I certainly understand the idea of paying one’s dues before being able to prove yourself in the world of recording. This was the mindset I kept reminding myself of when scoping out my first internship at a “big time” studio.

During my last semester as a student at Berklee College of Music in their Music Production & Engineering program (MP&E for those in the know), I was fairly confident in my recording know-how but had not gained a lot of experience day to day functions of the studio world. I decided like many others that the best way to learn, was to intern.

I settled with a ‘big time” studio and agreed to the following terms:

- Internship is unpaid.**

- Hours for unpaid internship were up to 3 days a week. 11am-11pm. Yep… 12 hours.

- Janitorial duties are a primary part of the job.

- Don’t talk to clients. If they ask your opinion, play stupid.

**You are more likely to find a unicorn prancing a field with rainbows and leprechauns before finding a paid recording studio internship.

The lists went on and on, getting more absurd with each bullet point. That being said, it was all pretty standard among any studio you would intern at.

This particular day in the studio, there were two groups. A powerpop group assembled in hopes of boy-band stardom and a reunion of a punk group whose heyday was the early 90’s. Both acts on a “major label.” 

After getting settled, I decided to introduce myself. In the main room, they were tracking basics. I walked up to the lead engineer, “Hey. I’m Aaron and I am interning here. Let me know if I can help you out with anything.”

After holding out for a handshake, which I awkwardly withdrew from his indifferent response, he looked me over with the condescending expression of “why are you talking to me?” 

For whatever reason thought I should ask if he would be cool for me to sit in on his session for the day. 

“Ummmmm.. No.”

(long pause)

“I think you’d kill the vibe…”

I was dumbfounded, though I still let him know to ask for help if necessary as I shamefully walked away.

Trying my luck with the other engineers, I walked into a mix session getting ready for setup. There was a producer working with two engineers. I thought it would be interesting to see the collaboration and general work approaches. Would they work mostly “in the box” or over outboard gear? I introduced myself to another cold reception. I definitely wasn’t welcomed on any sessions that day.

An hour in to my 12-hour shift and I was confined to the lobby. After staring at the wall for 15 minutes, I picked up the closest magazine and proceeded to read it cover to cover, word to word. Every word. By the time lunch rolled around, the assistant engineer popped his head out of the studio, “Hey Intern, we just ordered some lunch. Go pick it up.”

I was happy I had something to do but a little irked at being referred to as “Intern.”

Eventually, the engineers come out from the studio chatting about plans for the weekend. They ruffle through the bags of food never once acknowledging my presence. They eventually return to the studio when the assistant comes back to ruffle through the bag.

“Hey man… Did you get a receipt?”

Wondering if I had just completely screwed up, I reply,

“I didn’t ask for one. There isn’t one in the bag?”

“No. This lunch is comp’ed by the label. You gotta go back and get a receipt.”

An hour after I had initially picked everything up, I venture back to the take out joint to acquire a receipt for an order that I had no clue who’s name it was under or what they even ordered. Luckily enough, the same cashier was behind the counter. 

“Hey… Ummm… Not sure if you remember me or not.. I was in here and picked up an order about an hour ago. Ummmmm…. Do you have the receipt for that?”

They fumbled through a pile of receipts and to my surprise pulled up the one for the order. I thanked them a million times over and headed back. 

I had already learned to not bug the engineers in the room, so I simply set the receipt on the table. The assistant popped his head out again.

”Hey. Can you run and grab us some coffees?” 

This was followed by a very specific set of instructions on how it should be prepared. With only eight hours left in my shift, it was coffee time.

I thought, “What’s the point of this?”

I was reconsidering the learning value of this internship. Even putting a mic stand in front of a kick drum would’ve been ideal. Knowing that there were interns who’d been there over a year, who were still no closer to even assisting on sessions. I got the coffee and trekked back to the studio. As soon as I got back to the front door, I realize that I did not grab a receipt. Whoops. 

This is about when I decided it would be much more valuable to just go out and DO projects than brown nose the gods of knob turning. I would rather be around people that can be bothered with treating people like human beings and not just pretend for those that are paying them. 

I set down the coffee on the table and walked in to the studio manager’s office. I thanked him for the opportunity and told him that it wasn’t working out. I couldn’t tell if he was genuinely sorry about my experience there or nervous that the engineers might have to grab their own coffee for the rest of the day. Either way, I left with a mindset of the best way to learn is to do, and that is in no way attached to a physical location. The realm of recording has certainly moved in a direction that allows one to be able to work outside of studio walls.

Now that we have that out of the way. Our Glass Studios is not a physical location. I am a man of many hats: Engineer, Audio Editor, Producer, Guitar Player, Cat Lover, Song Writer. For me, it is all about the process of making music and the culture that comes along with recording. What I intend to do with this blog is document all aspects of this process. Whether it is interesting techniques that I have picked up in sessions, news and footage of groups that are currently recording, or other general musings, I intend to make this a sketchpad for a transparent look in to the world of recording music.

Aaron