Oct 27, 2009 12:46 PM, By Lisa Horan & Kevin Hill, Studio Unknown

Success Listens

In an industry that emphasizes the D.I.Y. approach to just about everything, a revolution of sorts has swept over young engineers, and that is: “I can do everything like the pros, right now, from my own home studio.” According to Sheridan, nothing could be further from the truth.

“The kids I meet who are just coming out of school and don’t know that I’m a studio owner totally believe that they can produce just what the ‘big rooms’ can, and just as well,” he explains. “That’s what our society is teaching them, but they have trouble looking beyond the technology. What they fail to see are things like the creative synergy that happens with a project when you get eight or so musicians together in a space and all playing at the same time, which typically can’t happen in a home studio setup.”

Though Symons says that The Lodge is more of a “learning” facility than a “teaching” facility as the bottom line is about booking billable hours, he also says there are plenty of opportunities for interns to ask questions and gain valuable hands-on experience. “I tell my interns to treat this not just as a part-time job, but also as an extension of their education that they’re getting for free,” he says. "The successful interns are the ones who don't show up fried and bleary-eyed after a night out or a part-time night job. They have to be willing to treat this as their job."

Sheridan says that young engineers who want to become great engineers will dig deeper and be willing to learn from others before bounding blindly into a project. “The ones who jump out of school and into producing their best friend’s band or start their own publishing company without realizing what that really means are typically the ones who wind up getting a job at the post office in a few years.”

Opportunity Knocks, Both Ways

You have to think that many of the interns who apply are hoping that their stint will eventually lead to a paying gig. But studio owners sometimes have to look at opportunity from the flip side—you might actually find your next diamond in the rough. That’s how it happened for Symons. It was through his internship that he got his start in the business. And while the opportunity did pay off for him, it also wound up serving the studio he worked for. His skills were called upon almost immediately, and he soon became the chief engineer. “Funny thing is, the guy that replaced me 10 years later when I moved on was also an intern, and he’s been at the studio for more than 25 years now.”  

What’s more, have you ever thought of interns as networking connections? Probably not, but a good intern with a good ear is sometimes the one out in a club at night who might just bring in the next big thing. Or that intern might move away but bring back some work. It happened for Geyer—in a big way. Through a Japanese intern who returned to Japan to work for a record company, Geyer was put in touch with Mai Kuraki, one of that country’s most successful recording artists. Not only did Tokiko Nishimuro wind up becoming the head of the record company, but Geyer is now celebrating his tenth anniversary producing Kuraki, the Japanese version of Britney Spears who has had six Number One albums. And he owes it all to an intern.

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Kevin Hill is the owner/engineer and Lisa Horan is the creative director of Studio Unknown, a full-service audio post-production facility and recording studio that specializes in helping clients discover creative sound for film, video, Web, gaming and artist projects. Find out more information about the studio.

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