Is Audio Engineering a profitable and fun field to go into???
Having worked with many engineers (both live sound and recording studio), and seeing one of my bass player friends develop into Integrity’s head engineer for over a decade, I know it can be a really satisfying and fun way to pursue both music and technology. Like many things in the creative arts, the best engineers are in it because it’s their passion – and has been for a very long time. It allows you to create and influence creativity at a level that combines some of the most recent emerging technology, work with incredibly gifted musicians, composers and producers, maybe travel the world. But like many other things in the creative arts, pursuing your passion is never an assured path to financial comfort. It’s a cliche in every aspect of the music industry that legions of talented people struggle with two or three day jobs while untalented hacks nail the really juicy money gigs because of WHO they know rather than WHAT they are capable of doing. And engineering (both live sound and st
Different people mean different things by “audio engineering”. Do you mean designing audio equipment? Do you mean sound mixing and editing? Do you mean designing things for their acoustic properties (buildings, cars, etc)? Designing audio products can be a very rewarding field, but it is also a popular aspiration for young folks, and the engineering schools turn out more folks with the skills, qualifications, and desires than the marketplace can absorb. You can always start your own company. I know several who did, and all but one eventually went into other things, and the one whom remained in audio did most of his work over the years in related areas, where he made the money to support his audio designing as a kind of a paying hobby. He made his name and his fortune in vibration measurement and control, and also dabbled with musical instruments tangentially at times. If you want to go this route, you will need the skills and inclination, but also the right personality and the ability
Audio engineering is a difficult coice as a career. It really is a catch 22 situation, with studios wanting people with experience, but not willing to give people a chance to gain that experience. You may find that studio engineers, producers etc, often started as the “teaboy”, or gopher in a studio, and gained experience through hard work and not a little of initiative. However, with the availability of courses worldwide now, there is a new generation of academically qualified engineers/producers, who may not have a great deal of experience, but the more they become the norm, the more the doors of opportunity will open. If you are serious about a this career, then I would suggest getting “Sound on Sound” magazine, or visit their website – http://www.soundonsound.com/ – and visit their forums. Also in the magazine they have adverts for various institutions worldwide, and they to have good websited with excellent information abou
