How Do You Know You Have What It Takes to Work in Recording?
Getting into the music industry and working as a producer or audio engineer can be a daunting task. Where do you start? How do you start? How do you make connections? What’s the best way to get your foot in the door? Where do you meet people?
The best way to prove that you’re serious about working as an engineer or producer is just by getting your foot in the door as an apprentice and proving you’re hardworking and dedicated. If you’re working in a studio or you’re working as a stagehand at a gig, give it your all. Someone will notice and someone will remember you. That’s the best way to prove to everyone that you’re serious about being in the industry.
A positive attitude and a willingness to learn and apply oneself goes further than you can imagine. It’s almost shocking how quickly you can rise through the ranks if you just put your head down and do the work. So many people forget how important being a nice person is and how important working hard is. It’s of the utmost importance, especially when you’re first starting out. It’s really the only way to prove what you’ve got what it takes. Once they see it, they believe it and that’s 100 times better than sending a resume.
Fear is the most important hurdle to overcome.
Many people are afraid of asking questions. They think it makes them look weak or that they don’t understand what’s going on. That’s not true. Asking questions in a thoughtful way is actually a great way to prove you’re really listening and that you’re in-tune with what’s going on. Working in a studio environment can require lots of thinking on your feet and lots of decision making. Knowing when it’s the right time to ask questions and when it’s better to observe and wait is a skillset of its own.
Being an engineer or producer is largely about problem solving and figuring out the best way to approach something. When you’re first starting out, you may not be able to display your problem solving skills in terms of song construction but how about helping solve problems around the studio? Are you the type of person who can build a mic stand from a broom stick, or can take some wood and screws and construct a stand for some mixing equipment? Or maybe you have ideas on how to recruit talent or improve the experience for clients? Well, those types of ideas go a long way to proving your value to the people who do the hiring.
It’s important to give every problem your all because you never know who’s watching and what they might be thinking of you. One of those solutions could be your gateway into a whole new world. One simple solution could lead to you working on your dream project and jumpstarting your career.
More info can be found at Recording Connection’s website.