The Record Studio Engineer as an Industry Professional
Introduction;
An Audio Engineer is a person that takes a sound and works with it though means of mathematical equations and practical use of sound capturing and modifying equipment to transform it from simple sound to something of use to many industries. A Recording Studio Engineers role is a pivotal one as there can’t be “Recorded” music without the expertise of the Recording Studio Engineer.
The Studio engineers roles towards a finished audio project can be varied, and in most part would have past through a few different engineers hands before completion, Though I’ll be focusing on a Recording Studio Engineer and the skills they require to go about turning sound into the greatest
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Here are some examples of the ingenuity of some engineers;
A vintage set of half size Ward Beck modules configured as a channel strip. A From left to right: Penny & Giles fader;461M mic-pre-amp; 462 parametric equalizer; 466 compressor/limiter; and 467 meter/noise gate. Built by;
Tom Gruning at Gruning Audioworks, LLC, 125 Grove Street, Middleburgh, NY 12122 http://www.gruningaudioworks.com/products.htm As electronics is a wide part of the industry now having converted over to a Digital Audio Workspace or D.A.W systems from analogue tape which is a dying art amongst newer budding engineers today from adjusting to the setup skills all are replaced by a computer of some sort and a recording platform such as a D.A.W. Digital Audio workstations’ come on many computer based platforms, though having a good understanding of at least the more commonly found systems seems to benefit all recording studio engineers as this allows them to virtually be able to walk into any studio be it in their own city or abroad in another country an still be able to deliver a quality product to whomever their clients may
I always passed by it on the freeway feeling curious as to what it was about. There was a big sign in front of the place that had huge red letters reading “Bass Pro Shop”, with a yellow background and a big fish. What stood out to me every time I saw it, was right under the store sign was an even bigger sign that read in huge letters “Outdoor World.” Every time I passed by, there was always a multitude of cars in the parking lot, which made me assume it was probably a cool place to go to visit, so one day I decided to go to the place and I remember getting out of my car and feeling mesmerized as to how big it was. I remember smelling food from the restaurant that was inside of it and seeing all types of commercial boats around the place. Bass Pro Shop to me looked like an enormous cabin.
There are many different areas of audio related design in which to pursue a career. To illustrate, consider the typical live music concert. First of all, the performance venue needs to be acoustically designed to provide a good listening environment. Each of the performers’ instruments is designed and depending on the instrument the design could have involved acoustic as well as electronic knowledge. Sound reinforcement for the concert involves a myriad of equipment each with it’s own design criteria. Finally, if the concert is to be recorded and produced on a CD, all the recording equipment would need to be designed as well as the studio that it is used in.
There are many different models of turntables still being manufactured. Of those being sold, it is possible to divide them into two separate categories based upon their motor system. Virtually all record players being manufactured today have either belt drive or direct drive motors. For the reasons discussed below, direct drives are accepted as the industry standard for professional DJs and turntabilists.
The Use of Electronic Technology in 20th and 21st Century Music In this essay, I have examined the use of electronic technology within 20th and 21st Century music. This has involved analysis of the development and continuing refinement of the computer in today’s music industry, as well as the theory of the synthesiser and the various pioneers of electronic technology, including Dr. Robert Moog and Les Paul. Also within the essay, I have discussed the increasing use of computers in the recording studio. The computer has become an indispensable tool in ensuring that both recording and playback sound quality is kept at the maximum possible level. Many positive ideas have come from the continued onslaught of computerisation.
Working in the recording industry takes a lot of time, patience, and money. Starting with making records, to 8 tracks, to 4 track tapes, and now to CD’s, there have been many changes in bettering the production. There are five separate levels of responsibility the industry must go through before it reaches the public(148). One is the Artists and repertoire, which develop and coordinate talent. The Operations manage the technical aspects of the recording, such as: sound technicians, musicians, and even the people that
An audio engineer is responsible for the operation of the soundboard and other equipment in the recording of music, words, sounds, or any combination of such material. There are several types of engineering positions available in today's studios. In large studios, there are usually several engineers, each with the own duties and contributions. There are recording engineers, recording assistants, set-up engineers, maintenance engineers, and even mix-down engineers in some cases. In smaller studios the engineer is usually responsible for all of these duties. As a rule, the engineer should be able to set-up, use, and fix the equipment they work with.
When it comes to recording in a modern day environment DAW’s (digital audio workstation) are an essential piece of equipment if professional standard results are desired. Although DAW’s are considered a modern technological advancement the first attempt at a DAW was in 1977 and it came from Dr. Tom Stockham’s Soundstream (See references for full description) digital system. It had very powerful editing capabilities and for its time a very advanced crossfader but was still primitive compared to today’s standard. At this moment there are 100’s of DAW’s on the market but arguably there some obvious leaders. Avid’s Pro Tools has been the go to DAW for any professional studio for the past 20 years and although there have been rumors of Avid going out of business and the features in Pro Tools becoming dated, Pro Tools is still a viable option for studios worldwide. Logic Pro has risen to the fore-front of the industry in recent years due to its easy to use interface that is possible of producing professional results. Ableton Live strays away from a hardware instrument music environment to cater for electronic music users. Audio to MIDI is a main focus along with the critically acclaimed Max for Live used for live performances by many current EDM artists. Each individual DAW has its own pros and cons and comparing these can highlight which DAW is the best for what task.
Becoming a music producer can mean discovering and helping make the careers of artists. However, it takes time, effort, training and contacts. That's because a music producer has plenty of responsibilities during an album's production, both on the creative and the business looks sides. The producer supervises all aspects of the recording process, from helping to select songs to contracting with session players and deciding the sound of the song, selecting the studio and engineers, booking studio time and overseeing the recording budget.
Record Producer is a person who creates beats for other music artist or for themselves. A producer has many roles such as creating a blueprint for the project, selecting songs and musicians, coaching the artist in the studio, controlling the recording sessions, and supervising the entire production. Producers also often take on a wider management role with responsibility for the cost, schedules, and negotiations. A producer aims to gain popularity in the music industry or individual positive exposure to music labels (such music companies as Sony, OVO sound, Def Jams, etc.) Nowadays record producers create music to get label contract or to be heard on the radio.
“Music Producer: Job Duties, Career Outlook, and Education Prerequisites.” Degree Directory. DegreeDirectory.org. Web. 5 December 2013.
Alan says, “They [Pink Floyd] arguably were the most technically minded band out there. They knew what a recording studio was capable of, and they took full advantage. And they worked me hard—they always worked their engineers hard to push the barriers. There’s no better band for an engineer to cut his teeth on, frankly.” (Anonymous. "Studio Legends: Alan Parsons on "Dark Side of the Moon")
Being instrumental reflective has more weaknesses than strength. By interviewing three people with different communication styles, I realize the tendency and pattern of my own style. I identify the reflective side as the “real me” because I use it most of the time. It serves as a good listener along normal conversation with friends and family members because conflict seldom happens through this approach. The only weakness for the reflective side is lack of confidence when I communicate at workplace. The instrumental side appears only when there are conflicts and problems that need to be resolved. The above example from Enesha and Kathy clearly explains how I change to instrumental in a sudden.
In today’s evolving and changing society, many people do not appreciate how extraordinary music truly is. Since the birth of the vinyl record, there are less people who own and are interested in them. Even though vinyl records have recently been making a comeback, they are still not as popular as they once were. People take for granted how easily accessible music is today though in the past it was not as simple. Even though vinyl records may be costly and may not have a large quantity of songs, as time progresses and technology continues to develop, the way that people listen to music degrades their appreciation for music due to easier accessibility, weaker sound in terms of quality, and decaying genres.
Ultimately, music producers attempt to accomplish the overall work of the whole recording session. They are the coach and also the musician/artist in their own way. Every music producer is different, but most can produce and compose tracks entirely by themselves. They are commonly found working and practicing inside their record studio. As a music producer you do not only have to work for a band, musician, or artist, you can also work for television, movies, and advertisements. There is no education requirement but, it would be recommended for the average person who attempts to jump into the music profession. The job growth rate of music producers is unquestionably slow, but the need for them will undeniably be for sure. Without the involvement of music producers and the impact they have made in the music world, music would not be produced the same.
The first thing I think of when I hear the word music is country or hip-hop, because that is what I mainly listen too. I listen to country music the most, and I can relate the songs to my life. They sing a lot about trucks, women, and drinking beer, and I would say that is a big part of my life, especially drinking beer. I grew up in rural Montana and all my friends parents were farmers or ranchers. My hometown reminds me of the places that country singers sing a lot about and I can relate to that. Relating music to my major might be a bit more difficult. Music itself might not be engineered, but musical instruments have to be engineered to make the right sound come out of them. All musical instruments that are created are engineered by someone and they all have different designs. The design of an instrument depends a lot on what sound it produces and to change the sound you need engineering.