So I Am Going It Alone!! No Studio Jobs!!

[raine@blackrock]

I have tried for the past two years to get studio work and zero nothing apart from one studio I briefly worked for in Sussex which closed due to tenancy issues.
The hunt for work is such a downer now that I feel totally rejected and given no chance. So now I am going to set up my own studio small initially but full of some of me lovely gear I have acquired over the years.
I feel its totally time to take matters into my own hands and I guess I am just going to have to self teach and learn by my mistakes.
I did train at IMW in London and what a load of toss that was!! There are so many schools and courses its ridiculous!!
Anyway rant over heres to my so to be studio..

[Goliath|Audio]

Best of luck. Seriously. You will need it. Just make sure you get it on paper that your clients pay you how much and when.

Cheers

[raine@blackrock]

Hi Goliath,

Yeah I know!! Thanks. It does make me wonder how so many mid range studios survive in the UK my thoughts are they don't. Uh Oh

[Birdi]

If you have got the right people skills and do good work you will be fine. Being a good person to work with counts for more than folks imagine. Getting referrals from clients and repeat business is a sure sign you are on the right track.

And keep your nerve...there are studios out there doing ok.

B

[LaChunkyStudio]

Originally Posted by raine@blackrock

I did train at IMW in London and what a load of toss that was!! There are so many schools and courses its ridiculous!!
Anyway rant over heres to my so to be studio..

Its interesting if you take a look at the back section of a magazine like Sound on Sound and note that there are pages and pages of adverts for audio engineering and music production courses and never, ever any adverts for jobs in recording studios. Going it on your own is the best way - be personable, professional and don't bullshit and you have half a chance.

[donsolo]

You have to remember, people like the IDEA of being an engineer.

I want to see a school advertise "Do you want to work 14 hours a day for chicken scratch?" "Do you want to have to endlessly network and never know where your next meal is coming from?"

These schools know that most people will wind up just being hobbyists (what an expensive hobby) but they bank on the fact that you think you'll make a living at it.

I went to Berklee, very renouned Engineering program (So I'm told, I've heard what comes out of that program...) and my buddy is $140k in debt for a degree that he doesn't ACTUALLY NEED TO DO THIS STUFF.

All of the engineering kids were coming to me to make their records while I was at Berklee...I majored in Contemporary Writing and Production....(Don't)

But they razzle dazzle you with promises of fame and fortune (implied, not express) and that you'll get to work on multi-platinum albums and hang out with Rick Ruben.

Instead, you wind up with a home studio recording John Smith, singer/songwriter extraodinaire! For some reason all of his songs have the same structure and basic tonal centers...turns out Mr. Smith went to Berklee for Songwriting!!!

So you finish making his little demo at $20/hr and guess what! His student loans have left him so broke he can't actually pay you...

[fooman]

Originally Posted by Birdi

If you have got the right people skills and do good work you will be fine. Being a good person to work with counts for more than folks imagine. Getting referrals from clients and repeat business is a sure sign you are on the right track.

And keep your nerve...there are studios out there doing ok.

B

Ain't that the truth! I have small local bands come in all the time who tell me they went to larger places around here that are run by guys with egos and demanded they record projects larger and more expensive than the band could afford. So they come to me, relax, get their tunes done up nice while hanging out, and leave smiling.

Recording is meant to be fun, don't let anyone dread coming into your studio!!

[raine@blackrock]

Some good comments. Recording should be fun and not taxing on the artists. I love nothing better than creating a great vibe for the bands. Its really important to me to get them creatively in the right place.

[fooman]

Aside from doing good work, let's put that as an obvious item, one of the most important things you can do is have a comfy space that artists can hang out and record in. I have a small space, but it's comfortable and clients can come and chill out while they record. I've heard how other places in town don't have much space to hang or how it's simply ugly. Nobody wants to play in an environment that they wouldn't normally be able to relax in.

If your space is nice, the studio sounds good, and you are personable, then clients will come back to you and also tell their friends who just put out their last batch of great tunes.

Just gotta go out there and get em!