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Becoming a sound engineer?

amphlett7

amphlett7

Feb 27, 2008
708
501
Western Australia
www.facebook.com
#1
I was wondering what are the requirements to become a sound engineer/audio technician.

ive been interested in the music industry for a job
and have been thinking that id like to be a part in live music and recording

it combines to of my favourite things, computers and music.

i was wondering if anyone here had any information for me
or a website or forum witht the info

thanks in advance

Josh
 
#5
amphlett7 said:
I was wondering what are the requirements to become a sound engineer/audion technician.

ive been interested in the music industry for a job
and have been thinking that id like to be a part in live music and recording

it combines to of my favourite things, computers and music.

i was wondering if anyone here had any information for me
or a website or forum witht the info

thanks in advance

Josh
Click to expand...

Becoming a qualified sound engineer is pretty straightforward. Getting a job as a sound engineer is a bit more difficult.
 
#6
Bare minimum requirement: not putting an "n" on the end of the word audio....;)

Only kidding......

I went through recording engineering school back in the 80's. After trying in vain to generate any steady work in the local studios, I took a job as a lowly stage hand at a local venue here in Fort Worth called Billy Bob's. After a while I took over as monitor engineer and later FOH engineer. I was there for almost 5 years and did over 1000 shows. It was a great experience, decent money, and a ton of fun. But it was also a totally unique situation. Very few cities have a place like Billy Bob's. The ability to work with pro gear, national acts, big staging, lights, etc. and not have to get on a bus at the end of the night is almost unheard of. Here's a link:

Invalid Link Removed

It's not quite what it was back in the day, but it's still a really cool place to do live sound. I've still got several buddies that are on staff there.

If there is a place like this close to you, see if you can get on as a stagehand. It's a good way to learn the craft more organically. From the inside out, as it were.....
 
#10
amphlett7 said:
In all honesty
That kinda thing would bore me

id rather do something involved with music
Im not bothered about how hard it is to get a job
Click to expand...

you can go to law school or medical school with a music degree. In fact, I could see some advantages if you went to a good school, becasue, like degrees in the Classics, Philosophy, and Physics, music requires deep thinking and an analytical mind.
 
#12
Benjamin Strange said:
You will be... you will be.

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Click to expand...

Giggle.

Josh......... By all means do something in music if that's your bag. Reality will take care of the 2nd part of your career for you. I made good money in my house gig at Billy Bob's. What I didn't know was I was making good "single guy with no bills" money.

"Married guy with 2 kids" money is a different matter all together.
 
#13
There's more to being able to make a living than even just managing to get a decent paycheck - benefits like long term savings programs and health insurance are so, so important. Even if you can eke out a living at a studio (of which there are more and more of as recording is becoming both cheap and easy - everybody and their brother owns a "studio" now), long-term it is certainly not as lucrative as it once was. Technology marches on!
 
#14
SuperDuck said:
There's more to being able to make a living than even just managing to get a decent paycheck - benefits like long term savings programs and health insurance are so, so important. Even if you can eke out a living at a studio (of which there are more and more of as recording is becoming both cheap and easy - everybody and their brother owns a "studio" now), long-term it is certainly not as lucrative as it once was. Technology marches on!
Click to expand...

Correction: there are more and more HOME studios, and less and less COMMERCIAL studios. The cheaper recording technology has become, the less profitable most commercial studios have become. Many major sound studios have closed. Couple that with the fact that the entire music industry is collapsing, and the fact that most people don't care about audio quality anymore (mp3 being the preferred format, played through tiny little earbuds or small computer speakers) - the days of the audio engineer are over.

Seriously, if you are wanting to make money in the audio engineering world, you are wasting your time. It's a dying industry.
 
#15
The number one thing is a good ear.

Sound engineering (and mixing and producing) is driven by talent. There are some people who can very quickly learn how to record stuff with little formal training. There are some who can use the best gear and get poor results.

Long ago in the late 80s early 90s when my hair band got some funding to to a major studio project (analog 24 track 2" Studer - those were the days), our guitar player was incredibly fascinated by the recording process. Witnessing his epiphany was really cool, like watching something click in him. Now many years later he's worked with some of the biggest names in the business and has a wall full of gold and platinum records. His secret? An incredibly good natural ear.
 
#16
Ironically, over the past couple decades the recording side of audio has become much bigger but also a lot more decentralized. Live sound has also gotten bigger but in many ways more centralized.

It's a tough business to break into, but it can be really enjoyable if you're good at it. In addition to perfecting your craft, you have to get out and learn. Learn about music. Learn about electronics. Learn about acoustics and hearing and psychoacoustics. Learn about the business. Learn about the people in the business. Get to know people.

Since you're in Oz, you should contact local audio people there and learn about what they do, what needs to be done, and where you can get in by doing what needs doing. I suggest that you go to Invalid Link Removed and contact David Murphy. He's in the Adelaide area, a little far from you, but he's a regional VP in the Audio Engineering Society. He could probably put you in touch with whatever might be going on in WA and also give you some advice on how to get your career going.
 
#17
With all of what's been said so far in the thread, I will throw in that it's never a bad idea to become an actual engineer (mechanical, or in this case electrical), as you will gain skills that you can not only apply to audio, but also a wealth of other markets.
 
#19
amphlett7 said:
hahahahahaha
Now thats a classic quote

but seriously, is it really that hard
I just want to get into a job in music
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It is EXTREMELY hard.

I personally have a friend who worked at the Hit Factory in New York, engineering hits for Whitney Houston, Puff Daddy, and others; he also worked at Nothing Studios in New Orleans for Nine Inch Nails. He got out of the industry completely, because the entire bottom fell out of the industry. He's told me of some of his fellow sound engineers have actually started delivering pizzas instead. There's almost no money in it anymore, and when there is it's only for super big artists, and when it's a super big artist, the record company tells you exactly what they want the artist to sound like (which is to sound just like everybody else). There's no creativity allowed at that level.

I'm telling you man - engineer all you want, but don't waste your time thinking you're going to make much of a living at it.
 
#20
Benjamin Strange said:
Here's my advice: If you want a job as a professional sound engineer, forget about it. Go to medical or law school instead. Seriously.
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This is simply not good advise. I've been a professional sound engineer for several years. The training and job-tracking took less time than medical or law school. :smug:

There are, however, different types of sound engineers. You are probably referring to a large venue live sound engineer. Or, maybe you're interested in being a studio engineer. I am a commercial sound engineer. We design all sizes of permanent audio, video, and lighting systems. Most of our clients are houses of worship, schools, and large industries. It's not as glamorous as playing with 20,000+ watts at an arena, but it is fun and demands quite a bit of attention to system design and acoustics. Plus, I only had to go to school for two years! :)
 

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