Help me not make a fool of myself

T

taylorguitarman

New member
My dad got me a contact this week of someone who works at a local studio. He said I might be able to swing by and sort of hang out for the day and shadow them to see what a "real" studio feels like. I'm hoping it works out because I'd be really interested in taking a day off and hanging out there for a while and seeing what going on. Thing is I don't want to be a fool and get in the way or anything. Any hints on what to avoid saying or doing if I get to hang out for a day? Who knows maybe it'll spark my interest in a career change down the road. It should at least be a good learning experience.
 
Don't knock over all the mics around the drumset.

Don't smoke in the control room.

Don't set your Super Big Gulp on the console.

Don't bring your loadie friends along.

Don't ask where the "more air" knob is.

Just hang out and watch what the engineer does. If things get slow maybe you can talk to him about mic placement or ask about track sheets and how he organizes a session. If he asks you to help out don't be nervous and listen carefully to his direction and follow it.
 
Listen, listen, listen. Questions are OK (within reason), statements are not. Especially if the statement includes the word "actually." I hate that word. Oh yeah, don't fart in the control room :D
 
" Oh yeah, don't fart in the control room."

DD can (it's his control room); you can't!! :D:D

Be VERY concientious about when you are asking questions! Don't ask when they are getting sounds, running the song down or putting a track to tape/HD. Like c7sus said, if things slow down, then it's time to ask.

Oh yeah, be almost contrite. (Not that you have done anything wrong I just couldn't think of the perfect word for it. ) Think of yourself as a fly on the wall. If you go in there with any kind of an attitude that you know it all you WON'T be asked back. The fact that you are asking here before you go is very good.
 
One More

This is all good advice but I thought I would add one more.
Everybody wants to help out after a recording session is done by putting away mics and wrapping cables. Just walk away and let the staff handle it. Offer to clean up or help organize etc.
Any studio crew will be nervous if you handle a mic or attempt to elbow wrap precious cables. Most studio mics are very fragile, expensive and uninsured. As far as cables there is only one way to wrap a studio cable so it will last trouble free for years. This might seem kinda trivial to some but I've seen interns asked not to come back after one elbow wrap. Anyway have fun and take notes.
C
 
DigitalDon said:
Listen, listen, listen. Questions are OK (within reason), statements are not. Especially if the statement includes the word "actually." I hate that word. Oh yeah, don't fart in the control room :D
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If everyone starts farting in the control room and laughing, you ARE allowed to chime in. HOWEVER, it's most important that you're not louder than the performers.

Other than that, mouth shut, hands in pockets, yada, yada. Seem gracious, interested and sponge-like for any information that anyone shares in your presence. It's not a "huge deal" but, they certainly don't "need" you there, so it is somewhat a privillege.

John Scrip - www.massivemastering.com
 
MEXICAN FOOD IS OFF LIMITS! please please please do not think your fart is "not too bad" you've smelled it for years....they havent....some farts have been known to trigger migraine attacks.....i agree with the other people...be a fly on the wall (especially the first day) act like a deer in headlights... i've noticed that some engineers are more willing to include you in the process if they know they can show you what to do and you wont try something out of nowhere. (ha ha more air knob) also watch where you sit! dont sit so far away that you cant see what the engineer is doing but not so close that he can smell the refried beans of that mexican food you werent supposed to eat.

i had a singer who loved mexican food and farting and thought it was fun to fart in the control room...whats worse is when he did it in the vocal booth and i had to do back up vocals after him.
 
Re: One More

CGibson said:
This might seem kinda trivial to some but I've seen interns asked not to come back after one elbow wrap.
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Ahh, the dreaded elbow wrap. My first internship was at a TV station and when the production manager chewed out a guy for doing an elbow wrap it left a great impression on me. Now it bugs me to even see people elbow wrap their own cables. I usually just take it away from them and do it myself.

The next step to becoming a Jedi is to master the over/under wrap :D
 
i've tried to show a bunch of people the over-under wrap, but they just dont get it. or sometimes i'll show them and they'll understand and show me that they can do it, but afterword they continue to TIE their cables.
 
tjohnston said:
He is gonna show you a few things about how the coffee is made in that particular studio
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c7sus said:
If he asks you to help out don't be nervous and listen carefully to his direction and follow it.
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CGibson said:
Offer to clean up or help organize etc.
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CGibson said:
take notes.
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You should be noticing a definite pattern here. Slave labor, my friend. You may think I'm joking but I'd highly suggest diligent research on all of the area restaurants and donut shops, snack shops, coffee shops, etc. Come with a copy of the Yellow Pages handy and be prepared to fetch stuff for them on a moment's notice. Know where the local music shops are so you can run and buy extra supplies if needed.

If you really want to come prepared, just bring along your own toilet bowl cleaner and get it over with. No use dancing around the subject.
 
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