.
However, even I put my interests in recording at the forefront of decisionmaking sometimes, which in hidsight, was disasterous to aftermath sanity. I think back now, and it amazes me how an interest in something can dilute ones rational thinking. But you pay for decisions made in haste. Sometimes for years. Hence my advice to marrry rich. Love has its own rewards, however, if anything can destroy a relationship, its ones lack of financial responsibility or opportunity because of prior decisions. Ah yes, the University of Hindsight comes to thought. I possess a degree, of which has no value unless applied to momentary decisionmaking. It provides very little in the way of current income generation resource though it keeps future decisions from wrecking havoc on current lifestyle. Heed its lessons.
In spite of all the obsticles placed in ones path, sometimes it is pure obsession with a subject that dictates ones choice of pathways to nirvana.
I am also of this group. Obsession with ones desire to reach this destination, no matter how illusory, can and does fill volumes of self described journeys over ones chosen path, as clearly, mine is being displayed here. In that regard I can truely say, that my advice is qualified by years of participation in this quest. That is NOT to say that it in any way shape or form is pertinent to your position or dream. It only speaks truth from my perspective of this interest at large. Dreams are ok, but let me give you some direct input here.
If you think like a lot of kids that visit this site, that owning a computer, a few mics and a few other recording required elements puts you in a position of competition with "pro studio" facilities, or gives you the tools to learn the craft and art of recording at that level, I have one other bit of advice. Take on airplane building as a hobby. Its easier. And cheaper.
fitZ