tape-op / studio assistant wanted

Creamy Sonic

Looking for a studio assistant for Dublin commercial recording studio www.creamysonicstudios.com
experience or schooling is helpful but not necessary. Mainly looking for someone with a good work ethic who is willing to work long hours. This is an un-paid position.
Peter

Lump

I got as far as the website and thought, "Hmmm, not too impressed with that". Then read on "Willing to work long hours", and thought fair enough. Then I got to "Un-Paid Position"...... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

John

Creamy Sonic

You might not understand this but for a young hopeful engineer this is actually a good position. It is a tough business to break into and there are so many people trying to get into it that an internship position is what is needed both to get the experience and to start building a resume by getting your name on finished projects. I have had one engineer who took this offer and his hard work has paid off in that he now has a substantial CV and is starting to run sessions of his own. I am now looking for a couple more people to try to develop as well. Lump if this is not for you fair enough.

Peter

DonkeyStyle \o/

Yeah this isn't unheard of really,
I know a lot of people who work crazy hours for nothing but to have been involved.
Personally I think they're nuts, but whatever it takes I suppose.
I've worked for free in the past, but I still feel stung by it... since I was left doing crappy donkey-work which wasn't related to what I'd been studying, even though the company was in that field.
It's worth it if you're getting real hands-on experience... but if you're making tea and coffee for people, it's just slave labour for a complete chancer... total exploitation.
An interviewer will ask what you've been doing during your internship at company x, so the name on the CV alone isn't worth a damn IMO.
(Unless you're willing to make suff up, in which case, why not just lie in the first place?)

Sorry to hijack the tread by the way, I just wanted to say it's quite popular to have people work for nothing just to get a few projects under their belts... so it's not as off-the-wall as it seems.
And if you aren't getting the experience you want, you can always walk

feylya

TBH, I'd love to apply for this but it's just not practical for me. But it's definately a good position for a young engineer and from all accounts, Creamy Sonic is a great studio.

Gordon

If it's anything like my runner/assistant engineering in Windmill the hours are unbelievably long but the experience is great. Mind you I was paid then, 100 irish punts a month I think it was.

Do they at least get free tea/coffee/toasties and catering paid for by the bands?!

nesf

Working for free is not a bad idea actually. If you can afford it, it's a way to get experience at a level you're not qualified for officially. For anyone looking to break into the industry this seems like a very good opportunity imho.

I did it in college as an undergrad researcher. Little to no money but the experience was very benificial. Even got my name on a few papers as a co-author.

It's all about the credits. Get credited on a good paper and it can make an academic CV. Also you get a good reference from whoever you work for. Worth paying for tbh.

I suspect it's similar in sound engineering.

Jeanious

just out of interest, where are yas based exactly?
What dya mean by "long hours"?
And how long-term would it be?

Creamy Sonic

The studio is near Dunnes (georges and exchequer). Long hours might mean only one day a week. Sessions can (and most do) go past 2 in the morning. I don't want someone to leave mid-way through a session, unless that has been pre-scheduled and there is someone to releive. I don't really have a specific term for the internship. I am really hoping to be able to train people to the level where they can bring bands in and work their own sessions. The more time you put in the more you will get out and the quicker you will move on.

Bosskitty

Creamy Sonic wrote:

Looking for a studio assistant for Dublin commercial recording studio www.creamysonicstudios.com
experience or schooling is helpful but not necessary. Mainly looking for someone with a good work ethic who is willing to work long hours. This is an un-paid position.
Peter

Sign me up!!
I was speakin to Roger at the weekend & askd him if you were lookin for anyone (this was before i'd noticed this thread)- he gave me your number & i tried to call you last nite!!
I can pm you with any details you need!?!

Aido

Creamy Sonic

Sounds good. The best thing to do would be leave a message or send a text. I can meet you on Thrus at half 5 if you are available.

Peter

TheStrandRoads

Hi all,

I PM'd Creamy Sonic about the unpaid 'Tape-op / Studio Assistant' position about two weeks ago. I was very keen to get some practical studio experience to build up my resumé. I ended up assisting one session in there with one of his engineers, who was a sound chap, and was easy to work with.

After that session, I received a text from the engineer asking if I could assist a couple of sessions over this week. I replied and said I could do Wednesday & Thursday. He then requested me to contact Mr.Creamy Sonic himself to let him know - which I did. In my text to Mr.CS I asked what times the sessions were running for, for both of these days. He replied "6pm - 2am".

I texted him back asking would he mind me leaving around 10:30pm so I could catch the DART home. But I heard nothing back until 2hrs before I was due in on the Wednesday - and his reply was "Sorry for the late reply. See you at 6". During this time of hearing nothing (which was over 24hrs) I assumed that he had someone else coming in for the session. Unfortunately, I couldn't do Wednesday's session at that late stage, so I replied to inform him of that fact. I had also said that I was still free to do Thursday's session.

To this, he simply replied "Don't bother". And I have heard nothing since.

I just wanted to let you all know about his unprofessionalism in this case. If he didn't want/need me anymore, he could've been more adult about it. Another thing I found strange was when I was leaving the studio after our first meet. He gave me the quick rundown of everything and then at the end said "and ye know, don't be an asshole". One might think that a very strange piece of advice to give - but I just assumed maybe he was fu*ked over in the past – so thought nothing of it at the time.

Anyway, for those of you wishing to do the Tape OP Position, by all means try not to let what I've said put you off, as the engineer I was working with was a very nice chap.

It's just a shame Mr. Creamy Sonic himself was unable to take heed of his own advice.

Lump

...... My point is made...

John

Creamy Sonic

You even canceled our first (interview) appointment and rescheduled. I offered 6 days of work to you and you came back to me and said you were only able to do 2 half days. When I finally was able to reply to you, you had scheduled something else and that you could only do one of the half days. 4.5 hours out of a total of 60. and left me having to scramble to get someone else in to replace you at the last minute. That is not reliable and you are not going to get any benefit out of the studio working a couple hours here and there. So yes, Don't bother. Don't waste your time and don't waste mine. Mean while I have people who are actually interested in doing this job. They show up early and leave late and appreciate being there. So who am I going to call the guy who is rarely available and can not even work a full session or the guy who bailed me out when you didn't make good on your committment?

TheStrandRoads

Creamy Sonic wrote:

You even canceled our first (interview) appointment and rescheduled. I offered 6 days of work to you and you came back to me and said you were only able to do 2 half days. When I finally was able to reply to you, you had scheduled something else and that you could only do one of the half days. 4.5 hours out of a total of 60. and left me having to scramble to get someone else in to replace you at the last minute. That is not reliable and you are not going to get any benefit out of the studio working a couple hours here and there. So yes, Don't bother. Don't waste your time and don't waste mine. Mean while I have people who are actually interested in doing this job. They show up early and leave late and appreciate being there. So who am I going to call the guy who is rarely available and can not even work a full session or the guy who bailed me out when you didn't make good on your committment?

I find it hard to believe you had to scramble to get someone else in to replace me at the last minute, considering you've got so many people lined up for the position you're offering. I came to you in good faith, yet when I could not fit perfectly into your schedule, you threw me away like a peice of trash. And might I ad, I was always upfront about what dates I was available for. I can't be expected to wait around until you click your fingers - my time is actually worth something.

You weren't at all polite about it. "Don't bother" was all you could muster. You need to be more respectful.

You came on here making it sound like you were doing us all a favour, when in fact, whoever chose to partake in your offer was doing you one.

kazzer

When I finally was able to reply to you

Was it really that hard to send the guy a text message :rolleyes: You are not professional, and yet you want someone professional. Remember he was working for you for free afterall.

eth0_

tbh although CreamySonic was blunt in his text, I think the StrandRoads is the unprofessional one. Being a "Pro Tools operator" he is obviously pretty au-fait with studio setups and to expect to leave at 10.30pm when most studio sessions run far later than midnight is taking the piss.

I'd love experience doing this sort of work only I have to stay in my job til the end of December to get my redundancy money I would have applied

WhiteWashMan

Lump wrote:

...... My point is made...

John

one persons bad experience does not make everything rubbish.

try to be more useful.

if you dont have anything useful to say about it (and you havent so far), then dont bother posting.

WhiteWashMan

TheStrandRoads wrote:

I find it hard to believe you had to scramble to get someone else in to replace me at the last minute, considering you've got so many people lined up for the position you're offering. I came to you in good faith, yet when I could not fit perfectly into your schedule, you threw me away like a peice of trash. And might I ad, I was always upfront about what dates I was available for. I can't be expected to wait around until you click your fingers - my time is actually worth something.

You weren't at all polite about it. "Don't bother" was all you could muster. You need to be more respectful.

You came on here making it sound like you were doing us all a favour, when in fact, whoever chose to partake in your offer was doing you one.

i have no problem with either of you people having a disagreement about whatever, and i have no problem in you giving your opinion of either this position or the person, having been directly involved.

but what i would say is that you should try and give all the information at the start.

from the learning more about the situation, it looks as if you half committed to do some work. and why would you take on something like that if you know you are going to leave every evening at 10:30 to get home?
to be honest, im with etho on this one. i think youve shown an unacceptable level of committment, and when you get turfed out because someone doesnt need to be messed around, you have decided to wage your own personal vendetta against them.

thats not professional. if mistakes happen, then they happen. you work them, you dont raise a finger and blame someone else.

learn it, move on, youve had your say on this topic, let someone else who is more determined get this job and do something with themselves.

eth0_

I just noticed from the link on his sig he only lives in Sandymount - you could probably walk home from Georges St in about 40 mins!

magpie

If I was 15 years younger I'd be on this like a shot. All the studio greats started off working crazy hours for free, mass-producing tea and learning as much as they could on the job. As long as CreamySonic is getting some halfway decent bands going through its doors then this is a good opportunity waiting for the right person.

DublinWriter

magpie wrote:

If I was 15 years younger I'd be on this like a shot.

Me too. I wanted to do the STS course when after I finished my leaving, but the folks couldn't afford it. I used to spend a lot of time fiddling with a Tascam 424 recording demos for local bands.

I still play with a few bands and I'm trying to mentally justify getting a Pro-Tools setup. Maybe one day.

magpie

I used to spend a lot of time fiddling with a Tascam 424 recording demos

Snap!