Current Real World Success Stories of Audio Engineers.

Being an audio engineer sounds like a really fun and rewarding job but is it realistic to expect you can make a living at it? The answer to this question depends a lot on how much effort you put into becoming successful. Let’s look at a few case studies from recent graduates of Recording Connection for Audio Engineering & Music Production or Recording Connection for Advanced Audio Engineering & Music Production who took advantage of our disruptive mentor/extern model of education to create viable careers for themselves as audio engineers.

CASE STUDY ONE: First in line to be hired. Ryan Abbot.

As with all Recording Connection programs and workshops, Ryan started out as an extern. As a student in Recording Connection for Audio Engineering & Music Production he focused on learning audio engineering, hands-on, inside of mentor extern location, recording studio Platinum Shop Productions in Elmira, NY. During his externship he impressed his mentor Will Greene with his hard work, showing up on time, and the talent and skill levels he demonstrated. It wasn’t long before Ryan was offered, and accepted, the job of Chief Engineer How Ryan Abbot got hired. This career path is actually one that many of our students have followed. By externing inside a real-world recording studio and demonstrating their abilities, it’s only natural that if an opening at that studio arises, the student will be first in line to be hired.

CASE STUDY TWO: Learning the industry from the inside. Jamaal Taylor.

Jamaal externed at Angel House Studios in Los Angeles with Recording Connection mentor Drew Kapner, focusing on Electronic Music. It was during his externship that Jamaal was able to observe first-hand, all the moving pieces of the music industry. After his externship was completed, Jamaal used these connections and got hired by Avalon Hollywood as a DJ tech and sound engineer. He also continued to work on creating his own electronic music and recently placed two of his songs in the feature film Sleight (read the article on how Jamaal got his music placed in the Blumhouse production). Instrumental in getting his songs placed were the skills he developed in creating his own beats from scratch. The music supervisor for the film was ecstatic that not only were Jamaal’s tracks perfect for the movie, but they didn’t need to get clearance for samples.

CASE STUDY THREE: Diverse revenue streams make the world go ‘round. Joe Dancsak.

Joe has taken the Recording Connection program twice in the last ten years. He came back a second time to update his skills to better use modern technology. His mentor for his second go ‘round was Donny Baker at ES Audio. During this second stint at the Recording Connection, Joe honed his audio engineering skills and collaborated with Donny on pitching his songs to major artists, film and TV music supervisors, K-pop and building out his catalog of music (read the story in our newsletter). His advice to prospective students is make the work your priority. Looking back ten years to his first go ‘round with the Recording Connection, he laments the fact that he approached the course as “school” rather than the first step at building a career.

CASE STUDY FOUR: Being in the right place at the right time, with the “right stuff.” Morning Estrada.

Morning Estrada externed at ES Audio with Donny Baker back in 2012. At the time, Morning was working full time at Bank of America and then devoting as much of his time as he could to study music production with Donny. One night, he got a call from Donny saying can you come in and run a session in two hours. Morning was just heading out for a night of fun with some friends, but made a decision that would change his life when he bagged the night on the town for a night in the studio. It turns out the session was with Trinidad James and by the time the session was over, Trinidad asked Morning to be his Los Angeles audio engineer. Fast forward seven years and Morning has done work with Jessie J, Amine, Nelly, 50 Cent and many more and is currently on tour with Anime. Get the full story here. As he says, “None of these opportunities were ever planned. They happened because I just happened to be there or picked up the phone. Don’t get bummed if things don’t happen right away. It’s not an overnight success. It’s many, many hours and years put into this and you only really truly get what you put into it.”

There are many paths to success as an audio engineer. The Recording Connection’s real-world mentor/extern programs lead to many of them in ways that most traditional audio schools can’t. If you’re serious about becoming an audio engineer, it’s an approach you should consider.

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