Poor, naive college student and his story.

[hepcat]

Hey guys – I just wanted to start out by saying I love this forum. I feel like I spend hours a day reading through the various topics discussed and usually find them to be very informative. Kudos!

Anyways, I wanted to tell my story…and see if anyone has any advice or can relate to the situation I am in. I am about to turn 21, and I am a third year Music Technology Major at UNC-Asheville in beautiful North Carolina! Since I was about 15 when I started my first band, I’ve been recording music. It all started with recording with the “Sound Recorder” program that comes standard on all Windows OS. Recorded with the tiny stock microphone the computer comes with, me and my bandmates tracked a few of our songs by recording one instrument while playing a previously recorded track over it. These are my humble beginnings as a sound tech.

Anyways, my senior year of high school, I purchased the Mbox2 Factory with Pro Tools 6.8.1. This was when my first real interest in audio technology began. At first, since I didn’t have any kind of microphone, I just used the little computer microphone to recorded what I wanted, then imported the .wav file in an attempt to learn how to mix. I made some grotesque errors, of course, but it was all a learning experience. Not long after, I purchased a Groove Tubes GT55 large diaphragm condenser mic. As time went on and I got better and better at tracking and mixing, I became more interested in making this my career. Being from North Carolina I decided to stay in state and save a bunch of money by going to UNCA’s Music Tech program.

Long story short…I’m getting ready to graduate in about a year. I’ve learned so much about live sound production and recording studio practicum that I feel just about ready to dive into the professional world…but at the same time, I also feel intimidated by the competitiveness of the field, and the overwhelming capitalistic undertones this industry prides itself on. What I mean by this is the ridiculous amount of brand worshipping and bias. Not to say that some brands don’t make better/worse equipment than others, because that’s undoubtedly true, but for as much as I love recording audio and music in general, I equally dislike how superficial this industry is. Maybe I am just young and naïve, but I feel like if you are a skilled tech, that, within reason, you can make anything sound good with whatever you’ve got. It shouldn’t make a difference if you are using Behringer or SSL. I mean it can be debated, but it’s just my opinion. Not that I don’t do my fair share of drooling over some sweet gear, I just wish I didn’t.

Mainly what I’m trying to get at here is how do you overcome this duality – a love for recording and music, but a distaste for the capitalistic masquerade that is the music industry?

[Perelandra05]

I would say:

1. Only pick projects or gigs you are excited about (This is not always the case when you've got bills to pay and so on and so forth). It will at least help you maintain a positive attitude.

2. Only work in locations you enjoy, whether studios or live venues. I live in Southern California and I have a great venue a few minutes from my house, however, they aren't booked solid anymore so I find myself traveling to LA, San Diego, San Bernadino, Orange County, and Riverside more frequently these days to find work. It's tough driving long distances sometimes but you've got to do what you've got to do.

I would personally love to just be in the studio all the time, but it doesn't pay well so I work as a live audio engineer most of the time and take on projects that I like in the studio from time to time.

This industry is based on who you know so if you have zero network contacts you're going to work for very little and have to network your butt off to get ahead, despite how good you are.

At your age everyone will probably give you sh*t because they don't want to listen to somebody younger than themselves who may know more but is less experienced. In my experience I encountered this more often than not. I'm 26 now so I carry a bit more pull now, however, i've got tons of stories that either happened to me or a colleague of some touring engineer running his mouth because he wasn't listening to what we had to say.

On the flip side I've made friends with wonderful grammy winning audio engineers that have been so humble and free to discuss everything under the sun.

Good luck to you...

Peace,
Nick

[suedesound]

Have fun, don't expect to make any money for awhile and don't think about that stuff. It's interesting that I rarely think about the capitalist part of it all, but I don't have to deal with that. I work at a studio and a venue, I love to work with the nice gear at the studio I'm at but I don't own sh*t (sold most of my gear a year ago when I had no work coming in). We all drool over gear, but take what your given in whatever situation you're in and make it work, that's engineering. You're coming into engineering as a musician like I did (and probably most), don't let all the techy stuff get in the way of your joy of music (but make sure you know how to do the techy stuff so you don't screw up a great performance).

[joeq]

Originally Posted by hepcat

What I mean by this is the ridiculous amount of brand worshipping and bias.

Not to say that some brands don’t make better/worse equipment than others, because that’s undoubtedly true, but for as much as I love recording audio and music in general, I equally dislike how superficial this industry is

first of all, don't confuse the internet with the industry. Serious recordists are serious about their gear- as TOOLS, not as "brands".

It shouldn’t make a difference if you are using Behringer or SSL. I mean it can be debated, but it’s just my opinion.

What you claim as brand-blind integrity is just coming off as sour grapes. You have drawn your line too wide. Way too wide. It will be debated, and by the very people who might hire you to work in their studio.

sell your Fender guitar and buy a Dean. "It shouldn't make any difference".

Mainly what I’m trying to get at here is how do you overcome this duality – a love for recording and music, but a distaste for the capitalistic masquerade that is the music industry?

depends on if you want to eat or not, I suppose

You can get a Day Job that pays well and make music in your spare time. You would be selling out there too, but at least you would be selling out to someone who is not in that awful Music Industry.

You can make your non-capitalist music on Behringer gear and take it directly to the public on MySpace and Youtube. This is an option that did not exist for my generation. The downside is that there are a million other bands out there also trying to work this option. And if you succeed, it just means a lot of people will be downloading your record for free.

You could cultivate a lot of live gigs - but then you have to deal with scum-of-the-earth Club Owners, people who make record company execs look like Karl Marx.

There is no easy way out, no way to stay "pure" , just a series of compromises. Pick the ones that make you least uncomfortable, or have the best trade-off between time and money, and do as much of your Own Thing as you possibly can.

One other thing, if you can't overcome your distaste for the people you are going to be working with, at least try to keep it better hidden.

[suedesound]

Ha, I have to agree with most of what he said. There is a huge difference between Behringer and SSL and if you can't tell then you shouldn't be engineering. That said I have done some great recordings with an mbox and $300 studio projects mics. Again, you have to be able to work with what you're given (and make the artist comfortable, this might be the biggest part of engineering).

I do have to say that there are a few club owners that aren't sleaze bags, I didn't believe it until recently but the place I do live at now is great. BTW live and other things are a great way to make more dependable income while you get going in the studio. I work at an audio transfer/duplication shop and do live sound both a couple days a week. I know I can pay my bills off that and although the studio is more important to me I don't have to worry when I don't have any projects.

You're going to have to sell out to some extent unless you're indepindently wealthy, at least try to do it in your field if you can.

[hazelmossobrien]

Originally Posted by hepcat

Mainly what I’m trying to get at here is how do you overcome this duality – a love for recording and music, but a distaste for the capitalistic masquerade that is the music industry?

you don't.....well I didn't....I went to CRAS, and this is where i received my "formal" (bullshit) training, being around the instructors and staff I began to sense their bitterness. I then went to intern at The Cutting Room studios in NYC, where they have an SSL and all the goodies, it is a totally pro studio. I will never, EVER work in the "professional" audio recording industry after seeing it as an insider. It is no different then any other big business. Art checks itself at the door, and it all about kissing the customers ass and making money. I didn't even touch anything audio for 2 years after interning there i was so disgusted. I remember how much the head engineer clearly HATED his job. Im sure once upon a time he was bright and sparkling with creativity.... I later got into a band and rekindled the vibe that inspired me to go to that school in the first place. I now have a nice little home setup with some nice gear. i love recording, but I love doing it on a local level, with real people and real music. **** the mainstream industry, they are more then often miserable people who will ruin your love for recording music.

[Rick Sutton]

"a distaste for the capitalistic masquerade that is the music industry"

OK. Maybe you will show the world just how it's supposed to be done and we'll turn this cursed ghost ship around. Anything is possible.


Time will tell. I wish you a long and fruitful journey and hope you avoid the pitfalls of hubris.

[los marbles]

I really enjoy the ability to use quality gear when I record, as all of us here do...but I'll say this about gear:

I started out working with a guy in a very high end studio, 64 channel Neve in Room A, 24 channel SSL in the B room...and everything else under the sun.

I usd to think he was a "not bad" engineer who had the benefit of all the right gear...until one day he and I decided to go write some music in a remote location. We had an old Mac 6100, and copy of Logic, one AKG mic, and a converter made of bits and pieces from Radio Shack. We had a $100 acoustic, a decent electric, and a wonky bass. Boom box for monitors.

I listened in disbelief to the mixes he did on that gear. Completely radio ready, depth of field, exciting and completely translatable.

He just knew how to listen, and how to use what he had.

[Smithcok]

To make a living in this industry, you will need a bit (if not a lot) of the capitalist mentality. It can be cut throat, competitive, and down to the wire.

Also, two major things attract paying clients
- talent (and consequently reputation)
- gear
unfortunately not always in that order...

Not to say a talented guy with medium gear can't have a slew of clients, but I'm sure we've all seen dozens of clients coming into the studio for the first time asking "Where are the pro tools??"

While a good engineer can make bad gear sound pretty darn good, he/she needs great (or at least moderately great) gear to make it sound great. If it weren't that way, we'd all be on Eurodesks.
(Obviously not saying we all need prisms, C800s...etc to make a decent record)

[loopy]

Read the book "Hit Men" for another side of the music business and how screwed up it really is.

[TheRealRoach]

Originally Posted by hepcat

Mainly what I’m trying to get at here is how do you overcome this duality – a love for recording and music, but a distaste for the capitalistic masquerade that is the music industry?

The most important thing you can do as you enter the field, is to deliver final products that you will be able to keep in your portfolio for years to come. This can be hard with sub-par gear, but is doable. "...The carpenter, not the tools."

The more quality products you have in your portfolio, the less of the "capitalistic masquerading" you will have to do. The work will speak for itself. That is the bottom line.

[travisbrown]

Originally Posted by loopy

Read the book "Hit Men" for another side of the music business and how screwed up it really is.

"Hit Man" by David Foster? This is true. That dude knows a thing about the music industry. He measures his success by his talent, and his talent has been measured by money, and he's made music his business.

I was listening to an interview the other day (CBC Radio Q video podcast on iTunes if anyone's interested - good interview) where David Foster said that while he likes the music from Britney Spears and Gwen Stefani, he can't make it, and the result is that he's been sitting in the most profitable segment of the music industry: music for adults. Adults still pay for CDs so he still makes gobs of money.

[rackdude]

The industry isn't this superficial. This is just where all the superficial people live.