Michael, your post makes perfect sense. But don't forget you are in celebrity status. And people know you because of your work at the big studios with the big bands. In the case that big studio complexes where to close, and people start isolating themselves in their rooms. The intern, assistant , engineer "climb your way up" will stop. Everyone will be engineering directly, which is ok... and you can be a good engineer/producer in a few years, but the networking that occurs at these big studio complexes will be automatically canceled . I find it impossible for average Joe that isolates himself in a home studio, tu reach the level of excellence you have reached in your mixes/produccions without going through t the process of the "big studio" big budget production stage first. Just a thought
