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[Stephen Kirby]

There are three disciplines involved that I see:
Music - Know instruments, many musical genres, what performers go though, etc
Electronics - An EE is great, a tech school education will help.  As said, networking and digital protocols are becoming more and more common.  Actually understanding how wireless things work.  And so on.
Business - Whatever endeavor you do, eventually things will come down to business.  Actually I'd start here.  My day job is a manufacturing engineer.  But I find that the more I learn about business the more effective I can be.  Obviously if you're an independent sound provider you really need to understand business.  But even in the trenches of a larger company, if you can understand why things are done and speak the language you will be much more successful.  I'd also put the people skills in this bucket.  Understanding the financials whys and wherefores and working with people to support their ends will go a long way.

[Justice C. Bigler]

If you want to be a mixer, study music

Oh man...lol...I spent my first four years in college as a music performance major. Spent lots of time in music theory, ear training, playing in all kinds of ensembles, private lessons on four different instruments.


I get to actually mix one, maybe two shows a year, a youth opera in the summer and maybe an orchestra pops show.    


Did I mention that one of the best touring musical theatre mixers that I know never went to college or played an instrument at all? (He also owns a Lamborghini...but he's not married and has no kids either)

[Mike Monte]

If you want to be a mixer, study music

FWIW: My little sound company's  niche is that I am also a performing musician (I just returned from a paid rehearsal with a professional orchestra).
It has been my experience that musicians respect musicians' opinions....

Besides the local rock shows, etc. I have mixed chorus/orchestra and musicals' performances with my ear and by reading the conductor's score...

It's a small niche but in my area I am the only tech that can mix a show using the conductor's score....

If you want to mix/tech live music you'd be best to add some musicianship "to your package".

[eric lenasbunt]

Oh man...lol...I spent my first four years in college as a music performance major. Spent lots of time in music theory, ear training, playing in all kinds of ensembles, private lessons on four different instruments.


I get to actually mix one, maybe two shows a year, a youth opera in the summer and maybe an orchestra pops show.    


Did I mention that one of the best touring musical theatre mixers that I know never went to college or played an instrument at all? (He also owns a Lamborghini...but he's not married and has no kids either)

Justice, there are other gigs in the industry that won’t treat you as shitty as the one you’re at. Just saying, it’s possible...

I too have a good old friend that is now mixing Hamilton in Chicago that came up in a local PAC and then just got out on the road as an A2 and kept working. He’s an excellent mixer and doing well for himself. No college experience but lots of practical.

Also, I would say to the OP, follow your interests. The old ways of having to go to school and then commit to a career until you retire are done. I’m 36 and I’ve worked in construction, theater,, camps for kids, taught elementary school for 7 years and have now been successfully growing my regional sound company as my full time gig for the last 5 years. I use each experience to make me better at the next one. I’ve also never been super concerned with pensions and insurance and such, so that kind of helps lol.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Justice C. Bigler]

Justice, there are other gigs in the industry that won’t treat you as shitty as the one you’re at. Just saying, it’s possible...

Yeah, but none in Oklahoma. It's either going out on the road, or relocating to another part of the country.


I don't have the road experience to get on a good road show, and I can't afford to go out for 6 to 12 months at a time making $700 or $800 a week on some shitty 2 or 3 truck ankle-biter tour for 2 or 3 years. Plus I don't really want to be away from my family that long.


Relocating just isn't going to happen either. My roots in NE Oklahoma are way too deep. I have family and other connections here that I just can't break.


If I had the money I would build myself a small recording studio and try to make a go at doing classical music and remote recording work that way I'm only gone for a week or two at a time.


Or maybe I'll just quit the business and open a barbecue trailer.

[ProSoundWeb Community]