Anyways, thanks Lee for posting. I was thinking of posting awhile ago, but I obviously didn't get around to it until now.
A lot happened since I last posted. To make a long story short, I finished out one of my internships in December, took a month off for the holidays and all, then started at Larrabee in January (same studio mentioned by Lee earlier). I actually only applied there because I remember Lee said he got offered a paid position there last summer. People have nothing but nice things to stay about it though. Unfortunately, I am back at the internship stage.
There are some famous mixers here, Manny Marroquin and Dave Pensado. They are pretty cool dudes. If you've never heard of them by name, you have more than likely heard their mixes. Look them up on AllMusicGuide.com (it's like the IMDB of music).
Interning is... interning. It's not fun, but it's something that needs to be done if you want to get into the world of studio recording. Lee's situation is pretty much like an ideal situation for anyone starting out in our positions. I read this article last week, and while it didn't tell me anything I didn't know, it just assured me how difficult it is, and brought me down a little more. In fact, in that article they describe an ideal situation like Lee's. A project/session needed to be done and he was the only one there, at the perfect place and time. Let's just say that does not happen very often. Don't get me wrong, it's not all luck. I know Lee is a hard worker, and I'm sure he made his own breaks. So go Lee!
In LA or other big cities, it just doesn't really happen like that. I'm at a big studio in LA, and this is how most studios like this one work:
You intern for free for several months. If there is a runner position open, you move up and get paid minimum wage. You do that for several months, and if you are lucky you get an assistant position, and don't get paid much more than that, but you get to be in the studio finally and you get experience. You do that for awhile (could be a few years), and hopefully you'll be ready to become an engineer.
As much as this sucks to be interning, I don't regret moving back to LA. I know of a few other Ex'pression students working at recording studios (in the Bay area). There is more competition in bigger cities like this. You compete with people from a few other schools too, but whatever. Bigger markets offer more potential chances to work with more known artists, which I think can help you work with a larger variety of people later on (and looks good on your résumé), BUT it does take longer. You do what you can to get yourself there. You work hard and stay persistent, and one day you will get there. :)
Take care everyone,
T
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