A good place to start

[I-AM]

Dear forum,

I am a young composer/ piano player / recording engineer. I have been creating music for about 4 years, and I am still taking piano lessons to broaden my knowledge of music.
I have only worked in my small studio, but I was planning on entering a recording college when I get back to the states, which would also give me more time creating and learning more.
Honestly I would like to be a producer at some point in the road. Either doing Hard Rock or Hip Hop.
What are some steps I can start taking or planning on to get to reach my goal?
Thanks for any replies.

 

[Proveras]

uuuhhhhmmm...

 

[jamiecer]

I started out in a small recording studio in Annapolis, Maryland - not exactly the worlds recording mecca. I began to notice that all of the bands that I liked were either produced or engineered by one of three producer/engineers. I went out and bought the Mix directory and found thier management companies and called. Unfortunately they were all in England. I told the managers that I was just starting out and I would like to pick so and so's brains for five minutes - if I fly to London can I do this.
Eventually, one of the Engineer/Producers agreed and off I went. I brought a few CD's that I had just worked on for them to listen to and went to the studio - The Church. Wow. That was my first time sitting behind a SSL. This is where I wanted to be. The five minutes was actually an hour.
I offered to be the shadow of this guy. He would not have to pay me for one year I just wanted to learn by example. I would go where ever he went - I wanted to see the process at that level. He told me it wasn't worth it. I next asked if I should go to a school like Full Sail. Again he said it wasn't worth it.
What he did say was that if you want to record multi-platinum selling artist - move to where the artist record. LA, New York, Nashville, London ect... Get a job as a runner. Talk to every enginner, watch, ask questions, learn how a session runs. Put yourself into a situation where you are working in close proximity to the people you want to work with - then make it happen.
He then pulled out his organizer and got me a job working in LA at one of the greatest studios in the world. Of course I had to move 3000 miles but I was on a path to do what I wanted.

If you like the bulk of what someone is doing, contact them. Use a little flattery - It goes a long way.
Good Luck,
j.