Being an audio engineer and raising a family... how do you do it?

[eggCota]

Hey everyone...
to be (not so) brief, I used to work at one of the major multi-room studios that caters to major label top 100 work in the US. You know the 20hr days, no breaks, the grind grind grind. Over a decade of that and I got really good, I won't deny that, but I felt burnt and quit. Took time off while still doing a little work here and there. Now it's several years later... I focused on family, got married, have a wonderful one year old daughter, and I live in a small town because my wife's career exists here. I find it impossible to stay in the network of the major label stuff, the hungry younger gen is out hustling me. Time with my family is at the same importance to me now as staying my 35hr at the studio because the mix is almost done, or the next gig is with 'x' famous band was when I was in the grind.
I get very frustrated with the one off 'bottom feeder' work of the local rapper over a YouTube rip etc, and I feel woefully over qualified for that stuff, although I'm very happy sharing stories and giving sound advice to to promising artists/engineers (that the industry is not a way around hard work.. in fact, hard work is exactly what we do, practice and rehearsal before paying for time etc, oh, and my desert island vocal chain is a good singer, and lastly, rtfm). I used to teach, but covid, I help at local churches, but covid.

That sounds like a depressed rant, let me rephrase...

For the engineers who recruit most of their clients online and never actually meet, how'd you do it? I have decent credits on allmusic etc, so I don't want to bottom feed cause I'd rather just be a stay at home dad in that case.

For the engineers who still grind the scene and have a family, how do you do it? I'm a little too old to hit the local indie scene.. maybe not even physically, but mentally for sure.

Anyone relate?

[Magnetic Services]

I'm not saying I've had any success with this, but I've seen other engineers and producers using social media aggressively to stay "seen," which seems like the only way to keep the work coming.

When I say "aggressively," I just mean posting regular updates to show that you're still at it and available for work. This can mean posting studio pics, screenshots of mixing sessions, following and commenting on artist/band pages... any kind of activity, really. Having a website or Soundcloud page helps, but it's passive. You've got to be active and remind people of your presence (and skill).

Personally, I can't afford to devote much time to it, but I've seen others do it well.

Also, listen to Working Class Audio to hear how different people are handling the "Being an audio engineer and raising a family... how do you do it?" question: https://www.workingclassaudio.com/

[Scodiddly]

Personally, I've found that social media takes a lot of energy, and I can't devote much time to it, but I've seen others do it well.

On the other hand you don't come home from social media with ringing ears and smelling like an ashtray.

It's really tough these days - I'm in the live sound business, which is currently nearly shut down, and the only thing that's keeping me in my job is that I'm the repair guy and the IT guy. And we're all learning video so we can do streaming, which still isn't full-time job either.

If you can afford to, now is the time to get your education updated. Any college is going to cost more than you can afford, but there are lots of free sources online nowadays. Not to mention niche discussion boards like this one. Bottom line is figure out what problems are currently problems, learn how to solve them, and advertise yourself doing that.

[Magnetic Services]

figure out what problems are currently problems, learn how to solve them, and advertise yourself doing that.

This is a great way to put it.

Nobody (sadly) is thinking "hmm, I need an audio engineer to mix my record," and then finding your website after some googling. They're thinking "Damn, that livestreamed show was great, but now I want to mix it better for YouTube," and then hopefully they scroll across your posts showing your skills and decide to hit you up.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

How close is your small town to a major center? Production/engineering is a local service for most of us audio professionals (or at least for me). Word of mouth has landed me 99.9% of my work. I tried the social media route as Magnetic Services described but it made next to no difference. About 3 years ago I quit all social media. Beyond an immediate bump in my mental health there's been no impact. It felt like busy work and once I my son was born I had no time for anything but real work. Before Covid and some family health issues derailed things I was on track for one of my busiest years yet.
I have landed some work through online services (mostly Soundsbetter) but the ratio of tire kickers to real jobs seems pretty bad. Lots of folks wanting to talk about their records but they haven't written songs yet.

All that said, my experience may not be applicable to your situation. I've been at this for a long time and have been building a client base for years and years. I was also a working musician for many years and made tons of contacts that way. If I was starting out or starting over now my approach might be different.

[A.David.MacKinnon]

One more thing. Look beyond traditional job avenues. I started doing live comedy records a few years ago and wondered why I didn't think of it years ago. There seem to be more aspiring comedians than musicians some days. All of that is on hold for Covid but I'm sure it will be back quicker than live music.
I'd also look at podcasting. Tons of folks are doing it and tons of podcasts sound horrible. Same for live streamed concerts. They often look bad and sound worse. Find ways to help.

[Brian]

I moved to touring and tv/film location audio, music on weekends, “hustling” is the answer.
My kids are now working or in college. Stay away from drugs and booze if you wanna afford their college and your retirement, unless you have a trustfund, and I have no advice for that.

[carlmarx]

Personally, I've found that social media takes a lot of energy, and I can't devote much time to it, but I've seen others do it well.

On the other hand you don't come home from social media with ringing ears and smelling like an ashtray.

Indeed. But social media was what kept me close to my audience when everything was closed due to pandemic. I had my own ups and downs there and yes, it drains energy at times, especially when people don't react the way you want or when they troll you. But I noticed that once you learn how to get blue check on instagram and make steps to get what you deserve, people start treating you differently. Meaning that in the beginning you work for your fame, and after some time your fame starts working for you.

[vvv]

1 year, 11 day old thread?

[roscoenyc]

1 year, 11 day old thread?

Yeah,
Poster asks an important question, people reply thoughtfully and poster never comes back.

[joninc]

it's an interesting thread to think about. It sounds like the poster had a very different experience than me and possibly lots of other folks on this board who do audio production for a living.

It sounds like he went the OG route of working his way up through the ranks of a bigger studio in a big city - probably a lot of incredible learning and opportunities to really develop the skills. (many of us would have LOVED to learn that way although those opportunities seem more and more rare)

I learned by trial and error recording myself first and then a small group of friends which eventually expanded to people I didn't know directly and 20 years later has been a thoroughly enjoyable career. Tape Op the mag and the board have been invaluable resources to me along the way. I've soaked up any chance I've had to watch other people work or talk about their work....

I've rarely ever had the luxury to turn down work and so it's always been about doing my best to serve the project on the table, continually improve and learn and do better work - which as a result builds the portfolio and broadens the awareness of my work which leads to more work. I'm by no means a rich man but I'm thankful to be doing this still and supporting my family.

I decided pretty early on that I couldn't do good work and do the lockout all hours kind of thing - I burn out way too fast.

So - i've worked 8 and 9 hour days for the vast majority of my career and most artists appreciate that we get a lot done when we work and many have told me they found it more productive and conducive to creativity.

I also have a family (and always hoped to keep them - and have a few friends as well - so having clearly defined hours and days off was always key to balancing those needs. I wasn't always perfect at it but it has worked out fairly well for me.

As it's been mentioned already diversifying a bit helps too - I've done more and more mixing over the years (98% unattended), a little mastering, some session work (in person and remotely) as well as producing and engineering projects. I like the variety - and it's almost all creative (which I've come to find is the thing that I most enjoy about this work anyways).