How To Get A Job In A Recording Studio [Or an internship]

[@alexdivega]

Very good content Adam! I had some struggles about this and your video make it easily to understand where I can do better. Thanks! 🙂

[@jeffroyADR]

Great vid, Adam. The one thing that will immediately get someone's internship/job e-mail chucked out for me is when they've so obviously mass copy and pasted the same e-mail body to everyone. When you're writing to ask about interning with an ADR mixer and the whole body of your message is "I like recording music", I won't bother replying. But if there's some care put into it and I can see they actually have interest in my part of the field, I'm more likely to at least make some type of connection with them.

[@AdamClairmont]

Ha! I've dealt with that same thing. Not a good look. Thanks for watching!

[@gmr900915]

Nice to meet you Adam ! I saw your post on Polish facebook group. Now i'm on the way to find clients to online mixes. I meake an order for yours guide, and checking what i supposed to do better to find customers

[@AdamClairmont]

That's great! Big hello from across the ocean! I hope you have found something helpful. If you have any questions I'd be happy to help if I can! Good luck!

[@cousinJackee]

Thank you so much for your fantastic advice Adam! I definitely try to avoid negative posts or people. I had been struggling to find internships for years now, transitioning from live sound to audio post/sound design, I would always encounter those types of people saying to give up and switch careers, but I have been persistent/stubborn and finally got accepted for an internship. Which is odd, because it's during a pandemic, so I didn't even expect to be able to find one, but somehow I got it!

[@AdamClairmont]

Hey that's fantastic news, congratulations! I'm sure you were hired because you are doing things right and have plenty to offer. Now it's time to give it everything you've got! Good luck and thank you for watching!

[@voicegclef]

Great advice on the “Loser” commentator! I’ve had to remove so many of these people in my own path over the years! Including loved ones!

[@ozo1489]

This is a great talk! Especially the last part, talking about we should get loser out of our life. Although I still in school but always feel in the audio industry there is no certain right path how to get hired by others. Just be positive and support the community. Glad I meet your channel!! Thank you.

[@AdamClairmont]

Hey thanks! You're absolutely right. Wish it was simpler, but yes I think you are right.

[@prodghotneptune2325]

this is great advice but where i live people are very unprofessional or they just don’t offer internships , as a producer i don’t make much money and i heard being an engineer would get me farther but i feel like nobody likes me or sees me as an asset even though i have multiple talents

[@AdamClairmont]

Yeah, it's all easier said than done right? But if it was easy no one would feel like they need to watch this video. Try looking for a remote internship or try to broaden your skillset so you can offer more value. You can never know enough and never offer "enough value". If you think you are the best, go deeper. I promise you, that mentality will only serve you positively.

[@pickD4prez]

I have a hunch that you are like me. they dont like you (or more likely just dont connect with you as much as their other options) because you have a different cultural background. most people in the music industry are nerds or were preppy kids. if you dont relate to that than you need to learn everything you can about connecting with them.

[@prodghotneptune2325]

@@pickD4prez i was a loser growing up but i also grew up in the hood and sold drugs to survive , im super “nerdy” i 3d animate ,code , and produce on the side it’s really the fact that im more weird then them (ie: my dyed hair , my nails painted black , im a lil bi it’s not obvious but i don’t judge , etc )

[@pickD4prez]

@@prodghotneptune2325 well shit there ya go, makes perfect sense. I mean I'm not a "nerd" as you call it but yeah it makes sense you feel that way. also don't forget having that idea is like a self fulfilling prophecy. I know that sounds like garbage hoopla woowoo nonsense but it's true & you can only really tell once you break out of it

[@timoteooo94]

I went to school but I haven’t finished. I did actually pay attention since it was my passion before school n I’ve been doing music since I was 4 years old. Not gonna lie, I’m dope asf in the studio. I have an ear for music and I’m very picky about my sounds. I’m also good at making cheap sounds sound like high quality which in a way is important depending on the situation.

[@HaharuRecords]

I can see this in 2 prespectives.

[@jeffroyADR]

Also - Full Sailors unite!

[@AdamClairmont]

Ah ha! Knew I liked you!

[@bigmac5753]

Im a producer i really wanna work in a studio with other people

[@matthewzagorski9161]

I got my degree in audio engineering back in 2009. I never actively looked for jobs because four years in school kind of killed my passion for it. I've since gotten back on the train and I've looked for jobs but not too actively. I'll take this advice to heart, but I do have a question. Is my having done basically nothing audio related in 12 years a liability? A remember a lot of the basics of signal flow and mixing, but in a lot of ways I feel like I've regressed back to where I was before I started college.

[@AdamClairmont]

Hey Matt, good question. I can't speak for everyone but here's my 2 cents. First of all, since you lack lengthy experience, the clients or jobs you should be going after should reflect that. You need to start somewhere. You are probably looking at a new artist for music, or entry level position in a studio or some sort of internship. Your work history would not be a negative factor for any of those, in my opinion. So, your competition will likely be those with little experience, those just leaving school or similar situations. In some cases, I would prefer someone who is older and (possibly haha) more mature if all the other things are equal, so there you may have an advantage. If you've held any job what so ever, it shows you are dependable in a way and that counts. The problem that I see (and I may be the only one who thinks like this) is if you've had all this time, why haven't you done more? Even free work or your own projects? If I am in your position I am immediately going to beef up my portfolio with voice over work, a podcast, several sound design pieces and some music mixes. You can find videos, free multitracks, just about everywhere you look these days. I'd get on that asap so you have something to show and a variety to show. You might even consider researching the type of clients and work your targets have and do either the exact same project or a very similar project to demonstrate you have the proper skills to work, and motivation to do that work on your own. Hope that helps bud!

[@matthewzagorski9161]

@@AdamClairmont Thanks for the response. That's some pretty solid advice. I suppose it's a bit misleading to say I've done nothing. I've run audio for a few high school plays and then I had a recurring gig running a few lavalier mics for a traveling murder mystery dinner show but we've obviously been put on hold. As for doing my own work, there's two things holding me back: with two kids (like I can talk, I know you've got three) I have very little free time, and my own self doubt. I had kind of touched on this when we were still having CRSOAE meetings, but I see all these complex mixes you guys put up and I feel overwhelmed and I don't know how to do that. Not as much in the sense of "I can't possibly learn all of this!" but more that I'd love to sit down with someone and just break it apart piece by piece and learn why it all is the way it is. I can't tell you how many "aha!" moments I've had watching KZbin videos on audio engineering. Specifically, there was a really great one about noise gates and it brought me back to college and I thought "Jeez, I wish my professor could have explained it that way and I totally would have gotten it," but at the time I didn't know how to ask the questions that I had, plus competing with 20 other people for one on one time with a teacher in an hour long class wasn't really conducive to the way I learn.

[@AdamClairmont]

@@matthewzagorski9161 I get it, I totally understand how you feel. What I am about to write is not shocking nor is it meant to be condescending, but they call it work and not play for a reason. This takes a lot of effort, and time and thought. The longer you put it off, the more difficult it becomes and the longer you will wait before it either pays off or you give up entirely. Again, you know me, I'm not trying to be a jerk about it but let's be honest with what needs to be done okay? Have you tried scheduling a dedicated amount of time to work on your skills? Not just watching youtube but practicing and applying what you are learning? That would be a good thing, to get on a calendar regularly. Even 15 min a day would really make a difference. Or if you are putting in the time, then take a step back for a moment and evaluate the return you're getting from that time. Is it paying off? If not, maybe time to switch up what you are doing to get a better return? It's a lot, I know. But you are a smart dude so I know you can look at this from another perspective and be honest about what's working and what's not and then move accordingly.

[@AdamClairmont]

Also, if you want to let me know specifically what you want to learn regarding the "complex mixes" in your earlier comment, then I can look at making a video explaining it for you. :)

[@georgethompson1535]

I am going in on a 1 on 1 studio tour/ work experience day at a studio. How do I sell myself within this short period of time and secure a full time internship from this experience

[@AdamClairmont]

Pay more Attention to what you plan to give than what you plan to get. Without getting in the way or being overly aggressive, be helpful. Pay attention to what or who needs help and offer. Just realize that the person you are meeting with is expecting just a one day encounter so that's all it may end up being. No harm in explaining that you would like to continue helping though.

[@georgethompson1535]

@@AdamClairmont Do you think its better to ask them on spot at the end of the day or follow up through email. Also maybe doing things like booking the studio and doing paid lessons with a staff member after the experience would be better way to ease in?

[@AdamClairmont]

@@georgethompson1535 I think it's fine to ask if they offer an internship program and let them know you are very interested. I guess I would say don't put pressure on yourself to land an internship on this day since it sounds like that isn't the purpose of the day in the eyes of the studio owner.