Advice about the industry and mixing engineers (I need anwers please!)

[BalsamEtheridge]

Hi guys, I'm just now getting my equipment and I feel I've wasted a lot of time over the years smoking weed. I'm 22 now and I want to get into the industry and start getting my name out but I don't have an engineer to mix my music. I originally planned to save up from ages 22.5-24 for going to engineering school. From 24-25 will be spent in school and then finally at age 25 beginning to go out, do open mics, and get my name out etc. I feel this is too much time passed to begin at age 25. Theoretically it could still take a few years to build a fanbase and 'blow up'.

Do you guys think I should skip engineering school and find a good mixing engineer?

I'm doing it indie, and I want my own label, so I feel it'd be nicer to take care of everything on the production end myself so I can produce myself and artists on my label.

I know a lot about the music buisness but not enought to understand weather I should (or even could) find a mixing engineer to mix my music or weather I should have it all in my own hands but start at age 25. I have to work from 22.5 to 24 to show the US my tax records to earn my citizenship, so I sort of can't cut that time out.

Any advice is sincerely appreciated, even if you're skimming the forum, drop a response.

Thank you,
Balsam Etheridge

[inlinenl]

stop smoking weed or you end up like jamsmith ... go to school ... get a job ... make music ... get a myspace .. get 100.000 plays ..... then you're okay ...
I was 22 ..... I stopped smoking weed when I was 24 ....

[Paul Gold]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

I was 22 ..... I stopped smoking weed when I was 24 ....

If I lived in the Netherlands I'd probably forgo weed for hash too.

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by BalsamEtheridge

Hi guys, I'm just now getting my equipment and I feel I've wasted a lot of time over the years smoking weed. I'm 22 now and I want to get into the industry and start getting my name out but I don't have an engineer to mix my music. I originally planned to save up from ages 22.5-24 for going to engineering school. From 24-25 will be spent in school and then finally at age 25 beginning to go out, do open mics, and get my name out etc. I feel this is too much time passed to begin at age 25. Theoretically it could still take a few years to build a fanbase and 'blow up'.

Do you guys think I should skip engineering school and find a good mixing engineer?

I'm doing it indie, and I want my own label, so I feel it'd be nicer to take care of everything on the production end myself so I can produce myself and artists on my label.

I know a lot about the music buisness but not enought to understand weather I should (or even could) find a mixing engineer to mix my music or weather I should have it all in my own hands but start at age 25. I have to work from 22.5 to 24 to show the US my tax records to earn my citizenship, so I sort of can't cut that time out.

Any advice is sincerely appreciated, even if you're skimming the forum, drop a response.

Thank you,
Balsam Etheridge

begin at 25?

heck man - ive had three deal in my life - the first at 27 (before that i played session for a lot of pop bands). The last deal i had i signed at 38 !!

25 - unless you want to be a boy band- is just getting started. As for mix engineers - notice that the YOUNG ones are in their late 30's!! Its an experience game....

[psycho_monkey]

Originally Posted by BalsamEtheridge

Hi guys, I'm just now getting my equipment and I feel I've wasted a lot of time over the years smoking weed. I'm 22 now and I want to get into the industry and start getting my name out but I don't have an engineer to mix my music. I originally planned to save up from ages 22.5-24 for going to engineering school. From 24-25 will be spent in school and then finally at age 25 beginning to go out, do open mics, and get my name out etc. I feel this is too much time passed to begin at age 25. Theoretically it could still take a few years to build a fanbase and 'blow up'.

Do you guys think I should skip engineering school and find a good mixing engineer?

I'm doing it indie, and I want my own label, so I feel it'd be nicer to take care of everything on the production end myself so I can produce myself and artists on my label.

I know a lot about the music buisness but not enought to understand weather I should (or even could) find a mixing engineer to mix my music or weather I should have it all in my own hands but start at age 25. I have to work from 22.5 to 24 to show the US my tax records to earn my citizenship, so I sort of can't cut that time out.

Any advice is sincerely appreciated, even if you're skimming the forum, drop a response.

Thank you,
Balsam Etheridge

Do you want to be an engineer or an artist? It sounds like an artist. In which case engineering school is a waste of time and money, unless you want to work on other people's music.

So find an engineer and/or producer to work with. It's much easier to leave the technical side to someone else and concentrate on the music. I do both too (with the emphasis on the engineering) but it's much more fun when playing to let someone else handle the knobs and buttons.

Narcoman is right - 25 isn't old apart from manufactured pop, but years training to be an engineer if you just want to work on your own music is time and money wasted.

You want your own label...you want to be the artist...AND you're thinking about being the recording and mix engineer. Music's actually much more fun if you have some buddies to hang with, bounce ideas off and work together with! Those who do EVERYTHING themselves with no outside opinions, unless they genuinely are geniuses, tend to make music for only one person - themselves.