Post
by Sean Shannon » Sat Dec 10, 2005 1:03 am
Oh, and more pet peeves....
Don't exchange phone numbers with my clients, call them up from home and offer to mix them for free at your home studio or change the schedule to suit yourself.
Don't assume that the drum throne that was left here by a band last month is now up for grabs, and go home with it.
Don't comment on the song arrangements, playing techniques, or vocals. Don't laugh at the bands outlandish outfits.
Don't continue to chat it up with the band, loudly, while I'm trying to mix their song. I said I could go on and on, right?
Don't hit on the band's (or engineer's) girl.
Don't tell the band you could mix them better than me because you went to Full Sail and own a compressor.
Don't answer a client's question when they asked me.
When I give them an answer, don't disrespect me by saying, "well, I wouldn't do it that way, I'd....."
If a client looks around the studio and asks "Wow, this is a lot of gear. How much would it cost to put something like this together?", don't say "The question is, can you afford it?", thinking you are being cute. Especially when the client has an expensive car and expensive clothes and jewelry and drove 4 hours to work with me. The client was offended, then said, "If I couldn't afford it, I wouldn't have asked, now would I?", as he looked at the assistant's tattered shoes. I reamed his ass the minute the client left, and fired him.
Don't say "Yeah, he tells that joke all the time." A joke is only old if you've heard it before.
Don't call 15 minutes before a session, when you are already late, and say you're going to be late because you are stopping to eat, when you knew you were setting up mics for a full band today and the band is already at the studio.
And don't touch the console or outboard gear. I've had guys sweeping through settings and fader levels while I'm working, after I spent time carefully tweaking already. I'm like "What the hell are you doing?" "I wanted to see what it would sound like....." That's right before I call them outside to let them go. Work with me, guys, not against me for chrisssakes!
I actually have had interns and assistants say and do all of these things and more. If I think of more, I'll post 'em