Day Jobs (or what else you do apart from engineering)

Chris_Avakian · Post by **Chris_Avakian** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 8:36 am

barback at midtown billiards on little rock arkansas. i ran sound there for a year, and a half, but barbacking pays better. hoping to get worked up to a bartending gig, and if i do, GOODBYE RECORDING ANYBODY BUT MY DAMN SELF! I'LL BE MAKING BANK!

nobody, really · Post by **nobody, really** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 9:32 am

but I worry that my innately sarcastic/comedian nature and cutting-edginess works against me, especially with the wimpy, conformist creeps I solicit for work. Very mysterious!

i could put this on my resume, if i was more clever.

tateeskew · Post by **tateeskew** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 10:57 am

Linux engineer.
I enjoy too many things and have too many interests that I take seriously not to have a 9-5, as those interests all cost money. Recording, brewing, gardening, etc...
Also, my wife is a stay at home mother, so I'm the bread winner and I enjoy having that responsibility.

I worked for a decade at big studios in Los(t) Angeles starting at the age of 17. Lots of various records and post production (simpsons, king of the hill, etc). It was all so very corporate and uninspiring, so I figured engineering Linux would supplement my artistic endeavors. I feel like making the move to leave LA and quit the big studio work was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

I have a wonderful home in a beautiful area, wonderful wife, wonderful kids, wonderful friends and a great studio on my property. Balancing my life with nature, interests outside of music and other art has been incredible for my physical AND mental well being!

edit: I think it should also be said that I respect the overall passion of nearly everyone on this board. The passion often borders on or even crosses the border of obsessive behavior.

mwerden · Post by **mwerden** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 3:17 pm

I work for Blue Man Productions for the 9-5 (noon til 8 generally), which is somewhat shocking to me since I never thought I'd have an actual job. But I spend most of my time dealing with drumbones and tubulums and other silliness, so I guess you could make the argument that I don't really have much of an actual job.

Electro-Voice 664 · Post by **Electro-Voice 664** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:09 pm

mwerden wrote:I work for Blue Man Productions .

Do you work in Vegas time to time?
My friend John Taggart is down there, maybe you two know each other?

My day job is video production. Filming Editing and Audio stuff.
I work in Washington, "but I live in Britannia"

mwerden · Post by **mwerden** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:27 pm

I haven't been in Vegas for a bit. I know some guys in the band and some Blue Men, but that name doesn't ring a bell.

T-rex · Post by **T-rex** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 4:43 pm

I am a Quality Control Manager, literally 9-5, which in my world is pretty much a cake job.

I did the diversity thing forever by working at a record store and playing in a shitload of bands. At one point I played in an original band, a blues band and a jazz band that did coffee houses and weddings while also playing with a swing band and a high dollar cover band like Chris mentioned. All on a regular weekly or bi-weekly basis. It was awesome from an experience point of view, I made great money and I was constantly playing drums so my chops were in great shape! But more and more the wedding gigs and cover gigs just became soul sucking affairs. The diversity didn't bother me but the people continually asking a jazz trio if we knew the electric slide was the last straw. So I cut back to strictly original music and recording. Other than marrying my wife, that was the best decision I ever made!

Brett Siler · Post by **Brett Siler** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 5:07 pm

I currently work part time at and organic food co-op called the River City Food Co-Op. I really enjoy it because besides music, I get to pursue my other passion, vegan cook/baking and heath food!

Wagz · Post by **Wagz** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 9:18 pm

Working audio on a kids DvD series at the moment.

Almost done with this episode so freelancing when I can find work.

Tempted to pick up a paper route since I don't have anything scheduled in the studio until the beginning of July.. plus I want a motorcycle before the end of summer...

alex matson · Post by **alex matson** » Thu Jun 02, 2011 11:13 pm

For what it's worth, I did nothing but play in a band that did about 170 gigs a year for about six years. Made $110 a night for the first year, and $210 a night after that. And for a while, I was pretty satisfied. But the music wasn't my favorite, and as for the lifestyle...well, it got really boring. Killing time til soundcheck at the local alterna-strip, or hiking around...or just hanging out on the bus watching Three Amigos for the 47th time. It didn't suck. But it wasn't what I imagined.

Before that, I played in a 50's and sixties cover band and edited video, pre-digital.
Afterwards, I managed a restaurant, then moved here where for the first five years I catered and bartended. Now I do food service at a hospital. Full benefits, low pay.
I write and record my own stuff. It's my ambition to develop something worth sharing. You guys'll be the first ones subjected.

On the plus side. I have a home life again with an awesome girlfriend. Unlike my old band's fans, she gets older every year, just like me.

Good thread.

sessionsatstudiom · Post by **sessionsatstudiom** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 8:38 am

I feel I am one of the lucky few that do this full time. During my day I do corporate post production audio. Mostly educational and language based. Then to do what I like more often I just started an online education website. I have a mastering studio and I play in a band.

Along with wife and kids not much time for other stuff.

iamthecosmos · Post by **iamthecosmos** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 10:39 am

sessionsatstudiom wrote:I feel I am one of the lucky few that do this full time. During my day I do corporate post production audio. Mostly educational and language based.

What does 'corporate post production audio' entail usually?

sessionsatstudiom · Post by **sessionsatstudiom** » Fri Jun 03, 2011 3:05 pm

iamthecosmos wrote:
sessionsatstudiom wrote:I feel I am one of the lucky few that do this full time. During my day I do corporate post production audio. Mostly educational and language based.
What does 'corporate post production audio' entail usually?

Mostly internal training products. Stuff to get people motivated to be there internally. That kind of stuff. So we do Video products and just audio products to. Mostly internal.

I do some local PBS stuff also. But that is less and less lately because of time.

The Scum · Post by **The Scum** » Sat Jun 04, 2011 1:25 pm

My day gig is as an engineer, but the other kind of engineer - the startched shirt and slide rule type. I do software/hardware R&D work.

My main specialty is firmware, the code that runs on computers in stuff other than desktops/laptops/servers. I've worked in a number of different fields - musical instruments, storage network hardware, industrial automation, miscellaneous consumer devices. I'm presently on a consulting gig writing firmware for a chemistry test & measurement instrument.

The thing that reinforces my firmware skills is that I've got strong electrical engineering skills, which most pure software people shy away from. I can read schematics, design PCB, program FPGAs, and build prototypes. I write code to interface with the hardware, do it efficiently and directly, and test it empirically to be certain that it's working.

The hardware thing has also spilled over into one of my non-day gigs.

I've sorta backed off the recording thing a bit. I'm still involved, but mainly on my own stuff. I went through a critical reevaluation of what I was doing after a couple of really tedious recording projects for other people, and came to the conclusion that I would be happier if I had a little more creative control, and could focus my free time behind the drumset, rather than the mixing board.

Translated: a button-down day gig leaves me a lot of leeway on the creative side.

sir hills · Post by **sir hills** » Mon Jun 06, 2011 7:17 am

As of the last 3 months or so I've been doing 75% audio engineering work. Mostly working at a small local studio engineering sessions for bands & assisting the owner/operator/producer. We had a larger local facility close recently so we've been fielding unfinished projects from there. He's also been touring on & off since March so I've been taking a lot of work he would have missed or postponed other-wise. He's been in the business for many years, is a fantastic person to work for/with & I've learned an immense amount from him. I have a small tracking & mix space at my house as well & have been working on a few local & long distance projects mixing & mastering. One of which, that I wrote/perform on (Host Skull) just got picked up by a small label & will be releasing our first LP! I also have a low paying live sound gig 3 or so nights a month for a fairly new non-profit. Great folks who run it & I've seen/worked some great shows by way of it. It doesn't pay (monetarily)...in fact it isn't really work at all, but I've also been mentoring a 16 year old from a local charter school who is interested in composition & recording. I'm currently updating an old computer & setting him up with his first recording rig!

The other 25% is managing an apt. business with/for my in-laws. I spent the last 4 years (first 4 years of living in Santa Fe) helping them get most of the 9 apartments my wife & I are responsible for remodeled & to a point where there is little maintenance work. Now, I basically just try to keep them occupied with good folks who pay on time & take care of issues as they arise. I was also taking side carpentry/remodel jobs, art installations, engineering a weekly radio show & trying to make music on my own. At that time I wasn't tied in to the music scene so much. I was too tired to go out at night or didn't have time to play music with folks. It hasn't taken much to alter the percentages, fill my time with more music related projects & now have a solid client/partner base with decent income. It took a solid year for things to transition & at them moment, I'm the happiest & most satisfied I've been in years.

Sorry to turn this in to a novella but I feel like this is pertinent: A few days ago I was discussing with a client about where I'm at & how I got here. I remembered that one of my first tenants when we moved out here was a professional audio engineer...we were neighbors & actually did not get along so well...nothing crazy, just didn't "click" & there was a bit of tension...I felt like he was a "jerk"...though, he probable thought the same of me. When his lease was up my in-laws decided it was time to remodel that apt. & he moved on. A year or more later we crossed paths riding bikes in the neighborhood, he stopped me, told me he was moving & set me up with the weekly radio program gig. I ended up meeting the producer I now work for & many of the clients who currently hire me, at that radio gig. I learned (continue to learn) the valuable lesson of not burning bridges & that many times, good things come where & when we least expect it so be humble & be prepared.

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