How did you get into the field and did you have console training prior to working in the industry?? I'm about to graduate with a bachelors of business but I'm all fukked because my real passion is this muersic shyt... Please share your career progression and how you went about it or any advice you would have for young breh tryna make it.
We have a similar career path, I graduated with the same degree you have (I majored in Computer Information Systems, on the business side).
The way I ended up as an audio engineer is as follows:
I am a music producer, it's a huge hobby of mine, I eventually started my own business from it. Selling beats to artists, etc.
So naturally I went to many music recording studios to collab in person with other artists and producers.
While I was in college I was looking for internships. It so happened that one of the studios I went to needed an IT intern, so they reached out to me about interning for them. I did it as I needed the experience for my career field. While I was interning there, they saw my music ability (as a music producer), so they trained me as an audio engineer. I already had a basic understanding about mixing and recording vocals. But they gave me an extensive training, how to properly mix using specific plugins in Pro Tools, various techniques, how to properly record vocals, adjust levels, etc. (I had no prior training before, nor have I used console mixers before, other than music production equipment).
I've been with them for about a year now, but they've trained me to the point where I now handle many vocal recording sessions for the studio. I'm no longer an intern there, they hired me as an audio engineer.
While I do have a bachelors degree, and I can make more money getting a job in my actual career field, I have a huge passion for music and I want to keep engineering for a while. I don't want to be working doing something I hate, and the money right now doesn't matter because I dont have huge expenses. I actually love what I'm doing at the studio, its fun and the whole music creation process is great.
I'm actually in the process of building my own music studio and operating out of there.
My advice for you is to look for internships at music recording studios. I will be honest with you tho, most internships at a studio are really just "clean-up"/janitorial work/client services and they are unpaid. I did it too, but I stayed with them because I needed my IT experience.
Eventually as you go up the ranks as an intern, you handle session prep, which is assisting the engineer during a session: setting up the mic, making sure there is signal, setting up pro tools, importing the instrumental for the artist, putting the beat on grid, setting up auto-tune, etc. Then the engineer takes over for the session.
Then if they really want you to succeed, they let you sit in sessions to take notes, and eventually train you to engineer.
Most people who intern at studios have no college education so you are ahead of the curve, you should consider getting an internship as a "Music Business" intern at studios. This way you can do something related to your degree, and at the same time get your foot in the door of a studio.
You should also consider going to a school like IAR, SAE, CRAS, or Full Sail to get training as an audio engineer. They teach you everything.
As I've said I've had no previous engineering experience, and I didn't go to school for music.
Here are some examples of my engineering work from the studio I work for (I am based in NYC):
Feel free to ask me anything
