Is Recording Engineering?
Jez Wells, University of York, UK.
(supported by the Royal Academy of Engineering)
September 2011 to July 2012
This web resource contains all of the publicly available outputs from Is Recording Engineering? This was an eleven month Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious
public engagement fellowship. It was undertaken by Jez Wells, of the
Department of Electronics, in collaboration with David Beer, of the
Department of Sociology, both of the University of York, UK.
Blog
During the course of the fellowship, regular updates were posted on this blog.
Although the fellowship has now ended, there will be some updates to
the blog as and when subsequent publications and/or events relating to
this project are announced.
Articles and papers
Links to articles and journal/conference papers that have been published to date can be found here:
Together as one? A response to Eric Schmidt
Interview with Neil Hillman (managing director, The Audio Suite)
When is an engineer not an engineer?
Engineering in the digital recording studio
Recording in Engineering (PowerPoint presentation)
Interview with Dave Fisher (Emeritus Professor of Sound Recording University of Surrey)
The precarious double life of the recording engineer: An artist, an engineer or both? - David Beer (Journal of Cultural Research)
Recording and Engineering (chapter in Audio Education)
How microphones work (Physics Review)
Audio
A podcast on panning (192 kbps mp3, c. 15 minutes)
Software FranPan VST plugin (for 32 bit Windows) - Documentation
FlexDelay VST plugin (for 32 bit Windows) - Documentation
Focus group transcriptions
A
big part of this engagement project was to speak to professional
recording engineers, those studying recording/audio/music technology in
higher education in the UK, and those in years 12 and 13 who are
aspiring to do so. All of these sessions were recorded and
transcriptions are available below. The interviews listed above also
provided primary data for the project.University of York - 7th December 2011Glyndŵr University - 9th January 2012 - Session 1 Session 2
Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts - 27th April 2012
University of Surrey - 15th May 2012 - Session 1 Session 2
Audio professionals, held at The Royal Academy of Engineering - 6th July 2012
Education and careers guidance
One
of the things that emerged from my discussions with professionals
during this project was the fact that many consider that there is
definitely a market in sound recording for those who are properly
qualified and experienced. Whilst medium and large music recording
studios maybe in decline, there are a vast number of radio and
television channels, as well as internet-based media providers, who
require people who can make, mix, edit and master good quality sound
recordings. However the industry, like nearly every other, is
constantly changing and the people who work within it must constantly
adapt and make different contributions. The physics of sound and the
human perception of it do not change and a thorough grounding in these
(rather than a superficial training in whichever piece of equipment or
technology is predominant at a particular point in time) is much more
likely to support the adaptation and inventiveness required to carve
out a career in the industry.
I consider myself lucky to have
been able to study music, sound recording and music technology at two
excellent UK institutions: The University of York and The University of
Surrey. At Surrey I studied Music and Sound Recording (BMus -
Tonmeister) in their Music Department; At York I studied Music
Technology (MSc) as a joint program between the Music Department and
the Electronics Department and then I undertook a PhD in Music
Technology solely in the Electronics Department. I now teach at in the
Electronics Department at York but I am moving to take up a post in the
Music Department in October 2012. From this I feel I have a good
understanding of how these subjects can be approached by both arts and
engineering departments. In the 1990s I taught Music Technology at
Newham College of Further Education (a stone's throw away from where
the Olympic Park now is). During all of that time I've remained active
as a recording engineer and audio designer as well as keeping in
contact with a variety of people who work full-time in the industry.
I'm
often asked which is the best kind of department to study music
technology or sound recording in. To answer this you need to think
about what you are most interested in: the music which is recorded in
studios, or the equipment used to record it. This may seem like an
obvious statement but people have arrived at the role of 'recording
engineer' via both routes. Of course, it's likely that recording
engineers need, and have, an interest in both but ask which focus you
want during three (or four) years of a degree. What are the auxiliary
skills that you think will be best able to help you get your foot in
the door of the industry? What other uses will you have to a studio? Do
you want to be able to fix technology in studios, or offer your
services as a session musician. Don't fall into the trap of thinking
that musicians are creative and engineers aren't: so much of the sound
of modern music (particularly pop music) is shaped by the ingenuity and
innovation of the engineers who design and use audio equipment. Playing
electric guitar is far from being the only way to express your artistic
talents in a recording studio.
When it comes to choosing between
different specific courses or individual institutions there are a
number of things to consider: Firstly ask for a detailed breakdown of
the course content: look at the list of modules (and the way in which
they are assessed) and ask yourself if you'd be happy to take these
modules and do the exams or coursework associated with them. Will they
provide you with the kind of skills and knowledge that you and
prospective employers will be interested in? Remember that some
subjects will provide you with the skills you need to do advanced study
of audio and music technology later on: whilst you may not be
interested in becoming a mathematician, you will need to excellent
skills in this area if you are going to get the very best out of audio
processing and recording technology without simply relying on presets.
Next look at the prospects for people from the course: what areas of
employment do they go into? What are the graduate employment statistics
for the course (or Department)? Don't get too hung up on employability
statistics though - routes to work in recording studios are many and
varied and it is rarely the case that graduates 'arrive' in such a job
in time for the census cut-off for these kinds of statistics. Finally,
look at the facilities on offer: these are important but don't get hung
up on a course solely because
it has a shiny new pro Tools rig - ask about access to the facilities
and remember that the best place to learn about and understand audio in
all its forms (including acoustics and psychoacoustics) isn't
necessarily the control room of a studio.
Of course, you don't
necessarily have to have a degree to get a job in a recording studio
(and a degree certificate certainly isn't a ticket to a guaranteed job
in this industry as it is in others). However a degree is something
which is becoming more and more desirable amongst employers, no doubt
due to the efforts of accreditation schemes such as JAMES,
amongst other things. When looking for work in studios think about what
else you have to offer in addition to be able to run recording
sessions. During times when the studio isn't busy with clients, how
would you earn your keep? Fixing and maintaining equipment? Helping
with marketing and online resources?
Although I don't agree
with or endorse all of it, and it is a little dated now, this series of
articles is a good source of information and ideas about a career in
recording engineering:
How to Become a Recording Engineer - David Mellor (Sound on Sound, 1999)
When
I interviewed him for this project Dave Fisher had some excellent
advice and ideas about what he thinks makes a good recording engineer
and the kind of the thing he looked for when he was interviewing UCAS
candidates for the Tonmeister course. This interview is currently being
reviewed for publication, but as soon as it is available more
information will be posted here [UPDATE: there is a link to the interview at the top of this page].
Other documents
A collection of definitions of engineering