How to be Sound Engineer

DIRTY69

Where to start, where to start!?

Well, I did a course in FAS Tralee in Sound Engineering. Got my City and Guilds' scout badges! Now I'm looking for sound work, and I can't seem to find it.

I have contacted some studios and stuff at this stage.

Where should I go from here?!??

and, do I really NEED to relocate from Cork to Dublin to get the right job!?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Cheers!

PaulBrewer

Aha! You've done the easy bit!! Now the fun begins!

Experience is what it's all about - pieces of paper carry no real weight in the real world.

Where do you live?

I speak only in reference to music studios but the likelihood of getting employment in that sector that will earn you a living wage is virtually nonexistent.

I know one of the Tape Ops in a well know Dublin studio was on Euro 150 a week... and that's for 60 hours plus a week too.

There are of course other sectors to look at , Broadcast, Post-Pro, Radio but they're also shrinking quickly.

I don't want to down-hearten you but it's very, very hard to get a good job.

My advice to you is find the best studio you have in your area and be on hand to help as much as you can - that does mean painting the fence and emptying the thrash too! You ain't going to be mixing the hits this year I wouldn't think...

Never-the-less , enjoy the whole process as EVERY day is a Schoolday in the studio, that never stops....

KrazeeEyezKilla

I was thinking the same thing but it doesn't sound very promising from your description.

PaulBrewer

It's not, but "reality" is a much better place to start than "unreality" - I know so many people in the biz who still think the world owes them a Musical living because they have some talent.

That ain't the way the world rolls in my experience.

However if DIRTY69 lets me know where he lives (obviously down south) I might be able to hook him up with somebody local to get some 'flying hours' clocked up.

PaulBrewer

taking it DIRTY69 is a bloke of course....

dav nagle

PaulBrewer wrote: »

It's not, but "reality" is a much better place to start than "unreality" - I know so many people in the biz who still think the world owes them a Musical living because they have some talent.

That ain't the way the world rolls in my experience.

However if DIRTY69 lets me know where he lives (obviously down south) I might be able to hook him up with somebody local to get some 'flying hours' clocked up.

True, I am 26 going on 27 and the dashed reality of getting a job takes a while to settle in, at the moment I am happy to work weekends as an assistant for free because I realize know-body is going to pay a rookie. Every studio has its own way of cooking beef and very few people at my age could just walk in and understand how beef is salted and the potato mashed. In the meantime I am going it alone trying to get clients for my own home studio and build a strong reliable good sounding rep. I spoke to a guy who owns a studio and he gets 10 emails a day from college grad willing to work for free. Keep the creativity in your approach open thats a good start, and don't rely on anyone to make it all happen for you.

DIRTY69

PaulBrewer wrote: »

It's not, but "reality" is a much better place to start than "unreality" - I know so many people in the biz who still think the world owes them a Musical living because they have some talent.

That ain't the way the world rolls in my experience.

However if DIRTY69 lets me know where he lives (obviously down south) I might be able to hook him up with somebody local to get some 'flying hours' clocked up.

PaulBrewer wrote: »

taking it DIRTY69 is a bloke of course....

Does it make a difference?!
Ya, cool man. Living in Cork City at the moment. You know a few locals around here?

PaulBrewer

DIRTY69 wrote: »

Does it make a difference?!
Ya, cool man. Living in Cork City at the moment. You know a few locals around here?

I do indeed, sort of!

Warren and John in Clonakilty are fine humans who have a great facility Claycastle studio. A Google should find them.
The boys have a great attitude and are already successful. Give them a yell and tell them I sent you.

There's talk of a new facility down in Cork city this year (or early next) but I'd have to check with the owners before I passed on details.

Best of Luck and if you're up in Dub give me a yell.

Cheers P

DIRTY69

Ya, sounds great Paul (....sorry about that pun!).

They're out by Yougal last time I checked aren't they? I might have a crack at seeing some of the local City-heads first and then check them out after.

Sun Studios is right by me anyway maybe that would be a goer for a little while, I'll give them a buzz.

trackmixstudio

A friend of mine teaches at a well known recording college and my joke with him is that he should teach the students about getting all of their social welfare entitlements before he starts teaching them anything about recording.
It's a hard game to get into and always has been. The best way is to throw yourself at every opportunity and offer your services for free in the short term. If you are good (or have the potential to be good) you will start getting paid for work. This will happen all of a sudden and will take you by surprise when it does. When starting out you don't need, and are not expected, to be the finished product. You need to be reliable and make your employer look good. If there is no signal from a mic (be it at a venue or in a studio), you need to be the guy who will trace it, fix it, and get the show back on the road with the minimum of fuss and wasted time. Too many times if I go to a gig, the house engineer looks bored and uninterested. If I were looking for a guy to work for me, I would not pick that guy. I would pick the guy who has a passion for what they are doing.
In closing, I think the guy who has enthusiasm and ambition will get further than the guy who can program RnB loops with precision on Reason but has limited personality and communication skills.
This business is all about networking and first impressions are vitally important.Learn how to sell yourself TO a potential employer, not AT them.
Just my opinion of what it was like when I started out.
Michael

PaulBrewer

DIRTY69 wrote: »

Ya, sounds great Paul (....sorry about that pun!).

They're out by Yougal last time I checked aren't they? I might have a crack at seeing some of the local City-heads first and then check them out after.

Sun Studios is right by me anyway maybe that would be a goer for a little while, I'll give them a buzz.

You're absolutely correct it is Youghal! I'm thinking of Marcus in The Music Watchtower, another gentleman, he's in Clon.

PaulBrewer

trackmixstudio wrote: »

A friend of mine teaches at a well known recording college and my joke with him is that he should teach the students about getting all of their social welfare entitlements before he starts teaching them anything about recording.
It's a hard game to get into and always has been. The best way is to throw yourself at every opportunity and offer your services for free in the short term. If you are good (or have the potential to be good) you will start getting paid for work. This will happen all of a sudden and will take you by surprise when it does. When starting out you don't need, and are not expected, to be the finished product. You need to be reliable and make your employer look good. If there is no signal from a mic (be it at a venue or in a studio), you need to be the guy who will trace it, fix it, and get the show back on the road with the minimum of fuss and wasted time. Too many times if I go to a gig, the house engineer looks bored and uninterested. If I were looking for a guy to work for me, I would not pick that guy. I would pick the guy who has a passion for what they are doing.
In closing, I think the guy who has enthusiasm and ambition will get further than the guy who can program RnB loops with precision on Reason but has limited personality and communication skills.
This business is all about networking and first impressions are vitally important.Learn how to sell yourself TO a potential employer, not AT them.
Just my opinion of what it was like when I started out.
Michael

Michael plays the snare on the beat, again.