Here is a list of steps that will guide you on the path to becoming a sound engineer.
Steps
Step 1. Start using sound manipulation equipment
Step 2. Pick a school that can teach you what you want to know
Your city university may also have a theater or music study program with a specific focus on audio.
If you can't go to school, or are too young for college, go to a recording studio or theater in your city and try to make friends with audio operators. Tell them that you are interested in what they do, and ask if you can observe them as they work
Step 3. Get the Yamaha Sound Reinforcement manual or something similar
Read it. Later, when you get more experience, read it again.
Step 4. Familiarize yourself with different types of equipment, search the internet, carefully observe the websites of companies in the branch
Step 5. Learn to use different sound manipulation software, including ProTools, Cubase, Reason, Digital Performer, Live, or Logic
Many of these products have free demo versions available.
When you see a concert being set up, look for someone who gives the idea that they "know what they do", and ask if they need help with the set up. Tell them you'd be interested in working for them, and get contact information
Step 6. Familiarize yourself with many different genres of music, and learn to distinguish their sounds
Advice
- Search for audio companies and recording studios in your area and offer to work for free to gain hands-on experience.
- Studio equipment for amateurs is becoming cheaper, and of better quality. It used to be very unusual to have a studio in your home - now it's normal. Just a few years ago budget equipment could not compete in terms of sound quality with professional equipment: now it can be just as good. So why are there still paid recording studios available for rent by the hour or by the day? Why doesn't everyone record from the comfort of their own home?
- There are several answers to these questions. One might be that a project requires a large number of musicians and you can't get everyone into your studio. Or maybe you need to take advantage of the acoustics of a large room to record better sound. These are valid reasons, difficult to counter. But I think there are other reasons why professional recording studios, even if some have struggled a little during the current boom of home recording studios, will always be valuable assets for the recording musician. The first is that a specially designed space will always be a better tool than a converted room or bedroom. You can play a number of instruments in a room that is four meters by three, and although you could make connections to another room or floor in the house that has better acoustics for recording acoustic instruments and vocals, you will always make compromises between the needs of a study and those of everyday domestic life. If the noises coming out of your office are bothering your neighbors, you will have other concerns to take care of as well.
- The second and most important reason that recording studios continue to exist is that they can become the gravitational center of experience and professionalism. If a studio has good equipment and good acoustics, and every other possible factor is favorable, then the best artists will want to record there and bring the best technicians and producers with them. The assistants hired by the studio will then learn directly from the best teachers possible and continue to be the best technicians and producers in the future. The opinions of the firm's clients will allow the owner or manager to perfectly calibrate the equipment, and other installations, according to the client's specifications. Now compare all of this with an enthusiastic and talented musician setting up a recording studio in his home bought on the advice of the dealer and then learning how to record through a process of trial and error. Yes, you can get amazing results this way, and the isolation that a home studio imposes can somehow encourage her creativity, but this kind of intuitive learning can never get over an apprenticeship with the masters of the trade.
- Attending a school is the best way to make your way in this business. It will give you a solid foundation on which to build your real-world experiences. Be sure to check out various schools, however, and choose the right one for you. Don't be afraid to ask questions about what you are going to learn. You are paying for your training, you should know exactly what you will get in return.
- An audio technician is a person with experience and training in the production and manipulation of sound by means of digital or analog instruments. A person with this professional title is usually mentioned as a contributor on many commercial music recordings (as well as in other productions involving music, such as movies).
- In this article I hope to explain how to go about becoming a sound engineer in a studio. Everything you need to know in the end you can find by reading 'Sound on Sound's Technique' or other magazines in the sector, but what I would like to do is to focus attention on the bare essentials - the knowledge that will allow you to enter a studio first of all, and to work as a sound engineer within a short time. You will learn the rest as you go. You will see the sound engineer connect the equipment in a certain way, then when you have some free time you can check your collection of industry magazines for more details. And while you learn about instruments, more importantly, you will learn about the sound of the music itself, or how to collaborate with producers and musicians. Not everyone, however technically capable, is cut out to be a recording engineer, and being able to interact effectively with the people who actually create the music is a skill that can only be acquired by working.
- Terms such as "audio engineer", "sound engineer", "sound engineer" can be ambiguous; depending on the context they may be synonymous, or they may refer to different roles in audio production. These terms can refer to people who work in music and sound production, as well as to technicians who design professional equipment for these purposes.
- It can definitely help being an electronic engineer, but it's not always necessary.
- Protect your ears. Buy a good pair of ear protectors (preferably with attenuation control). If you can't spend $ 100, disposable ones will be fine. Always carry them with you and never go to concerts without them.
Warnings
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Take the advice above with caution. It is true that a large number of million dollar recording studios have been shut down or are struggling, but on the other hand, much more music has been produced for the public these days - and not all recorded in recording studios in the United States. basements.
The secret to today's recording studios is to keep costs down, to keep prices more competitive. The bet is to open your own home studio, literally. It will help you make progress with other people. Instead of paying for school, invest in equipment. You can learn everything there is to know by reading books, the Internet, or through acquaintances. Yes, get ready to work for free to gain experience. Many studios have mentoring programs. If you want to deal with live sound, start with a local event. Talk to whoever deals with sound
- In any case, if you are considering working as a sound engineer in a recording studio, move on with your dreams. Don't spend your hard-earned money on scam schools because you will empty your bank account for a worthless qualification. There are a lot of sound engineer jobs, everywhere, that offer decent pay. Not a single job in the world.
- When you are in a studio or theater, make sure there is silence and respect. There are people who are working, who may have problems if you are doing something that catches their attention. Don't touch anything unless told, and wear dark clothes if you have to work in the theater during a show.
- This whole article assumes you want to work in audio management - that is, live events. If you are lucky, you can earn up to € 20 per hour doing this, but many people will earn much less. Many of them will earn less than a worker at Mc Donald's, with no refunds of any kind.
