Mixing it up

Emma Wilson is living the dream. Running her own audio production company, she is involved with producing a multitude of media from a band’s recording to producing sound for computer games.

Being her own boss also has its own appeal: “I do enjoy being my own boss, but even more satisfying is finishing a project and being able to hear my work” Emma comments

The majority of her workload is designing sound effects and making music for computer games, films and TV. A sound effects designer commonly assembles a library of thousands of sound effects ready to be sourced by film production. Of course, sound effects can be manipulated to suit any audio chief’s needs - the latest technology and a whole host of applications are always at hand.

Audio engineers know how it’s done

Audio engineers can bring their technical prowess to create the best result from a sound recording no matter what or where they are. The engineer will set up the recording facility, oversee the sound checks with musicians or sound source, take control of the recording process and mix the results.

Sound engineers are creative but technically minded individuals who can problem solve and understand equipment on the job.

People skills are equally important. All sorts of creative people will need a sound engineer, so an ability to communicate affably and clearly are important for the sake of the recording.

Experience is golden

Most of these skills, professional and personal, is learned on the job. Emma says: “Choose a good place to study and get some voluntary work as an introduction to the industry - it's a great way to learn the basics, and in my case, it led to my first paid job.” 

A career in sound usually means starting at the bottom and working your way up. Beginning as a runner, an assistant or as part of a work experience placement scheme is how most people start in the industry before they work their way up.

However, do not discount a good formal education before starting your career in a studio. Emma chose a top audio school overseas. She said: “I chose to study abroad at a leading audio school as it is renowned worldwide for its high standard of training. I believe this definitely helped me to secure work upon qualifying.”

The UK has its own renowned institutions where many of today’s working sound engineers started. Groups like the SAE Institute (formerly The School of Audio Engineering) provide training in Sound Design, Engineering, Recording Arts and Electronic Music Production.

Training is practical and offers all students the chance to develop a strong technical background putting them in good stead for the job market place.

Emma had a strong passion for composing music, and with professional training, now has an aptitude for the technical side of audio production to help carve out a satisfying career. She said: “I decided to study audio engineering so I could make professional sounding recordings of my own compositions. The qualification has led to a really satisfying career, now I hardly get the time to work on my own songs!”

Compose your own career

Many who work in electronic music production to compose their own music work from home or out of a studio. The linking factor for all is that they work with similar equipment, such as sequencers, synthesisers, samplers, MIDI, drum machines and computers (largely with Pro Tools installed).

Learning the technical skills needed to make music is incredibly important. Talent, however, is a more elusive element that some would argue cannot not be learned. How successful an electronic music producer like Moby, Liam Howlett (The Prodigy) or Dr Dre is depends on how good their ear is and on how in touch they are with the market and current trends.

The tools of the trade

Pro Tools is the leading professional software for those working in music making. The professional system can be found in most major recording studios, as well as the bedrooms of producers and engineers everywhere. Some systems are designed specifically for the studio, where others are designed for the home, which is a great opportunity for those wanting to gain extra professional experience in their own time.

The software is programmed for editing and recording sound, so it has basic MIDI editing features integrated into it. Loops software, like CuBase, Sonar and Logic has more MIDI for your money but  benefits from having Pro Tools as the final step.

The SAE Institute offers a certificate course in Electronic Music Production where the student can complete the six month course part-time. It provides all the necessary skills for producing music with computers with topics focussed on sequencing, sampling and synthesis.

Programmes are a main topic studied throughout the course, namely Logic and other sequencing software, programming loops, arranging songs in various genres, creating sounds and producing contemporary tracks.

So, how can you kick start your brilliant recording career? Get back to school.

Further reading

SAE Institute
Career advice for sound engineers
Pro Tools

More Role Models

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