SSS-Sounds like a great way to mix it up

Hayden Taylor at York Street studios. Photo / Graeme Sedal

Interested in working in audio for sound recording studios, post-production studios, radio-television broadcasting or live sound?

Training in audio engineering develops sound recording, editing and mixing skills using various professional media formats and control surfaces.

SAE Institute provides an NZQA approved qualification for people interested in audio engineering.

The 12 month, full-time (24 months part-time) course has a strong practical focus with students working alongside artists, learning to meet deadlines and professionally document their work.

Students learn about communication and interpersonal skills by canvassing musicians to record, as well as dipping into an SAE database of artists interested in assisting students

Each topic has a recording assignment and students must report on the techniques, experiences and challenges.

Their final assignment is to assemble and master their recordings into a coherent product; their "showreel".

According to SAE Institute audio programme leader Karsten Schwardt, the showreels help graduates get a foot in the door of an industry difficult to access without a proven track record and good reputation.

Of the 30 students accepted per intake, Schwardt says the top 15 to 20 per cent would gain employment within a few months of the course finishing; sometimes beforehand.

Another 30 to 40 per cent would find employment within two to three years, typically by doing voluntary work and unpaid internships to develop their skill level.

He points out a significant number of the audio engineering students aim to become independent musicians. While there are only two studios of York Street status in New Zealand, there are many smaller studios with healthy client lists, says Schwardt.

THE GRADUATE

Hayden John Taylor
* 28
* Intern Assistant Engineer at York Street Recording Studios
* Finished Diploma in Audio Engineering in December 2007

I'm currently in an unpaid internship and working towards a head engineer or freelance engineer position at York Street in the next year or so.

A normal day is 12 to 14 hours in this business. Daily tasks include selection and placement of the correct microphones for particular instruments, helping visiting engineers with equipment specific to York Street, managing the large amounts of data involved and ordering and maintaining stock levels of consumables such as CDs.

I also help look after clients and musicians in the studio and assist the house engineer and visiting engineers with set up and running of recording sessions. I also do digital editing, such as sound replacing, vocal comping and tuning and drum editing. Oh, and I make coffee and do general cleaning and maintenance.

It is a very specialised field so understanding the terminology and equipment is extremely important. The learning curve would have been very steep if I hadn't done the SAE diploma, and without the qualification, the position would probably not have been offered to me.

I originally studied music technology at Otago University, then came to SAE because they specialise in audio recording with a slant towards studio production.

On the course we did a number of practical assignments that were self-directed with assistance from the school's technical and tutoring staff. We were assigned a certain amount of studio time each week in order to complete assignments and were also given opportunities to book studio time other than what was allocated.

THE EMPLOYER

Jeremy McPike
* Studio Manager of York Street Recording Studios

This is a service industry so communication skills and the ability to deal with people are essential skills for an assistant engineer.

Good time management and logistical skills are also essential. Pulling the elements of a recording session together is a difficult process to manage effectively because there are many things to organise in a limited time frame.

You're dealing with $2 million of studio equipment and working with musicians who are paying $1500 plus GST to be in the studio, so you must be trustworthy and reliable - and punctual.

Good grooming is another essential. You can't have B.O. when holed up in a room with others for 12 to 14 hours.

You also need musicality and technical skills which you will further develop over the next two to three years.

It is a role that needs absolute commitment. When working on an album project, you'll be working six days a week from 10 to the early hours of the morning. This can get difficult for girlfriends, partners or family.

SAE graduates, like Hayden, have shown a commitment to learning about audio engineering which helps them get a foot in the door. They turn up understanding basic microphone technologies and signal flow and the way the studio works.

There are four audio engineering courses in New Zealand; MAINZ, Excel, SIT and Auckland University's Masters in Sound Engineering, pumping out hundreds of graduates a year into an industry with very low turnover.

I get 50 emails a week begging for work. One guy emailed every Friday for 12 months until I gave him an internship.

I'm on the SAE advisory board and I believe it is very important to be honest about job prospects but also be enthusiastic about people doing something they love and believe in.

TRAINING PLACE

Qualification: Diploma in Audio Engineering (Level 5)
Where: SAE Institute (New Zealand)
Contact: 09 373 4712; infonz@sae.edu; www.sae.edu
Next intakes: September 21, then January 11, 2010
Duration: Courses usually fill up six to eight weeks before start date.
Entry requirements: School leavers - minimum NCEA Level 1 in maths and science or equivalent and at least 17 years old. Sometimes an interview. International students need to be 18 years with IELTS of 6 minimum (or equivalent).
2009 tertiary fees: $9715 including CD/DVD media used.
Starting Salary: Approximately $35,000-$40,000 pa. Freelance rates $250 to $500 + GST per recording day.