To start, I’ve never been to the annual GearFest event put on by Sweetwater Sound in northern Indiana.  It’s quite a large production, with four tents of gear and instruments, and indoor workshops covering evertything from “How to Choose a Drumkit” to “Grammy Award Winning Recording Tips”.  They have an “All Stars Producers Forum” and “Pro Tools Master” workshops.  It’s quite the gauntlet of available information.  then there’s the Musicican’s Flea Market where you can buy and sell your own gear.

So far, I’ve found this event to be rather hit or miss.  Some of the workshops have been very watered down with just enough flash and tech talk to get the standard hobbyist interested in buying some new gear.  The Producers Forum, on the other hand, was a panel of Geoff Daking, Fab Dupont, Ross Hogarth, Dusty Wakeman, and Mitch Gallagher.  They went into how they became producers and what all that means to them individually.  They hit on topics such as running a session effectively and how to accomodate artists on a budget.  As a producer/engineer myself, it was great to hear these industry veterans reiterate a school of thought that I already subscribe to.

Things such as:

- Just because you “make beats” does not make you a producer. There is so much more to producing than most people realize.

- Software and hardware are not what make you a good engineer and/or producer. Knowing how to get a particular performance and sound out of an artist is what sets the best apart from the good.

- Avoid mixing with a timestamp. For example, the snare reverb of the 80′s.

- Try to create an environment for the artist. Sometimes this means doing the tracking sessions out of their home town.

These are some points I have always thought to be true.  I realized at an early age that there were people making music and putting food on the table at the same time.  But I knew that if it were easy, everyone would be doing it (and it seems now as though everyone is trying).  I knew that you had to have an ear for the entire process and be able to communicate with all different kinds of people.

This can be a huge downfall for some engineers.  They could care less about the comfort level of the artist.  They just want the person to play so they can record and edit it.  If you can’t effectively communicate with an artist and make them feel at home and comfortable, you will not get the best possible performance out of them.  This ability is what makes a good producer/engineer a great one.

There is a lot that goes into being a successful and appreciated audio engineer and producer.  Always remember that you are never done learning.

So, if you’re looking to get into the audio industry and are not quite sure if it’s for you, shoot me an email.  Or drop by the studio during a session.  And you can always come out to GearFest 2011 next year at Sweetwater.

Thanks for reading another slightly random post!

Cheers,

Josh Walker