How to get a job working in a music studio

[fatman711]

Hey guys,
I want to work at a music studio doing something one day. What type of school would I have to go and what program would I need to apply for?

Can you do this type of stuff in University?


Also what kind of jobs are there within a music studio. Hard to find a job? Pay, etc? I'm the kind of person that hates office jobs.


Thanks!

[usc goose]

This is pure speculation but I would guess the best way to get a job working at a music studio is by meeting people until you can make friends with someone who works in a music studio. And after that, to trick that person into getting you a job.

I would also be interested if someone who actually knew better had a real answer though....

[fatman711]

it doesn't even have to be a music studio. Can be like in concerts or sport stadiums.

So basically behind the scenes work making sure the sounds are playing right, etc.

Or other jobs like making lousy singers sound good

[Joeywhat]

First of all, have fun finding a job at a recording studio. Those jobs are pretty much non-existent now. And the people that are getting them are either part of the family, or have a damn good degree. Since pretty much anyone with Pro Tools and a crappy computer can record now, it's been putting a lot of stress on the real studios. They get less business, so real engineers aren't in much demand. Live applications are different, should still be job oppurtunities there.

Lots of schools offer degrees in recording. My local community college offers an associates program in recording technology. Great for learning about the meat of the profession. Covers everything you need to know about recording. Then there are universities like UofM which offer sound engineering degrees. going for that means the same recording training as in shorter programs, but with a lot of math, physics and engineering thrown into the mix. A degree in that will open up a lot more oppurtunities for you, ranging from building hardware to being an engineer to sound theory.

As for pay...engineers don't make much money. Most the ones I've been in contact with end up taking teaching positions at a college. Two of my professors were professional engineers that owned their own studios. They were certainly not recording Metallica or Britney Spears, but they have dealt with some of the larger local bands. Hell, one of my professors has recording some HUGE names from the 80's. He shows us pictures of him hangin out with Dio and other greats in some studio (it was Master Control). That studio went out of business, so he had to start his own. With both incomes I know that he can live a comfortable life, but is by no means making a lot of money. You could support a family if you really tried. I wouldn't expect to make more then $100,000/year by just being an engineer/producer.

IMO, the real work would be in designing hardware. You could probably make bank if you were good at it.

Also, to get a job at a studio it helps to have a degree, or some prior knowledge or experience in the field. Chances are you'll be a runner for a while, so you probabyl won't be doing anything related to recording for during that time. You also won't be making good money. If you want to get right into it start up your own place.

[slowpogo]

I've talked to some successful sound engineers, or heard them talk. One was the guy who runs the Public Radio studio in Minneapolis, where Garrison Keiler records, and many albums, some recognizable, have been made (I'm sorry, I'm blanking on his name).

He did not sugarcoat it at all. He said it's a damn hard thing to get into, even harder to sustain yourself at. Basically, he said, if you're just looking to get into a vocation and say, "Hmm, being a recording engineer would be cool"--look elsewhere, it's not for you.

It's really the same advice that a musician gets. "Fun" may be a significant component of it, but that doesn't come without very, very hard work and sacrifice.

Not trying to burst your bubble, but this advice will inevitably get thrown at you.

But I think the job market is more open than people think. As long as your heart isn't set on working at someplace like Abbey Road, you have many options. Think about it; not only studio and live sound, but the film industry, commercials, news rooms, radio, etc. If you go to school, commit, and know what you're doing, a job of some sort can probably be found, though it may not be very glamorous and you might need more than one of them to be comfortable.

Also, like Joeywhat says, even if you get a job at one of these places, you might spend a significant amount of time just doing general work, and not what you went to school for. You might be the guy who gets asked to clean the bathroom or the fish tank, or run to Starbuck's, and so on. You gotta work your way up. A lot of the successful guys did just that, started at the very bottom and through "good old fashioned American hard work" or whatever you want to call it, climbed their way up the food chain.

[MrScary]

Originally Posted by fatman711

Hey guys,
I want to work at a music studio doing something one day. What type of school would I have to go and what program would I need to apply for?

Can you do this type of stuff in University?


Also what kind of jobs are there within a music studio. Hard to find a job? Pay, etc? I'm the kind of person that hates office jobs.


Thanks!

There are many jobs still out there for sound engineering. Get a degree, many can argue all they want but with a degree it seperates you from the common Joe Blow .. Why? Because getting a degree is not about knowing the most its about knowing how to find answers and quantify them into actual real world knowledge just a bit faster than some guy thats called Jean boy and can do amazing things on that mixer slider but the guy cant write a memo...
I wanted to go into sound engineering when I was in College was ready to go to Columbia College in Chicago and thank god my Mass communications teacher was a run down extra actor that played in movies eons ago.. He said "Don't do it you will have a life of pain" So I headed his advice and never looked back.. NOt a discouragement just my experience.

[mikeliao]

With the way studios are doing business, probably the job in highest demand is a lawyer. Specialize in contractual law or how to make individuals pay up!

Kinda kidding. Actually, lots of lawyers in the music business. Are you more interested in the recording/engineering side or marketing or biz development or talent or what? There's a lot of demand for experienced marketing people in the new media (network/internet) space.

Like the previous posters say, its not really about the degree. It helps, but experience is more valuable. How about starting as an intern at your local radio station or go work at your college station. Get some experience there and see where it lead you.

You can always work with local/community theaters or disco/club as a start.