Jobs in recording studios - What are the jobs available?
There are a range of jobs available in a recording studio, these include: Recording engineer, assistant engineer, runner, technical engineer, studio bookings, studio manager, receptionist, mastering engineer, cleaner (!) and no doubt a few we can't think of.
The cleaner. Don't laugh. I know a few people that wound up running studio empires who started as the cleaner. If you have the inside track you can make sure that you take advantage of any opportunity that presents itself. The webmaster of this site started by cleaning up the dog s@#$ in the yard of a studio. Not a well paid job.
Receptionist. Again, don't laugh. Many studios such as Trevor Horn's SARM Studios make sure that all assistants have done a year on reception. It's a great way to hang out, show burning interest and be available. Pay can vary from poor to not bad.
Bookings manager. Assuming you don't want to be a big shot producer and just fancy working in a creative environment this is a fabulous job. People skills are just as important, if not more so. Pay can be very good.
Studio manager. In many cases this is the same as the bookings manager but in larger studios the studio manager runs the place. Pay can be very good.
Studio technician. In some studios there is a technical crew with juniour tech's and more experienced tech's. Qualifications are generally a technical degree or similar. Pay can be quite good.
Runner. The lowest engineer position. You will do everything that no one else wants to do, get the sandwiches etc. You are there to learn and help out. Poor pay.
Assistant engineer. You're helping and learning. You will be setting up, doing things to help the engineer and make a great cup of tea or coffee. Make sure that you make great tea and coffee! Pay os poor to ok.
Recording engineer. You will be recording and mixing. A full description of your job will be covered in other pages but mostly this is the job to have BUT in many cases, many studios don't have staff engineers anymore as freelancers are used by producers quite a lot. Recording engineer interviews.
Record producer. This is very rarely an option as most are freelance. Some record companies that run studios will have a position that is an engineer and producer doing demos. As a producer on staff you are most likely to be a rookie producer that engineers and adds to the artists work. Pay depends. Record producer interviews.
Mastering engineer. The mastering engineer takes the final mixed production and either transfers it to CD or plastic. This can be a very skilled job and can pay well. An example of a mastering engineer is Ray Staff.
We have produced hundreds or interviews with leading recording engineers and record producers - many of these cover how they got started on their career. If you take time to watch these you can learn a lot. Maybe they're quite a bit older than you so times have changed but in most cases all of the advice is as true today as it was then.
Visit the record producers pages to choose the interviews that interest you and remember, it was just as hard for them as it's going to be for you but they show that it can be done.
Our own FORUM has helped a few people get some great jobs. You can search our FORUM but remember that jobs don't just come to you, you need to get out there and hussle! Keep an eye on when the job ad was posted as some people reply to jobs that were posted ages ago!
Major career links - please let us know of any good links that you find!
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What does a music producer do?
