How many of you actually record for a living?

  • Thread starter Thread starter wjgypsy
  • Start date Start date

How many of you record for a living?

  • Yes, i record for a living

    Votes: 16 21.6%

  • no, i don't record for a living

    Votes: 58 78.4%
  • Total voters
    74
I'm just a part-timer.
Spent 20 some years in the live end, that was enough. The business stinks (generally). Thankfully, I don't need it. Im having fun building a nice quiet rep and pulling in some income.
My respect goes out to those that are out there putting their asses on the line every day in this strange and finicky industry.
:D
 
I work full time as a radio personality and production director. When I'm not on the air, I produce radio commercials for the station.
At home, I have my own digital recording studio where I freelance radio and television commercials, video narrations and music on-hold. I also have high-speed Internet access to send my projects all over the country.
I guess you could say I record for a living. I'm in a very unique position because not too many people get to do what I do for a living.
 
Used to, and I sometimes make money at it still, but I got so sick of some of the people I had to work with. I still do a lot of live audio stuff, mostly for corporate meetings and the like, but I make most of my money as a lighting designer, tech, and programmer (also for corporate meetings).

Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Hey johnny,

I noticed you are from Buffalo. Just wondering how long you have been there? The reason being is I have a cousin from Buffalo I have never met who was in a band called "The Restless" from there back in the 80's. Ever heard of them?
 
60% Recording
30% Live Sound
10% Prostitution

You gotta be a whore. :)
 
I've been recording full-time for years now. I started by buying my own gear and hanging out with bands. Eventually people started to come to me and then as my portfolio grew it's kept me working almost everyday of the week.

I don't advertise and I keep things pretty simple (although the gear eventually became more expensive)

I guess by keeping myself in the loop and my finger on the record button has allowed me to stay busy. Keep doing it no matter what and you'll get there.

Freelancing is good if a band is willing to spend money on a studio and flip the bill for you. If you do freelance start buying some gear of your own like some nice pre-amps and microphones. By doing that you are a bit more mobile and versatile with other studio's console. You'll develop a style based on the gear you own/use. You'd even get in good graces with a studio especially if you have some toys you bring to use.

I still love what I do although there are days I have doubts but as long as I stay true to myself and my clients it makes it all worth it. I haven't had a boss in almost 7 years and I'd like to keep it that way. Well, I guess my client is my boss but I don't think they'd ask me to scrub the toilet.

--AdamLazlo
 
in the 70's I struggled as a musician..
in the 80's, I struggled as a studio engineer.

for my engineering job, went to Berklee college of Music(late 70's), ...went thru the studio program (at the time, they only had a 1" eight track and an old black faced MCI board...but GREAT mics) and got a degree in guitar and junk like that. Then with my playing experience and my hot little diploma in my hand I went to three cities I thought I might enjoy living in...and went to EVERY studio and applied for a job. One city was Nashville, and I must have went to a zillion studios there, but was only able to get a part time offer job there. I got a more "fulltime" (ha!) job in St. Louis. ...so I started there in a studio, and after their current engineer split, I became the chief engineer (ha!..again!). Plus some minor free lancing around town. I never could make more than a "real" job, so I got a "real" job, opened a studio in my basement, and never went back...

Now...25 years later, I don't really want to record other people's bands... not to mention my little home setup kicks ass over what I used to work on.
 
I am now.

Got laid off from the day job Dec. 7th. I will never go back. I seem to be doing ok.

I must say that I coudn't do it without making contacts and networking in the past. I hope to start construction on a new place this fall.

Kirk
 
Michael Jones said:
Stay in school.
Go to college.
Study mathematics and physics.
Click to expand...

My god... this is SO true. I don't think people realise how much a knowledge of electronics and physics helps with understanding how a studio Ticks.

It also makes debugging your studio a million times easier. (eg... Where's the buzz coming from?)

Also, if all else fails, you can always take your bits of paper from studying physics/electronics and get a boring, but financially more rewarding job for a few years to get your own studio built. Then, once your all paid, tell your boss to go shove himself, and go record the bands you've been working with part time for so long.

There are some uni's that do an electronics degree with music technology systems - type courses. Those courses are pretty handy (I did one) - because at the end of the day, whilst the real geeks are learning about radio communications, they teach us the same stuff, but using a synth :D
 
You know, that reminds me of a true story that my mom told me.
Even though i agree with what you said, i will tell it just for kicks.....

My mom, a few years ago, worked at the town bank (small town) and one of her friend's got a offer for a much better job that paid more. So he quit his job and told his boss, and i quote: "Take that job and shove it up you ass!" So he when on to his new job. Weeks later, he lost that "great" job. So, oneday he came into the bank and asked his boss: "sir, if you have'nt shoved that job too far up your ass, can i have it back?"


It's true............
 
ZEKE SAYER said:
You know, that reminds me of a true story that my mom told me.
Even though i agree with what you said, i will tell it just for kicks.....

My mom, a few years ago, worked at the town bank (small town) and one of her friend's got a offer for a much better job that paid more. So he quit his job and told his boss, and i quote: "Take that job and shove it up you ass!" So he when on to his new job. Weeks later, he lost that "great" job. So, oneday he came into the bank and asked his boss: "sir, if you have'nt shoved that job too far up your ass, can i have it back?"


It's true............
Click to expand...

LMAO!!!:D
 
Rochey said:
My god... this is SO true. I don't think people realise how much a knowledge of electronics and physics helps with understanding how a studio Ticks.

It also makes debugging your studio a million times easier. (eg... Where's the buzz coming from?)

Also, if all else fails, you can always take your bits of paper from studying physics/electronics and get a boring, but financially more rewarding job for a few years to get your own studio built. Then, once your all paid, tell your boss to go shove himself, and go record the bands you've been working with part time for so long.

There are some uni's that do an electronics degree with music technology systems - type courses. Those courses are pretty handy (I did one) - because at the end of the day, whilst the real geeks are learning about radio communications, they teach us the same stuff, but using a synth :D
Click to expand...


I'm gonna be starting my degree in Physics come september and planning on doing a studio engineering course after I've finished so that I can then go onto work in a studio.

Which qualification is going to be worth more to the bloke who wants to employ me - the masters in Physics or the Bachelor of Audio engineering?
 
Personal opinion here - neither.

A lot of studio owners really hate these college grads who think they know everything. If I had to choose one of them, I'd go with the physics one.

By doing physics, you'll be able to understand what he's talking about when he shows you the ropes, instead of trying to put words in his mouth if you did the Bachelor of AE. Let me add, that there's nothing worse than some little shit who thinks he knows more than you, and starts flapping on about what he knows.

Also, I'd like to present a slap in the face of reality. Making a successfull living as an AE is about as easy as becoming a succesfull as a pop star. If all else fails, you can earn more down the road with a physics degree than you can with an AE degree.

I'm sorry if that blows your dream up, all I'm saying is, keep your options open.

Cheers

R
 
Rochey said:
I'm sorry if that blows your dream up, all I'm saying is, keep your options open.
Click to expand...

No way, it's not blowing up my dream at all, I'm not even sure I want to be an Audio Engineer anyway.

The way I look at it, unless your at the top, you don't get paid much, you have to work your way up from the lowest of the low and you have to put up with so much shit from bands who suck.

Besides, this is my hobby and I don't want to start to hate it. If I have a 9-5 physicsy type job they can pay me a stupid amount of money to do something menial so I can go home and spend it on the U87 I always wanted.

Then again, theres always job satisfaction, something Audio engineering will always give.

Is this what everyone else thinks or am I approaching this from completly the wrong angle?
 
I do wonder if it's just as much engineering as a job as it is at home.

Some of the guys over at prosoundweb claimed that the real fun goes out of it after a few years of day-in-day-out inter studio politics...

oh well.

R
 
I'm a fulltime musician (90% playing, 10% teaching), and learning the rec stuff by playing at home and assisting/watching friends doing live sound and smallish studio work.

..[tried 5 times to formulate what I wanted to say, but my english fails at this point]...
Anyway, if you know what you want to do, and you love doing it, but you are willing to do other things if the thing you want to do isn't working out, then you'll probably end up doing the thing you wanted to do in the first place....

( :D anyone understood what my point is here ?)


I'm a pro bass player, I play upright & electric, there's no style I don't like playing, and I think my attitude is cool/relaxed. I never had to search for jobs, jobs always seem to find me, and I'm able to live the life I want to live, which makes me the happiest person around.

I fell in love with recording, and more recent acoustics and I'm learning it now. I guess if I just continue to learn, one day some nice opportunities will cross my way.

(amen ;) )


Herwig
 
Stay in school.Go to college.Study mathematics and physics.
Click to expand...

Listen to this advice very carefully. I'm only 16 but I would say it would be much better to stay in school and get good grades in maths and physics and go and get a physics degree if you want. Then go and do a Audio Engineering course.

I'm doing physics and maths at school at the moment. I'm also doing a SAE audio engineering degree part time during the nights. This way I'll have a head start over the next person.

It may sound great not to do a course and go out and try and get a job hands on straight away but I would think that you'll learn lots from a course and you'll have a piece of paper to prove it. Another thing to remember is that Audio Schools have lots of industry contacts already.

Good Luck buddy from another recording teen!
Tukkis
 
Tukkis said:
Good Luck buddy from another recording teen!
Tukkis
Click to expand...

Cheers man.

BTW - I lived in Brisbane a long time, in Nudgee (yeah, I know, its where all the old people live).
 
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