paying to learn

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polarity

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I have tried this approach a couple of times and curious if maybe I'm going about it the wrong way, I've contacted a couple of local non busy studios and offered to pay their hourly rate for a few hours to learn the process of recording/mixing. So far I haven't even gotten a no, just no answer at all. For those of you in the business would that somehow be insulting or is it more likely they just don't want to deal with being bombarded with questions?

Is there a better way to go about this?
 
They might be taken aback by "a few hours" - which really isn't enough time to scratch the surface, even if they had a solid "lesson plan" (for lack of a better term).
 
I offered one of them to match the time a band would use to record a song and mix it so I could basically double pay for their time, with no luck.

I'll keep trying, I'm learning lots already but I'm definately missing the background in audio in general that most people doing this seem to have.
 
I have to agree with Master.

You said you haven't even gotten a reply, which makes me think you're emailing.

If that's the case, just phone them up and speak to them.
Most studios probably get no end of emails from noobz wanting an internship, a job, or just experience for a day.
The fact that you're offering to pay the rate should walk you straight in the door, but perhaps not by email.

BTW, you might consider finding a friend who wants to record, for two reasons.
1: You can split the bill with him and still remain more than fair.
2: There's subject matter in the studio; Something real to record, is better than any theory lesson IMO.
 
Hmm, point well taken there steeno. Being a computer geek in general I use email far more than any other communications. A phone call might just be all it needs.

thanks for the input
 
No probs.
Prepare a short list of things you want to learn before you call.
That way when you're asked, you'll come across as being serious, and organised.

BTW. I'm no pro, but If I can help with anything, just phone. (or email) :p
 
polarity said:
For those of you in the business would that somehow be insulting or is it more likely they just don't want to deal with being bombarded with questions? Is there a better way to go about this?
Click to expand...

I think your request to pay to learn is not only very reasonable, you'd become another customer. When I used to own a pro studio in the 1980s we did everything possible to get income from our studio, including teaching classes four nights a week, and producing music and jingles etc for corporate clients. Even though I no longer have a large pro studio, I do occasional tutoring here in my home studio. Too bad you don't live near me. I find that sort of session much more fun and rewarding than recording bands! :D

--Ethan
 
Shoot, if you were going to pay the money, you might as well find a local band that needs some help with funds for studio time. Let the band and the studio know what you want to do (it'd be really awkward to just show up). Granted this wouldn't be a great idea if you were only paying for a couple of hours, but a band might appreciate a little bit knocked off the price.
 
I was able to pay a guy to use his space now three different times. He wasn't there to teach me, and maybe it's different from what you'll find, but I was able to take all of my knowledge and put it to the test in a real environment with real gear including a nice console, preamps, etc. Now that I've gotten to be on a more personal level with him, he's agreed to let me sit in on a recording and mixing session when a good one comes around. I think the best way is to show your enthusiasm and people will come around. Especially if you'll pay them. I've learned that the music community has tons of open doors, you just have to be persistent and excited. Show them you won't waste their time. Good luck!
 
Not many studios around here that I've managed to find yet, but I know they are here somewhere. I also know how important it is get the right info. One brief example for me would be one of my favorite youtube guys, Jake CoCo. Been making videos for years and he was always a good musician. Played all the instruments for his tracks, did vocals, different arrangements on new pop tracks. Then he started working at a studio, obviously the quality of his recordings went up as now he had the best gear, but it was subtle things that seemed to make all the differernce. The way the reverb was set in, or maybe it was delay, the way something would sound perfectly clean until the lasy syllable and then suddenly change. He's working with an established producer so I'm sure alot of what changed was just picking up information from him.

Unfortunately it seems there is so much to learn on any 1 topic that it seems impossible at times. I need to learn about signal path and possible faults, how to correct them, how do I know if my preamp is giving me noise or something else. How does it sound before they start working on it, what did they change and why, I think the why being most important. I know you EQ for a reason to take away from or enhance a sound, but why does it seem that some guys can produce hit after hit, there is soemthing about the sound that he knows to listen for, or change.

So my initial thought was if I could be in the studio with them from start to finish, I could at least see the whole process start to finish and then start figuring out my weak spots. Right now I don't know if the horse is in front of the cart or if the cart got stolen and taken to prague. There is information overload but it never seems to be the right information hah.

thanks for all the input guys, steeno I think I've seen you in almost every thread I've had a question helping out and trust me, us new guys really do appreciate it (that goes to everyone, not just steen)
 
I did this i was learning to write songs with a local piano teacher when he mentioned he had a home studio. My eyes lit up. Game over .He suggested teaching me to record my songwriting effort and over time i stopped paying him because i worked for him as a recording engineer on my days off and payed him back that way as well as learning.
We are now best friends. He's an amazing musician and producer who learnt his craft back in the 60's and 70's when he had a recording career.
there are guys out there willing to help dont loose heart.
 
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