아;;진로게시판에 썼다가 Ctrl+C해서 저장해놓은 줄 알고 붙어넣기를 하려니
크억......마지막에 링크 집어넣은다고 복사 해놓은게 나오네요.
처음 글 쓰던 자세로;;돌아가서 다시 적어봅니다.ㅜㅡ

오늘 http://www.studiorecordingengineer.com 이라는 곳에서
이글 저글 읽다보니 제가 학교다닐때 고민하던 일이 생각나더라구요.
저 나름대로도 이생각 저생각 하다보니 새벽 3시가 되가는데도 잠이 안드네요..^^;;;

한국에서 관련 학교 1학년때 동기들보다 좀더 빠르게 스튜디오 자격을 가지고
벤드들이랑 작업을 한적이 있었어요.
스튜디오 기계들 아는거 말고는 정말 아무것도 없었어요.
무슨 음악에 대한 이해라고는 아무 것도 못하고
악보도 제대로 못 따라가고,
이거 해달라며 이거 해주고,
저거 해달라면 저거 해주고
그러고 있노라니
저도 그냥 저도 스튜디오에 있는 하나에 장비라는 생각이 들더라구요.

방학때 학교 스튜디오의 바쁜 일정에
몇일을 잠시간 아껴가면 작업할때는
정말 그분처럼 제가 이일과는 맞지 않나보다 생각이 들더라구요.

다른 일보다 페이도 적고
일하는 시간도 안정적이지 않고,
나이 들어서도 이 직업이 있을까라는 생각도 들었지만
앨범을 완성했을때의 그 뿌듯함은 그 걸 다 잊을 수 있을정도로 컸던거 같아요.


언젠가는
단순히 장비나 만질줄 아는 그런 엔지니어에서
뮤지션 만큼 연주 실력은 없지만(가능하면 좋겠지만)
음정과 박자를 지적하는 것에서 벗어나
음악과 소리에 대한 풍부한 이해와 경험으로
조언 할수 있고, 서로 배울수 있는
그런 엔지니어가 언젠가는 될 수 있다면

쌓여가는 CREDIT과
한단계 한단계 올라가는 자신의 모습을 바라볼 수 있다면

그런 고생들도 겪어 낼 수 있지 않을까요.



워킹홀리데이라도들 아시는지 모르겠어요.
지금 캐나다에 워홀로 와있는데
저야 학원다니고 여기서 스튜디오에
들어가본다고 놀고있지만^^;;

전 도서관에서 관련 책 좀 읽고 힘들다고
앉아서 놀면서도 집생각하고 친구들 생각하지만

같이 사는 룸메는 주말도 없이 아침부터 밤까지 일하지만
항상 행복해 보입니다.
열심히 돈 모으면서 중국 유학 갈 생각, 공부할 생각하면서
힘들지만 한국 돌아갈때의 순간을 생각하고 있떠라구요.

똑같이 1년와서 있는데도...
그렇게 열심히 할 수 있는건
꿈과 열정을 갖고 있기 때문인거 같습니다.

이제껏 살면서 꿈에 대한 애기
수도 없이 들었지만
링크에 있는 글 읽고 오늘 이 생각 저 생각해고 나서야
그 소중함을 알겠습니다.

현역으로 힘들게 일하시는 분들
힘들어도 꿈을 잃지 않고
화이팅 해요~ 빠쇼~




혹시 해외에서 학교 졸업안하고
취직은 아니더라도 인턴이라도
할 수 있으면 하는데..
2달을 넘게 찾고 있는데도 정말 쉽지가 않아요.
정보 얻을 수 있는 곳 을 아시는 분이나
조그만한 정보라도 알고 계신 분들 조언 부탁드립니다.^^



꼭 링크에 한번 가서 읽어보세요. ^^
정말 비슷한거 같아요.
여기나 저기나
고민 적은신 분 글이랑
정말 진지하게 답변 해 주시는 분들 글도 꼭 한번 읽어보셨으면 합니다.^^
(이글은 홈에서 Becoming an audio engineer라는 게시판에 있는 글이에요)

Author    Thread   
 
teetering_on_the_edge
Wannabe



Joined: May 17, 2005
Posts: 1
 I'm an engineer but am I cut out for it? (To those who care)
Hi , I am new.
I have been a recording engineer at a studio for almost a year and it's my first gig (So I'm fairly young). I engineer at the studio and work on my own music at my home studio when I have time.

As of late working at the studio has begun to wear me down.
I started the job enthusiastic and greatful to have such a cool job. However, a year later I have seen the selfishness and lack of respect that many people at the studio have shown me and other engineers at the studio. Much of it stems from irrate producers who you can never please and an overdamanding owner (I have seen them screw each other over, also).

I do not want to be overdramatic but the word "slave" comes to mind. I am treated more like an extention of the equipment than a person. One of our engineers quit saying he could not work in an environment such as this. Seeing people stroke each others' egos and their lack of courtesy makes me cringe. I think I am developing a negative outlook on life as I am always trying to see at what angle people are trying to take advantage of me. I know that an engineer's job is long, demanding, thankless, and the pay is small, but I never imagined anyone could work in such conditions. The studio is even behind in paying me.

Perhaps I am just moaning and am weak. My job is not so terrible compared to construction work and jobs dealing with hard labor.

Maybe I am not cut out to be an engineer but I have succeded in every other job that I have ever held so I am left to wonder. I know that there is an army of people who would love to have my position so perhaps I should just be quiet and stomach it. Maybe it's my youth and inexperience. Maybe I am too idealistic about how a work environment should be as the studio seems to exist to soley make money off of music, completely bypassing the morale of it's workers.

I've learned that you can either change a situation, live with it, or leave it. I have already typed up my resume but any sort of advice on this situation would be greatful, or any comment in general.

I am just feeling slightly disillusioned by music right now which blows my mind because I love it so much. (Sorry if someone else posted like this as I did not do a search).

Thank you.
 
 Wed May 18, 2005 10:36 am         
 
 
AC
Chief



Joined: Oct 31, 2002
Posts: 976
 Value Systems
Listen if someone else posted something similar who cares, if we serve to help you in some way therapeutically then so be it post away.

I personally feel you are at a transitional point, the point before anyone realizes your richness. Yes, it takes a whole lot of proving in this arena, yet it will come, your value will show at some point, you just need the right artists to "want you", to have faith in you, once you have that the rest is easier.

So....

Look to find a way for this faith to develop, try to nurture a way that your name can appear on an album, a credit, this is your ticket out of being the slave.

We all know, or at least we all should know this is a fact of life within a studio, sure other areas of society may develop with customer service and certain expectations, but in a studio, forget it, nothing comes as competitive!

To build you career I would suggest investing your time making yourself invaluable and subtly reminding those that matter about your value.

You know?
_________________
Recording Studio Suntans
 
 Thu May 19, 2005 4:11 am           
 
 
JohnMizzac
Wannabe



Joined: Aug 18, 2005
Posts: 1
 Re: Value Systems
AC wrote:


To build you career I would suggest investing your time making yourself invaluable and subtly reminding those that matter about your value.

You know?


Thats what you need to do in order to get some respect in the studio. And I am also one of those people who would love to have your position. I'm almost finished with audio school, before I started school I ran my own C class pre-production studio for 5 yrs. I recorded signed artists, along with a ton of un-signed artists. This is where I learned about stroking egos, also the hard work, long nights, and the drive it takes to succeed in this game.

My value, I believe is the fact that with a smaller budget studio, & self taught recording skills, I was capable of producing quality sound that kept my clients coming back. Working 6-12 yr. back to back sessions, with for the most part unruley clients & company. And still being able to end up with good recordings, signed artist and all. Your worst client is probably like mickey mouse to me.

it gonna be what you make it, and you gotta pay some dues in this, and remember your boss knows there are a million of us out there ready to take your spot. You have to show them why they need you.
 
 Fri Aug 19, 2005 1:36 am         
 
 
audiopost2
Wannabe



Joined: Aug 19, 2005
Posts: 1
Location: Detroit audio-post engineer
I am an audio-post engineer (hence, the name) and I know exactly what you're saying. I have felt the same way many times. Most of my work is geared toward sound design for TV & Radio ads, and believe me, producers are universal. Their lot in life is to make you miserable. You need to develop a thick skin, believe in yourself and your skills, smile in spite of what is going on internally, and respond to every ridiculous request with "No problem!" It's no different than being a waiter, serving difficult customers, or a wedding DJ dealing with drunk relatives of the bride and groom. Never, Never, NEVER let them know that you're getting agitated! I have seen too many engineers do so, and all that you gain from it is a bad reputation...and that takes too long to repair.

If they ask you to do something that you feel may be wrong, express your concerns respectfully and, if they disagree, leave it at that and give them what they asked for. Every day, I deal with people who are abusive, indecisive, and contradicatory. I work many late hours (without overtime) and have seen the sun come up more times than I care to remember. Why do I do it? Because it is my passion and my job. It is what I do best, and how I provide for my family. When I leave work, I leave it at work.

As for your boss...well, unfortunately, they are also universal. It's a business and they are in it to make money. You were hired to do a job to help them make money so that they, in turn, can pay you. As cold and heartless as it sounds, nobody cares if you're not happy. Happiness is a state of mind...your boss and your clients are not there to make you happy, you have to take care of it yourself. You can choose to be miserable or you can choose to be happy...your choice. Frankly, I think you are just going through a "funk", and you need to snap out of it.

You can do this...it's all about perspective. Get your mind straight, focus on your job and don't let yourself get distracted by those things you can't change in other people. Good Luck!
 
 Fri Aug 19, 2005 8:24 pm         
 
 
julesf
Trainee



Joined: Aug 31, 2003
Posts: 82
Location: Southampton, UK Audiopost2, that is the coolest reply, in a nutshell m8 

There are many different fields in audio, maybe you could look at a different area or consider building your own studio where you decide
which projects you take, and who you wish to work with.

That is what I have done I work with pretty much all artists and projects that I feel that I can make a good job of. If I mistreated or abused I will not work with the client again unless the fee say's differently  I must say that I have found most to be pretty good but I am normaly producing too, so I guess as they have engaged me as a producer they pretty much let me get on with the show.

I would stick with it and get some good experiance under your belt, then decide where you want to go next.

Good luck
 
 Sat Aug 20, 2005 1:03 am           
 
 
julesf
Trainee



Joined: Aug 31, 2003
Posts: 82
Location: Southampton, UK Audiopost2, that is the coolest reply, in a nutshell m8 

There are many different fields in audio, maybe you could look at a different area or consider building your own studio where you decide
which projects you take, and who you wish to work with.

That is what I have done I work with pretty much all artists and projects that I feel that I can make a good job of. If I mistreated or abused I will not work with the client again unless the fee say's differently  I must say that I have found most to be pretty good but I am normaly producing too, so I guess as they have engaged me as a producer they pretty much let me get on with the show.

I would stick with it and get some good experiance under your belt, then decide where you want to go next.

Good luck
 
 Sat Aug 20, 2005 1:04 am           
 
 
Audio-Ho
Wannabe



Joined: Oct 20, 2005
Posts: 17
 Ah we've all been there... the emotions! the moods! the wanting to tell ur boss he's a stupid c**t and slap his head... The most important thing to remember is that all jobs are shit really so you either put up with a bit of crap whilst climbing your way to becoming a respected engineer. Or you take an anal thumping in some other line of work that doesn't eventually lead to anything you want for yourself.

People underestimate probably ONE of the most important things about being a good sound engineer what i'm talking about has nothing to do with electronics or mixing or software it's to do with dealing with people... learn those skills and you'll find life gets much easier for you boyo.
 
 Mon Oct 24, 2005 12:55 am         
 
 
eyeven
Wannabe



Joined: Oct 24, 2005
Posts: 8
 i think we all want to wake up every morning and say. "damn. i cant wait to go to work!" ...at least thats what id like to be saying when i find a job. im sure everyone who chooses to be an sound engineer already knows that its not a high paying job...and you're doing for the passion. :p

ya gotta be strong. keep the head up. it will get better. i cant think of anything else that id want to be doing...other than stick with this.
 
 Mon Oct 24, 2005 4:16 pm         
 
 
Jim-Planet4
Wannabe



Joined: Jan 19, 2006
Posts: 2
 It really comes down to a few things...

First and foremost, the intended goal. If you can visualize yourself as a star engineer with credits on the albums of your favorite artists and you really love the idea of that, then you probably at least have the goals for it. If you're not motivating yourself by goals like this and you're looking for a comfortable work environment where you can be respected for something other than phenomenal results and big hit records, then you just might be in the wrong business.

Secondly, PEOPLE SKILLS. This is not a side line item. It's a primary issue in this industry and for many, many others. After all, we're all people right? I don't know if you've ever heard of the Myers Briggs tests? It's just one tool that helps make sense of some of these people you've been dealing with. Guess, what? They're not going to change. And, I'm not sure the world would be such an interesting place if you could change them. The truth is, there are different types of personalities out there, like your boss would inevitably be a driver personality, as is the case with your producer usually. Understanding peoples motivations is the key. If you think we're all motivated the same way, well, you'll be constantly struggling to understand people and why they are doing things so contrary to what you think they should be doing. For example. I completely understand why a producer would be hard on an engineer if they aren't getting what they want from the recording. They see/hear the final mix in their head and you just aren't getting it. So without having finesse and great people skills themselves, they come down on you and push until they hear what they have envisioned. It’s their job. They fail if you fail, so the pressures on for the both of you. Also the artist. They know or think they know their abilities and they want to not only perform it as well as they think they can, including small details that seem un-important to many engineers. But, if the engineers can’t respect the artists need to perfect something or balance some emotion in a vocal line for example, then how can they expect the artist to respect the engineer when they need to balance a mix while accommodating some so called ridiculous request from the artist or producer. You’re there to play a part in the assembly of a record and hopefully a hit record. So that should be the goal. Not whether or not someone asked you nicely for something. Some personalities are truly built to be driven primarily by Stability, so they choose stable jobs with government or banks, etc… Some personalities are driven by the Creative Process, so they become artists, or movie directors, music producers, etc… Some personalities are driven by Equality, so as long as everything is always “fair” they are happy (good luck). And, some are driven by Results and these people become successful Business Owners, Executives, Fighters, Quarterbacks, CEO’s, Leaders of a Nation, etc… And we often find personalities that are a cross section of two or more personality types with one slightly overpowering the other. I for example am a Driver personality cross sectioned by Creative. So I am motivated by results, but get there through the Creative process. So between a Bill Gates (Microsoft) or a Steve Jobs (Apple), I would aspire to be more like a Steve Jobs, because he has been able to bring to market some truly creatively designed products that many organizations are constantly mimicking. His stewardship has brought forth the iPod, which was miles ahead of the competition when it was first introduced and has proven to be a successful product that has produced tangible monetary results for his shareholders. Bill Gates, makes tons more money and has more home computer share than Apple will probably ever have and that’s purely Results oriented. There’s nothing wrong with that, that is who Bill Gates is. It’s just not me. I think most of us here have at least some part of us that is driven by Creativity, or we wouldn’t be in the business. So you just have to identify what other components you’re dealing with in a persons’ personality to better understand them. Then you know, they’re not really waking up in the morning, heading into the studio and thinking, I can’t wait to get there so I can beat up the engineer. You’ll realize that even when words are harsh, the intention behind that is to drive out a result. That being said, there’s no reason you have to take a ton of shit either. I personally wouldn’t. I’d say,… “Listen, we’re both trying to achieve a great record here, and I can work allot better if we can talk calmly about this and figure out a way that I can see into your mind a bit better so we can get exactly what you’re looking for”. Tension in the control room isn’t doing anybody any justice.

Now for my final part of this rant… I had a friend once who sounded very much like you. He went down a bad path as far as how he started to see the world. Let me just say… this is the beginning of the end for you as you know it. Do yourself a huge favor, and don’t head down that path, back up quick. If you’re looking at everyone and trying to figure out how they’re trying to screw you over, then guess what? That’s what you’ll find around every corner. Someone trying to screw you. It’s not actually happening, but your perception is your reality. Are you trying to screw anyone over? No, I didn’t think so. Is your boss? He’s human too. Is the guy at the 7 Eleven trying to water down the slurpies? Oh… I know… the government is trying to screw you over. It’s not that people don’t get screwed over, but be clear. Their motivation is not to screw you over. It’s probably to do some good (in their eyes), and it ultimately might end up screwing you over a bit, but the more you obsess about something you can’t possibly control, the less control you’ll have over your entire life. That being said, if for example your boss said, I want you to work for 16 hours each day for the next two weeks. Do you think he’s trying to screw you over? Or is he trying to meet the needs of a customer (while forgetting about how that impacts your life and your relationship with that business long term)? It’s a rhetorical question. All you can do, is ask first what he’s trying to achieve by doing that, then once you understand his motivations, you can probably understand better how to counteract you being screwed. Sometimes that actually does mean quitting your job, but usually there’s some other way. Long term you’re gonna have to deal with this at some job, even when you’re in business for yourself (because then you don’t just have one boss, every customer is a boss). You need to find a way to constantly, understand someone’s motivation, then use your skills to connect with them in a way that enables them to achieve their goal while you can enjoy the process of getting there. It’s a huge strength to create this positive amicable environment, and weakness is so evident when someone is yelling, screaming or getting their backs up or lashing back at people (it’s fear). Take the higher road dude!

Jim – Planet4
www.planet4music.com
 
 Fri Jan 20, 2006 1:28 am         
 
 
kasper
Tea Maker



Joined: Mar 15, 2006
Posts: 35
Location: Liverpool, UK julesf wrote:
Audiopost2, that is the coolest reply, in a nutshell m8 

There are many different fields in audio, maybe you could look at a different area or consider building your own studio where you decide
which projects you take, and who you wish to work with.

That is what I have done I work with pretty much all artists and projects that I feel that I can make a good job of. If I mistreated or abused I will not work with the client again unless the fee say's differently  I must say that I have found most to be pretty good but I am normaly producing too, so I guess as they have engaged me as a producer they pretty much let me get on with the show.

I would stick with it and get some good experiance under your belt, then decide where you want to go next.

Good luck 



 

Jules is actually true to his word. He recorded a 12 track demo for my old band.
2 days, 4 band members (who all think they are the lead part, and the ego follows it... but we all know its the man with the strat in his hand that leads it... ), 12 tracks recorded live and mixed down in a very small studio...
I think he still has flashbacks, but no servere injury was suffered. Kept it together 
Well done mate!
 
 Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:20 pm