How old were you when you opened your first studio?
- Glory_Morris
- takin' a dinner break
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- george martin
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- JGriffin
- zen recordist
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I had a basement studio, running a tascam 48 1/2" 8-track when I was 25 or 26. Recorded some local bands. That stopped after about 3 years 'cause I moved out of that house. Opened up my dining room studio to do client work probably about 4 or 5 years ago now. Can't do full bands exactly, but lots of design work and overdubs.
Oh, and magicmandt's space is really cool btw.
Oh, and magicmandt's space is really cool btw.
"Jeweller, you've failed. Jeweller."
"Lots of people are nostalgic for analog. I suspect they're people who never had to work with it." ? Brian Eno
All the DWLB music is at http://dwlb.bandcamp.com/
"Lots of people are nostalgic for analog. I suspect they're people who never had to work with it." ? Brian Eno
All the DWLB music is at http://dwlb.bandcamp.com/
I love these stories where after 20-35 years of regular work people get into recording for a living. Goes to show it's never too late to do what you want in life.idylldon wrote:I'm right there with you guys. While I built my studio about five years ago when I was 46, it took me a couple of years to get everything together to turn "pro." I did my first paid session when I was 48. I'm 51 now and just finished up a project for a Grammy winner, and things are starting to pick up nicely. I quit my job as a teacher 1 1/2 years ago, so the studio, along with my piano tuning/tech side work, is my main source of income now. The best thing is that my studio is in my backyard, so I walk to work. Life is good up on this hill.river wrote:I'm sorry, try again! I was 49 when I opened for business. Amazingly, after 25 years in construction, I'm not deaf.I'll bet I win the geriatric price. 47.
Cheers,
--
Don
Real friends stab you in the front.
Oscar Wilde
Failed audio engineer & pro studio tech turned Component level motherboard repair store in New York
Oscar Wilde
Failed audio engineer & pro studio tech turned Component level motherboard repair store in New York
- radiationroom
- steve albini likes it
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Hacked together my first "sound system" at the age of 14, using two Soundesign compact stereos rigged to a Radio Shack mixer plugged into an old Bogen style PA amp. Attempted to make my own radio shows and learned allot doing it.
First paid DJ gig at age 16.
First nightclub DJ residency at age 18.
First radio show at age 20 - college radio, nothing too exciting.
Fostex 4-track cassette and first effects unit at age 20.
Tascam 388 & Emax sampling keyboard at age 22.
Went into the nightclub business "fool-time" as an owner/partner/manager at age 23 - biggest mistake of my life.
First paid radio commercial at age 23.
First live sound tech gig at age 24.
Launched first syndicated radio show at age 27.
First paid engineering job for commercially released music recording at age 27. Classical music location recording to two-track has been a large portion of my business ever since.
First ADAT at age 28 along with a pair of Mackie Boards. First multitrack music recording session soon followed.
Sold ADATs and got 2-inch at age 33. The two-inch was a maintanance nightmare and lost lots of work because of it.
Launched second syndicated radio program at age 34 - MIX ATTACK is still in production and is now an exclusive of WMSS-91.1.
Produced a dance remix of a novelty record which became a radio hit in the midwest at age 36.
Sold the 2-inch at age 37. (Fry Pharmacy is it's current owners.) Replaced it with a RADAR 24.
Closed studio at age 37 and placed equipment in storage - dig it out when needed. Smartest business move I've ever made.
Sign DJ mix deal with XM Satellite Radio at age 40.
Turn 41 in a few weeks and think I might have a new girlfriend on the horizon after a decade of not dating. We go on our first date next week.
First paid DJ gig at age 16.
First nightclub DJ residency at age 18.
First radio show at age 20 - college radio, nothing too exciting.
Fostex 4-track cassette and first effects unit at age 20.
Tascam 388 & Emax sampling keyboard at age 22.
Went into the nightclub business "fool-time" as an owner/partner/manager at age 23 - biggest mistake of my life.
First paid radio commercial at age 23.
First live sound tech gig at age 24.
Launched first syndicated radio show at age 27.
First paid engineering job for commercially released music recording at age 27. Classical music location recording to two-track has been a large portion of my business ever since.
First ADAT at age 28 along with a pair of Mackie Boards. First multitrack music recording session soon followed.
Sold ADATs and got 2-inch at age 33. The two-inch was a maintanance nightmare and lost lots of work because of it.
Launched second syndicated radio program at age 34 - MIX ATTACK is still in production and is now an exclusive of WMSS-91.1.
Produced a dance remix of a novelty record which became a radio hit in the midwest at age 36.
Sold the 2-inch at age 37. (Fry Pharmacy is it's current owners.) Replaced it with a RADAR 24.
Closed studio at age 37 and placed equipment in storage - dig it out when needed. Smartest business move I've ever made.
Sign DJ mix deal with XM Satellite Radio at age 40.
Turn 41 in a few weeks and think I might have a new girlfriend on the horizon after a decade of not dating. We go on our first date next week.
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- steve albini likes it
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i was 14 when i started recording my own band, and a few friends bands on a little 6 channel peavy, and a teac 3440. i started charging other bands when i was about 18, or 19 on a soundtech mixer going into an adat, and eventually into a lexicon coreII card via litepipe with cool edit pro. i did sound at a few local clubs, and outside shows for a few years from the age of 17 till i was about 20, then moved to baltimore for a recording school. came home, built a "control room" downstairs in the studio, sunk a ton of money into, and so far... i got nothin'...
- A.David.MacKinnon
- ears didn't survive the freeze
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I started recording myself and my bands at around 17 on one of these
(mine had the powered speakers too).
Built myself a nice little apartment set-up with a Tascam 38 and an Allen & Heath System 8 in a spare room when I was 24. Bought a house at 28, soundprooffed the rear laneway garage and relocated the studio there. Started recording bands for money shortly afterwards. Quit my day job 5 years ago at 31.
Now I work freelance. I record out of my place, other studios around town and do lots of mobile/location work.
Some years it's barely a living, other years it's great. Either way it beats working at the family funeral home.
(mine had the powered speakers too).
Built myself a nice little apartment set-up with a Tascam 38 and an Allen & Heath System 8 in a spare room when I was 24. Bought a house at 28, soundprooffed the rear laneway garage and relocated the studio there. Started recording bands for money shortly afterwards. Quit my day job 5 years ago at 31.
Now I work freelance. I record out of my place, other studios around town and do lots of mobile/location work.
Some years it's barely a living, other years it's great. Either way it beats working at the family funeral home.
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