First Full year as a full-time recording engineer, a report.

stereopathetic_banjo · Post by **stereopathetic_banjo** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:35 am

Hey Dennis! Thank you for the kind words. Hope all is well in your corner of the world(which is not far from my corner of the world...). We do definitely need to hang again soon. Shoot me a message sometime and we'll make it happen!

thethingwiththestuff · Post by **thethingwiththestuff** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 1:08 pm

It turns out that spending a little extra time working on my craft was all I needed to really stand out in a field of part-timers and folks that really couldn't commit to focusing on this path, even though it is scary to jeopardize your financial security and happiness.

wow, so well said!! i learned this lesson well this year, and you described it perfectly. Congrats.

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Sun Feb 07, 2010 10:46 pm

It crazy how life just throws you into situations like that. Lose your job and think your fucked, then you decide to take a chance and do something you love and it usually works out for the best! Being in void, that trasition period can be scary though, you just gotta trust yourself.

I'm in that situation right now, I am about to get my mixer fixed and a few other pieces of gear fixed and jump right in hardcore. I'm excited!

trodden · Post by **trodden** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 12:45 am

InvalidInk wrote:It crazy how life just throws you into situations like that. Lose your job and think your fucked, then you decide to take a chance and do something you love and it usually works out for the best! Being in void, that trasition period can be scary though, you just gotta trust yourself.

I'm in that situation right now, I am about to get my mixer fixed and a few other pieces of gear fixed and jump right in hardcore. I'm excited!

totally man.. It seems when things "get bad" i usually have more fun and learn new/more things.... but stability and set ways and courses bored the fuck out of me.. while making time go by really fast but slow..

nortstudio · Post by **nortstudio** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:25 am

So awesome to hear when people "go for it" and it works. Congratulations!

I often tell the interns we have working at my studio that they all have the ability to "do it," but that it takes a bit more elbow grease than they may have been told in the various programs they attended. I am sending them all over to this post for some affirmation.

You are certainly a perfect example of dedication can trump getting stuck in a place you would rather not be.

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 1:43 pm

trodden wrote:
InvalidInk wrote:It crazy how life just throws you into situations like that. Lose your job and think your fucked, then you decide to take a chance and do something you love and it usually works out for the best! Being in void, that trasition period can be scary though, you just gotta trust yourself.

I'm in that situation right now, I am about to get my mixer fixed and a few other pieces of gear fixed and jump right in hardcore. I'm excited!
totally man.. It seems when things "get bad" i usually have more fun and learn new/more things.... but stability and set ways and courses bored the fuck out of me.. while making time go by really fast but slow..

Stability ain't for musicians, thats for sure.

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 1:53 pm

InvalidInk wrote:Lose your job and think your fucked, then you decide to take a chance and do something you love and it usually works out for the best! !

i'm hoping this is true! i lost my part time day gig in november...rather than look for another crappy job i decided to just use the time to build a nice new studio. and doing it all yourself takes forever, i can't imagine how i'd have gotten anything done if i still had the day job...

trodden · Post by **trodden** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 7:11 pm

MoreSpaceEcho wrote:
InvalidInk wrote:Lose your job and think your fucked, then you decide to take a chance and do something you love and it usually works out for the best! !
i'm hoping this is true! i lost my part time day gig in november...rather than look for another crappy job i decided to just use the time to build a nice new studio. and doing it all yourself takes forever, i can't imagine how i'd have gotten anything done if i still had the day job...

ahahahah yep.. i've been in this building since November... and I' just now working on my iso booth... FUCK! but i guess we did have a lot of work to do to make it liveable FIRST, and now the studio aspect of it.

You come here. You sleep on my couch, You help me with heavy heavy sheet rock and toooobs of green glue. I feed you. You pay for own plane ticket though... sheetrock, green glue, rockwool, and cableing gonna make me BROKE. never willl have that distressor/drawmer/m160/ass to ass/SWORN TO THE DARk.

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Mon Feb 08, 2010 8:45 pm

hhhhhmmmm you make a compelling offer, because i bet you have a comfy couch and are a really good cook, but i've already put up like 100 sheets of rock, green glue is sticky as shit, and i've no money for a plane ticket. or anything else for that matter.

*eats lint*

sad iron · Post by **sad iron** » Wed Feb 10, 2010 8:27 am

Thanks for this update. Very cool to hear things are going well. I don't know that I'll ever get to the place where I do it full time. I worry about supporting the family both time- and money-wise, as well as having the time I need to do my own stuff, but it's great to hear that it's gone so well for you.

I did just finish mixing my own record, which I've been working on for, oh, six years. That feels good. No, it feels great.

Keep us posted. Congrats again!

Red Rockets Glare · Post by **Red Rockets Glare** » Tue Sep 21, 2010 11:37 pm

sad iron wrote:
Keep us posted. Congrats again!

I thought I would check in on this thread. Just as a way of cheering on anyone who thinks it might be worth it to try going full-time, I wanted to report the the Local Natives record that I produced just past the 100,000 sales mark!

Hope this does not come off as gloating, I just want to encourage anyone who thinks they have what it takes to make the jump into full time.

Cheers,
Raymond

MoreSpaceEcho · Post by **MoreSpaceEcho** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 9:17 am

awesome. i'm just glad to hear that somebody's selling 100 thousand records these days!

b3groover · Post by **b3groover** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:07 am

Really glad things are working out for you, Raymond.

I was in a dark place myself when you originally posted this thread, financially I mean. No work. But shortly after I got an offer to go on the road with a band based in LA and things have been going really well. I was really close to getting a day job, but held out just a little bit longer and now I'm touring the world with this band.

I get to LA often. Would love to have lunch / see the space.

Take care,
----jim

Red Rockets Glare · Post by **Red Rockets Glare** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:18 pm

I'd love that! RedRedRocket@Gmail.com

b3groover wrote:Really glad things are working out for you, Raymond.

I was in a dark place myself when you originally posted this thread, financially I mean. No work. But shortly after I got an offer to go on the road with a band based in LA and things have been going really well. I was really close to getting a day job, but held out just a little bit longer and now I'm touring the world with this band.

I get to LA often. Would love to have lunch / see the space.

Take care,
----jim

Bro Shark · Post by **Bro Shark** » Wed Sep 22, 2010 4:35 pm

Cool post, glad I saw this. Good on ya.

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