Getting started...

[DrewEpton]

Go easy on me guys, this is my first post but I’ve been learning from you slutz for some time now. I wrote this for Jules' How to make more $$$ as an intern collumn before realizing that post was closed. I hope it helps someone out there out. I think it would have been ideal to have read this from the get-go. I would love to get some comments. I’m heading out to California next week for my first trip to the west coast and my first NAMM show. (Very exciting for a Georgia boy.) It would be great to make a few contacts.

Well I’m sure that there are the fortunate ones out there who might make a little $$$ doing the intern stuff but I’m not one of them. However I do have some advise if you are willing to take it from a still rather green 24 year old. I went to one of the recording schools and got my “foundation” but looking back I think I would have been wiser to invest that money in a system. Here’s why…
I believe if you can get into a studio as an intern, do it. I paid good money to a company that set me up with a local studio and in my own opinion, it was money well spent. First of all, they set me up in a studio with an engineer who was very patient and willing to let me know what he was doing. He was even given somewhat of a curriculum. (Hired by me by way of the company who I paid because they were “in the know” and “knew some people”. I guess it is all about who you know.) I’m sure that some people could get lucky and find a great mentor on there own but I still think that expense was justified. I’ve seen engineers who need to work in isolation without a curious intern lounging around and I’m glad I didn’t wind up with one of these guys because I’d most likely still be trying to learn from someone who was just using me as a maid to keep their studio clean and as someone who will bring their meals and snacks to them. Luckily, this company set me up with someone who gave me a chance to show my determination and gave me a chance to gain their respect. I soon began working as an assistant with other interns working under me. This soon led to the chance to handle a few sessions on my own which led to me being hired on by the studio. Good times! (For what it’s worth, it took me less that a year.)
With all the books, magazines and online information available it is very easy to get a good idea what the process in the studio is. I learned the basics, starting learning the lingo and even did a good bit of history on my own way before I jumped in and it paid off BIG TIME. I think it’s very imperative to know when to be quiet, watch and listen. I took all that I learned on my own and watched it take place first hand a couple of times and quickly realized the process was relatively simple. Once you get the basics down it’s easy to become fairly valuable in the studio. I’ve worked on several projects as an intern and things usually go like this: first, the client comes in and greets the engineer. (Insert small talk here)…. “This is my intern Drew.” I smile, look them in the eye and offer my “nice to meet you” and a handshake. I am now the slave. “Can I get you anything?” But here’s my secret, I do not want to be told what to do, I want to KNOW what to do and get it done. It’s crucial to stay busy at this point because it’s here where you can gain a little respect from the client. If they realize that you can be useful for the session, they are less likely to use you to go to McDonalds. I try to keep the engineer in his chair and the client comfortable. Once things get going and the sessions are moving along AND I’ve established I have a pretty good idea what’s going on then I’ll have a seat in the control room (hopefully with a bit more clout than when we were introduced earlier). The control room is where you want to be because it’s there where things get tricky. In the control room you learn to use your toys and you learn to use your ears. I think this is where the “long” road actually begins.
Think about this, there is technology available now for less than five hundred dollars that just 20 years ago would only be available in studios who’d invested hundreds of thousands of dollars. You can be set up for about $1000 and have technologies at your fingertips AT YOUR HOME that only a lucky few had available just 10 years ago. I am able to use my computer to train my ears to better my craft and even “practice” with my toys. This was unheard of not too long ago. I get excited about things like that. I mean this is the way I see it, if you want to learn this stuff, you aren’t going to need a college degree or to spend thousands of dollars to get a good shot. If you want it, get to work. Know that the competition is fierce because of the low entry costs but hard work always pays off. Learn from the guys who have been doing this successfully for several years, the ones whose “ears” are consistently being refined in an ongoing quest to be better at what they do. I’ve noticed that several of these “ears” are still just as excited to be doing what they do as I am to learn more about how they do it (some of these guys have been doing this for decades). What a great job! What’s better is that many of these “kats” love it so much they are more than happy to have the opportunity to help along someone who shares their passion.
One last thing, try not to lend yourself to a particular favorite musical style and let the other guys waste there time deciding what type of music they are and aren’t going to like. Listen to it as art and learn how to make it sound good. I think that’s the idea. Best wishes!

Drew Epton