school? internship?

[hauser gabone]

how did you guys get into this biz?
i started out on a 4-track, then 8-track, so on...now im using a powerbook. i was attending classes at my community college for audio engineering but they were very dissapointing...with too small a budget and teachers who's priorities lay elsewhere.
now, i would like to have a career in audio, it doesnt have to be a studio that i own, but a job where i can do what i love and just work with sound and music. should i find another school? or try and find a studio in philly to take me as an intern? i appreciate any response.

[bickle]

Well, I'm no pro - I just record my own music at home - but I have some maybe related info: I used to work as a sound guy for film, doing mostly location dialog recording, and some post-production stuff. In my experience, film school kids were sort of scoffed at, with the general impression being that they'd wasted time in school not learning much when the rest of us were out working. In film, you learn a whole lot every day you work, but you don't really gain much practical knowledge in school, even in a good program; I think working in a professional studio vs. audio school would be similar. And film school kids, after graduation, generally start in the same place everyone else does: Fetching coffee for free.
In my opinion, film school's only really useful for the connections it offers to professionals, and these only really exist at the best film schools (like NYU). I would think engineering school, though maybe more helpful, is similar. And besides, if you don't like audio school already, why don't you get out there and start working? In my experience, an enthusiastic person who learns fast, works hard, and is willing to take on challenges always has a shot at being successful. Of course, you should also be aware of the relative unlikelihood of really being able to make a career out of this (gotta have a disclaimer, right?).
Anyway, I'm sure somebody else has better advice, just offering some thoughts. And good luck!

[chris harris]

you're already recording. so, you're already on your way.

briefly, this is how I came to be making a living from recording.

I had a band and fooled around with 4 tracking. LOVED IT!!!

so, we went into a very high end local studio to make a record with Trent Bell (featured in TapeOp).. we spent waaaay too much time and money recording an EP. (mostly because we were inexperienced and went crazy with "16 TRACKS TO RECORD ON!!!") Trent gave me a subscription card for TapeOp... And, after those sessions, I spent every spare penny buying recording gear and every spare minute practicing recording my own band. Fast forward about 5 years and I was finally comfortable enough with my gear and my skills to take that first "free" job recording a local band. As with most "free" sessions, the band totally took advantage of me and spent waaaaay too long obsessing about tiny details of their free recording. But, in the end, it was totally worth it. I had discovered that I could provide a service. And, after suffering the headaches of the "free" band, I knew exactly what I believed that my gear/experience/time should be worth.

I started taking paying clients at my home studio. Within about 2 years, I'd done some pop-punk and hardcore records (neither being my cup of tea) that got a lot of attention locally. So, I was quickly swamped with other pop-punk and hardcore bands wanting to sound like the others I'd done. so, about 3 years from my first paying clients and my rates had doubled. And, I was still busy, and still accumulating gear and experience.

I had kept in touch with Trent during the seven years since he helped get me hooked on recording (and TapeOp).. The time seemed to have come when 12 - 16 hour days, seven days a week were taking a toll on him. So, I volunteered to "intern". I told him that I was good at soldering cables, cleaning floors and restrooms, documenting sessions, etc... I was shocked when he told me that he didn't so much need an intern as he needed someone to come in, learn really quickly, and start relieving him sometimes.
So, I sat in on about 2 weeks worth of sessions. I already understood the big board, the outboard, and the basics of the tape machine. I learned the patchbay. Then, Trent had scheduled an 8 day vacation. So, I rounded up a few buddies and we moved in. I learned everything I needed to know about running sessions at this place from my 7 years of self study on prosumer gear, 2 weeks of shadowing, and 1 week of lock-in experimentation.
Now, I'm still rocking the home studio, and working at Bell Labs as a house engineer. I work just about as much as I want to and the only text books I've ever needed were TapeOp, The TapeOp Book, and the TapeOp Message Board.

You definitely learn a lot more from DOING. Even in a home studio.

good luck!
chris