Questions regarding internship

[nukmusic]

I always tell folks in college to start looking for employment long before they finish. Even if it means taking any decent job available with a company they like. Once you graduate, you can transfer to another position. You can do more/get more opportunities from within...most of the time.

In your particular case...

searching now will help you learn what studios are looking for, even if you don't get selected. You can even try being a runner. Also, try to buy your own gear just to get some practice at home, on your on time. Every little thing helps.

good luck

[Funk Dracula]

Interning at a Facility traditionaly means your the one fetching me an iced hazzlenut coffee in the afternoon from Atomix Coffee after my double-fisted redbull breakfast wares off.

This isn't the type of industry that hires someone out of college based on their degree, especially three months out of college. If you want that kind of stability, dive further into electrical engineering and get a job at Boeing or Motorola.

There isn't anything but years of experience that is gonna qualify you to actually make money in this sector. It takes years to establish yourself as someone of desire to hire in the client base.

You owe it to yourself to see this job for what it really is. Take an internship. Work 12 hours a day for free. Make your connections. Take all of your observations and make your senoir year at college course decisions accordingly.

[jitterybit]

Or work your ass off at a real job now and pay cash for your school so that when you do work 12 hours a day for free after you graduate your student loans won't be killing you.

[sonicjosh]

I'm doing an internship in Canada, right now unpaid, its been about 6 months since I graduated. I'm glad I went though my entire program and learned as much as i could of learned. Within the first month, they expected me to know pro tools in and out so I'm glad they drilled it to us at school. I've been there about 2 months and I'm already handling sessions/clients on my own. Thats extremely rare i would assume because no one else who i graduated with is working in a recording studio. However i am unpaid and they will most likely drop me once I'm done which is fine because I'm there to get experience and to feel confident for when I go off on my own. My first initial reaction to working in a studio, is how much you're in front of pro tools or whatever software. I mean, I get to get tones with nice pres and such, but once thats done its all in the box.

[CharlieSFS]

Actually, I do own my own gear and have recorded a few different people through it. I needed to teach myself protools because are school studio is all analog. We're getting a pro tools studio next year though but in the case of getting an internship I didn't want to waste time. I'm currently running a Digi002, an M-Audio Octane through a Macbook and I have some outboard compressors and gates all wired into a patchbay. I record people anytime I'm on break from school and I engineer for a lot of different people down in are school studio so I'm getting lots of hands on time.

So now on top of the original question, is there anything else that I can be doing to prepare myself for the internship if I get it. I really appreciate all of the help everyone!

[CharlieSFS]

Also, I apologize for not knowing how long internships generally last. I haven't talked to many people who have done them so thank you for bringing that to my attention as well.

[cajonezzz]

Originally Posted by CharlieSFS

So now on top of the original question, is there anything else that I can be doing to prepare myself for the internship if I get it. I really appreciate all of the help everyone!

yes, basic tech skills are mandatory. Fixing cables, troubleshooting etc. Most other stuff can be learned on the job.


what do you need to know? Are you asking what will be required of you? Lot's of intern threads here and on say... tape op.

I'll be happy to give you the rundown in very honest terms if you wanna give me a shout. I promise i won't paint a rosy picture, but it will be fair.

we're starting to interview interns for the 08 year. good ones are next to impossible to find.

[CharlieSFS]

I'm doing a workshop at one of the studios this winter so that will give me a good "in" there and I've seen the application for the job and I have those skills down pretty well. More soldering practice would be nice. However I want to prepare myself as much as possible so by all means, if you want to post a description, that would be great. If you don't want to post, I can contact you another way.

[Jay Kahrs]

Originally Posted by cajonezzz

yes, basic tech skills are mandatory. Fixing cables, troubleshooting etc. Most other stuff can be learned on the job.

Indeed.

No matter what you'll end up interning somewhere.

Question is... when?

I dropped out of school after my first year (going for a bachelors in production) when I found an internship at a great studio making real records... the head of the department at my school helped me to land it... but still...

I saw people graduating with 3.4's & a four year degree and nobody wanted to hire them... said they had to intern before a gig paying even $6 an hour would appear.

That was in the early '90s.

The industry has only gotten 'rougher' since then...

[CharlieSFS]

I'm getting a degree mostly for my own piece of mind. I figure that since I might need a second job for awhile while I get my feet wet in the recording field, I might as well have a well paying one and thats more attainable with a degree. I'm getting my bachelors in Music Business so my options are pretty open. I'm already this far into college and when I get out I'm still only going to be 22 so I think its worth my time to finish off and give myself some sort of safety net.

[Grizzly]

My advice based on my experince would be to go work in a decent studio with a skilled engineer as soon and as often as you can, you'll learn many more things and way much faster than what you can learn at any school (although courses are usually a good and useful complement)... Needless to say that the "real thing" is way more exciting that the more than often boring school hours...

If you're lucky enough to find a nice and helpful studio owner / enginner, you'll be in heaven, really - OTOH, stay away from those bastards (even the famous ones, believe me !) who'll treat you like their slave for as long as you'll take it !...

Good luck !

Olivier.

[Jules]

Originally Posted by CharlieSFS

So now on top of the original question, is there anything else that I can be doing to prepare myself for the internship if I get it. I really appreciate all of the help everyone!

Do a search on the subject there are LOTS of threads about it, try also searching the TAG's for "internship"

The biggest downfall of interns in attitude, studio staff will test that - CONSTANTLY during an internship and through any 'trial periods' and even for the the first few years of actual emplyment.

REASON? - The whole issue about training someone is seeing if they are WORTH training first. So for example if someone is trying to teach a new intern something about how that particular studio does things, and the intern keeps interrupting by saying 'obviously' or 'sure, sure', and "of course!" all the time (like they aren't listening and are desperate to show that they know it all) then the person trying to teach them is going to think (Oh oh, yet another smart ass know it all, this is going to be a total drag showing this person stuff)

So if you find yourself always giving "I know that already" back chat to the studio staff - you wont be popular. Understand that the HAVE to tell you how they do things at THEIR studio - and some of it you WONT know.

Be cool...

So many interns are "yeah I know that already" robots - its REALLY f***king annoying... It is so common that it must be some sort of an age thing, like if you show a 19-22 year old something they perhaps already know - 99% of them will roll their eyes and indicate how bored they are being told it again and come out with some annoying response / backchat.

TO-KEEP-A-JOB-IN-A-STUDIO - DONT BE LIKE 99% of 19-22 year olds - be COOLER

LISTEN TO THE PEOPLE SHOWING YOU STUFF - YOU WONT KNOW ABSOLUTELY ALL OF IT - OK?

[narcoman]

indeed - my studio assistants are both in their 30's. But they're well paid!!

[nukmusic]

Originally Posted by CharlieSFS

I'm getting a degree mostly for my own piece of mind. I figure that since I might need a second job for awhile while I get my feet wet in the recording field, I might as well have a well paying one and thats more attainable with a degree. I'm getting my bachelors in Music Business so my options are pretty open. I'm already this far into college and when I get out I'm still only going to be 22 so I think its worth my time to finish off and give myself some sort of safety net.

you're on the right road. This business has its ups and downs for everyone in it. So have a backup plan just in case you get tired of the ups and downs. And you might wanna start researching engineer salaries to see if it will be good enough for you.

and as Grizzly mentioned... Try not to get stuck with an asshole for an engineer. Some of them have it set in the minds that they need to walk all over interns and talk to them any kinda way.

[CharlieSFS]

I've done some reading on engineer salaries and I'm fine with it no matter which end of the spectrum I'm on. I know that this is an area where people usually pay dues for a very long time before they see any real success but its what I want to do.

Does anyone else have any advice, whether it be for the first thing I posted or based on what anyone else has posted? It seems like the overall answer seems to be, get into an internship as soon as possible.

[Sigma]

i posted this before THE ONLY THING THAT MAKES ONE AN ENGINEER IS CLIENTS!

go to venues that have local acts playing and get to know the local musicians..if they are recording at a local place ask if you cancome and check it out ..

stop by the local studios and ask for a tour..check out each facility, how it is maintained, the vibe of the people working there and the quality of their work then pick the ones you feel the most comfortable with and ask for an internship

[dokushoka]

Originally Posted by cajonezzz

we're starting to interview interns for the 08 year. good ones are next to impossible to find.

As someone who worked for the facility which I assume you're hiring for, I can say that you're not going to get ANYONE who is worth anything to work out in the middle of nowhere for free. Sure, I sold nearly everything I owned and moved my entire life there and left behind a business which was doing well to work there, but instead of getting the pay I was offered and being a partner, I got less than half that and no partnership. I'm sure you'd have less trouble getting qualified people if you guys paid them for their time. Touching microphones just isn't that cool.

[cajonezzz]

Originally Posted by dokushoka

As someone who worked for the facility which I assume you're hiring for, I can say that you're not going to get ANYONE who is worth anything to work out in the middle of nowhere for free. Sure, I sold nearly everything I owned and moved my entire life there and left behind a business which was doing well to work there, but instead of getting the pay I was offered and being a partner, I got less than half that and no partnership. I'm sure you'd have less trouble getting qualified people if you guys paid them for their time. Touching microphones just isn't that cool.

Collin--

Feel free to PM me to vent if need be ( not that I'm the party this comment is aimed at) and I'd be happy to discuss it, from my bystanders perspective.

otherwise, show some class, and don't be a crybaby here in public. I didn't hire you, and you have NO IDEA what my history is. Show some respect, and you'll get it.

now, as far as interns.... Over the last 7 years I've taken young guys into multiple rooms i've worked out of, and a few have done very well, making solid livings either touring as FOH AE's , or recording AE's.

Pay: Dosen't happen. but I've been always aware it's tough, and made an effort to help kids where needed, out of my pocket. Otherwise, it's incumbent upon them to have the resources to float themselves during their internship. Bummer, but the way it is. We have no need for a paid "runner" position, being that we're "in the middle of nowhere" and all.

[musicmind11]

do the internship now... will put you ahead of your classmates and you can really network better too.

[CharlieSFS]

Well, this seems to have wrapped up so thanks everyone for your help!