Members sabriel9v Posted February 26, 2010 Members Share Posted February 26, 2010 I'm a young college grad and right now I have an employment contract with a non-profit organization. In a few months, my contract will be over and I'll be at a crucial point in my life and at a major crossroads in terms of picking what kind of career path I want to actively pursue and make my life. So far I've formulated a strategy, but I need an insiders perspective. Can any of you help me by sharing your experiences and stories? I just want to ask some questions in order to get more info and evaluate everything. I want to work live sound and production as well as build and repair amps for a living. - What kind of income can a live sound engineer/amp tech bring in? Is it enough to support a family and is there upward mobility within these kinds of positions? - What's your daily routine like? - What kind of formal schooling would you recommend to compliment a sound job ie a music technology program, electrical engineering, what field of study is most beneficial to not only learning about electronics theory, but putting on your resume and making people take note? - How did you personally get your start in the industry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 I want to work live sound and production as well as build and repair amps for a living. It would be extremely difficult to simultaneously do all three. It's hard to take a full bench with you out on the road so you can build amps. It's also difficult to jump back and forth between doing live sound (on the road) and studio stuff, although some folks do manage to make that work somehow... probably mostly by recording bands they meet on the road or tour with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members nerol1st Posted February 27, 2010 Members Share Posted February 27, 2010 Yeah I second what phil said. If your successful at one or the other your gonna have to pick one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted February 28, 2010 Members Share Posted February 28, 2010 I run live sound a lot and it has been an excellent way to get studio clients. It seems that if they like the way you can make them sound in a live situation, they are prone to think you can make them sound good in the studio. And time wise it hasn't been any problem so far. I think unless you are busy full time doing one or the other, it can be a great way to pick up clients. Especially in the winter time when the live sound gigs are fewer. That's when my studio is booked the most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sabriel9v Posted March 1, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 I want to work live sound and production as well as build and repair amps for a living. It would be extremely difficult to simultaneously do all three. It's hard to take a full bench with you out on the road so you can build amps. It's also difficult to jump back and forth between doing live sound (on the road) and studio stuff, although some folks do manage to make that work somehow... probably mostly by recording bands they meet on the road or tour with. How about this? I would build and repair amps out of my workshop and do live sound and production in my local area *I would prefer to get on a job on the production staff at a live music venue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Norton666 Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 How about this? I would build and repair amps out of my workshop and do live sound and production in my local area *I would prefer to get on a job on the production staff at a live music venue If youre not willing to travel , and by travel , I mean travelling full time all over, it is VERY hard to make a living running sound. When you consider the initial investment and what you make per show , it looks awfully bleak. If you can find a store that is looking for a good tech , there is money in amplifier repair. There arent a lot of good amplifier guys out there anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members witesol Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 I'm a full-timer sound guy, and studio engineer. i make a decent living staying around home. But, it takes a while to earn a reputation as a sound engineer and the investment in gear, for even a modest system, can be 10s of thousands of dollars. there are lots of $300-600 sound gigs out there, but if you don't have gear, those level gigs barely pay for what you need, let alone making a living. In this economy people are VERY protective of their existing jobs. Getting a chance to prove yourself comes infrequently. I've mixed well over 100 acts per year for the past several. it has taken me 10 years at least to get things really cookin'. I have a rather modest collection of paid-for gear, 35 or so Speakers, a few mixers, amps, stands mics, etc... that means it has been slim profit-wise as I've built up inventory. No way i could have done this as my only income source..for years. if you stay at home you could have a home based amp repair or mfg biz.. ?s: do you own any sound equipment? do you have experience doing shows? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted March 1, 2010 Members Share Posted March 1, 2010 If you want tyo make a decent living an put youir kids through college and have time to spend with kids, AND you have some kind of electronics degree, by best advice is dont bother with either and find a major manufacturer as an employer that the full beifits package and medical. You family will need those benifits more than you will and not having a steady paycheck has ruined more relationships than you can count. Amp repairs on new stuff is usually done by the manufacturers and doing repairs for a music store (usually many) requires quick turnaround. The $ arent very good either no matter how good you are. When you figure in the profit after parts and labor time you dont make much. Unless you're working on high dollar amps and the customers have money (musicians usually dont have two dimes to rub together) For most lower end amps, say a $300 head. How much can you charge before a customer decides to buy new? As far as road work, Its pretty much a single mans job. 3:00 in the morning when the bands finishing up and heading to the next job, You wont last long by saying I have to go home and hange with the ball and chain. If the chicks dont tempt you, the lifestyle will take its toll. Lastly if you can find a wife that doesnt get jealous over you and your profession, youe would be a dam luckey man. They All think some whore is going to steal their guy away at a gig. Even if you are 100% loyal you're going to have to deal with the suspicions thay have. that alone will cramp your style. If you do plan on getting into sound, Dont get married till you have a successful business going. If you got kids and diapers its likely never going to get off the ground. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members scarecrowbob Posted March 3, 2010 Members Share Posted March 3, 2010 All I can say is-- good luck. The tech stuff is the easy part of all engineering jobs. Not being a dick to people and understanding what folks need is the hard part. Of course, if you do that well, you are better off selling cars or avon, so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sabriel9v Posted March 12, 2010 Author Members Share Posted March 12, 2010 ?s: do you own any sound equipment? do you have experience doing shows? I own no recording equipment aside from a 4 track cassette player and my experience comes from working sound when my university would throw big concerts on campus. But a lot of that wasn't even dealing with the board, it was setting up pa speakers, monitors, throwing a bunch of cables under the stage and doing the initial soundcheck. But my boss at the time wouldn't let us run the big soundboards during any of the major shows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GZsound Posted March 14, 2010 Members Share Posted March 14, 2010 I think the best advice you have gotten here is to remember what the benefits and downside are to being self employed. First off is NO benefits. You need liability insurance for your business and you need medical, dental, etc. insurance too. Plus the initial investment and cost of maintenance for your sound equipment, which can run tens of thousands of dollars if you are doing bigger gigs. Live sound is a very tough way to make a living, especially now with inexperienced folks buying a bunch of gear and thinking they know what they are doing. Eventually, they start low balling the market because they have no clue. One of the hardest parts of owning a business like this is to actually get paid for your investment and your time plus costs. Instrument repair can be a good business if you can get the word out about your services and most likely would require less investment and less overhead along with less maintenance expense. But you still have NO benefits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators MrKnobs Posted March 15, 2010 Moderators Share Posted March 15, 2010 I run live sound a lot and it has been an excellent way to get studio clients. It seems that if they like the way you can make them sound in a live situation, they are prone to think you can make them sound good in the studio. And time wise it hasn't been any problem so far. I think unless you are busy full time doing one or the other, it can be a great way to pick up clients. Especially in the winter time when the live sound gigs are fewer. That's when my studio is booked the most. This is what worked for me. I had a small studio, and I did tour sound. The two jobs feed each other. People you meet on the road mixing want to be recorded, and bands you record in the studio often want you to mix them live. You have to be good, reliable, and networked to make a living, but it can be done. I did it for years, but eventually I met someone and got married. Terry D. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fuzzball Posted March 15, 2010 Members Share Posted March 15, 2010 First off is sounds like you only did setup work, you still don't have the experience. Next I would suggest making a business plan. Be honest, this will help you get a more accurate picture of what you are in for. Also you can get benefits, but they will cost you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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