Post #3471852
2026-06-29 15:21 UTC
I've been taking a lot of recordings of bands and doing simple mixes for them recently. Nothing I could make money on, just walking up to the band at a dance and asking if I can plug into the board and send them recordings later. It's making me miss doing sound engineering for theaters (a thing I did a lot of in college), and making me wish I could do some stuff for music (unsure if live or recorded). I don't even know how one would get into that world though (short of going back to school, which I can't afford to do even if I wanted to), and it probably doesn't make any more money than being a bike mechanic and if I'm going to pivot I need to pivot to something where I'm not perpetually on the verge of losing my housing.
How does one even start to learn more about running sound, mixing, and mastering? YouTube seems to be what everyone recommends, but it's 99% obvious bullshit by people with no real experience as far as I can tell.
Replies (2)
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@YakyuNightOwl@mastodon.world 2026-06-29 15:33
@sam@social.coop One of the best sound people in Portland got a lot of practice running the board at the X-ray. She was very good even with such a barebones setup. Find a venue without a budget, or even a church without fascists (good luck) who needs someone to do sound. I'd suggest being an intern at a local recording studio, but those days are mostly in memory. Community radio is also worth exploring if you've got an outlet with a volunteer program. It's a skill that takes plenty of time to learn.
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@rossgrady@dood.net 2026-06-29 15:35
@sam@social.coop the archives of Tape Op magazine are still an absolute goldmine for this topic. How I learned 50% of what I know. The other 50% came from just trying shit. https://tapeop.com/