as musicians we all love our music and most strive to be chartbusting artists of our time.. kudos to that spirit.
i am trying to figure out career paths for modern day musicians, engineers and sequencers.. Or rather industries where guys with these skill sets can fit in and make a healthy living ... in todays techno world, more and more avenues are opening up..
just thought it would be nice to share such info, so guys not haveing a smooth run in music business can give other works a shot..
most prominent i can currently think of right now is audio content for mobile phones, mainly talkin of ringtones... major business that... myself have worked on a few projects...
another one is video games industry....
of course there are many more...
what i'm looking for is for people to mention the name of the industry and the role of an engineer/sequencer in that industry.. and maybe few tips on how can one go about making a career in that line...
Alternative career paths for engineers and sequencers
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- KVRist
- 274 posts since 30 May, 2005
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- KVRAF
- 7317 posts since 7 Mar, 2003
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- Banned
- 1842 posts since 4 Aug, 2004 from just right here
Dr Who?
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- KVRist
- 61 posts since 3 Aug, 2001 from USA
It's extremely hard to get into the video game market. Trust me... That's almost like trying to become the house composer for Sony or BMG.
I've worked a steady gig in audio post since Jan 2001 and it's been pretty good for me, great for me actually.
Before that I ran my own studio for 4 years, played gigs, worked as an adjunct music professor and taught private lessons. I prefer the single audio post job.
You want to know the sad cold reality? Most people get the job because they know the right person or are in the right place at the right time. They KEEP the job if they're good, that's just not how they get it in the first place.
My advice, be gutsy, meet as many people as possible. You never know who might get you the job, or the interview for that matter. I tried to interview at the place i'm working at now for a year. No response. It turns out, a friend of my wife's husband worked with a lady who's husband worked at the place I'm at now. Sent my resume and two weeks later I had the job. Quarter million dollar post suite, PT TDM, blah blah blah. Out of the blue.
Sorry for the long post, meet people, get great at ProTools (sorry, it's what "everybody" uses) and don't sit back and wait for it.
Good luck.
I've worked a steady gig in audio post since Jan 2001 and it's been pretty good for me, great for me actually.
Before that I ran my own studio for 4 years, played gigs, worked as an adjunct music professor and taught private lessons. I prefer the single audio post job.
You want to know the sad cold reality? Most people get the job because they know the right person or are in the right place at the right time. They KEEP the job if they're good, that's just not how they get it in the first place.
My advice, be gutsy, meet as many people as possible. You never know who might get you the job, or the interview for that matter. I tried to interview at the place i'm working at now for a year. No response. It turns out, a friend of my wife's husband worked with a lady who's husband worked at the place I'm at now. Sent my resume and two weeks later I had the job. Quarter million dollar post suite, PT TDM, blah blah blah. Out of the blue.
Sorry for the long post, meet people, get great at ProTools (sorry, it's what "everybody" uses) and don't sit back and wait for it.
Good luck.
analog orange
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 274 posts since 30 May, 2005
andrew vernon , rangtangtang, chagzuki 
cmon dude, looking for meaningful posts like analog orange's ..
hey analog orange i completely agree with all u said... btw what roles can a sequencer play in gaming
cmon dude, looking for meaningful posts like analog orange's .. hey analog orange i completely agree with all u said... btw what roles can a sequencer play in gaming
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- KVRist
- 61 posts since 3 Aug, 2001 from USA
Not sure what you mean by sequencer. Do you mean, one who sequences? Or do you mean sequencing as a thing i.e. the act of sequencing.
If you mean sequencer as one who sequences, then I believe the professional term for that would be programmer/composer. Getting a job as a composer for a game company is probably harder than getting a really good record contract.
As far as different roles, again I'm not sure what you mean. You sequence a piece of music, mix it, make a wav or mp3 for the game designer and you're done, provided you can get a gig doing so.
Please elaborate if I'm not getting at what you're talking about...
If you mean sequencer as one who sequences, then I believe the professional term for that would be programmer/composer. Getting a job as a composer for a game company is probably harder than getting a really good record contract.
As far as different roles, again I'm not sure what you mean. You sequence a piece of music, mix it, make a wav or mp3 for the game designer and you're done, provided you can get a gig doing so.
Please elaborate if I'm not getting at what you're talking about...
analog orange
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atomic_(no)afro atomic_(no)afro https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=5043
- KVRian
- 622 posts since 18 Dec, 2002
Is it just me or is music (composition, production, engineering, etc) one of the most difficult forms of art to make money with?
I mean think about it, visual artists can do commission work and get paid upfront (or better). If you're good you can make a living for sure working for someone.
Directors, actors, screenwriters, cgi artists, animators, and other folks working in film, television, etc. can find work (in commercials, low-budget pictures, hell even pornos) if they have some minimal talent (and in cases like Ben Affleck, no talent at all).
But with music man, there's no guarantee. Even if one's talented the chances of finding a decent paying gig (especially in the US) are very slim.
It's like we're all pursuing a hopeless dream that the public isn't buying into.
I believe that Americans plain values music less than other forms of expression. As a result it's becoming very difficult to make this passion into a full-time gig (without the proper connections of course).
ATA
I mean think about it, visual artists can do commission work and get paid upfront (or better). If you're good you can make a living for sure working for someone.
Directors, actors, screenwriters, cgi artists, animators, and other folks working in film, television, etc. can find work (in commercials, low-budget pictures, hell even pornos) if they have some minimal talent (and in cases like Ben Affleck, no talent at all).
But with music man, there's no guarantee. Even if one's talented the chances of finding a decent paying gig (especially in the US) are very slim.
It's like we're all pursuing a hopeless dream that the public isn't buying into.
I believe that Americans plain values music less than other forms of expression. As a result it's becoming very difficult to make this passion into a full-time gig (without the proper connections of course).
ATA
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- KVRAF
- 3441 posts since 15 Mar, 2003
You may as well decide that you are going to earn your good living by winning the lottery.
I know you don't want to hear it, but it's as hard to earn a living with mucic as it is to become a pro athlete.
If you want to know who really earns money in the music business, it's the same as in the rest of the world; the bookkeepers, the accountants, the forklift driver working the warehouse, etc.
I know you don't want to hear it, but it's as hard to earn a living with mucic as it is to become a pro athlete.
If you want to know who really earns money in the music business, it's the same as in the rest of the world; the bookkeepers, the accountants, the forklift driver working the warehouse, etc.
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- Skunk Mod
- 21249 posts since 10 Jun, 2004 from Pony Pasture
Speaking as a professional engineer, the video game industry worked for me. That and radio.
That (deliberately) sounded far more grandiose than the grubby reality, so here's a clarification. My degree is in Electronics Engineering. For many years the only work I could get was as a pinball/video/jukebox/pool table route technician. Another job was as an announcer for the local public radio station. Now I work mostly in medical and forensics software. Next year who knows? Maybe sweeping floors in a factory.
Sometimes you get to play with the big board, sometimes you have to stuff carts in the slots. Sometimes you write themes for hit titles, sometimes you drive an hour and a half to replace a solenoid driver transistor on an old "Black Knight" table.
That (deliberately) sounded far more grandiose than the grubby reality, so here's a clarification. My degree is in Electronics Engineering. For many years the only work I could get was as a pinball/video/jukebox/pool table route technician. Another job was as an announcer for the local public radio station. Now I work mostly in medical and forensics software. Next year who knows? Maybe sweeping floors in a factory.
Sometimes you get to play with the big board, sometimes you have to stuff carts in the slots. Sometimes you write themes for hit titles, sometimes you drive an hour and a half to replace a solenoid driver transistor on an old "Black Knight" table.
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- KVRist
- 293 posts since 18 Jul, 2003
Wouldn't a friend of your wife's husband be your friend since you are your wife's husband?analog orange wrote:It turns out, a friend of my wife's husband worked with a lady who's husband worked at the place I'm at now.
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- KVRAF
- 6740 posts since 25 Mar, 2002 from sheffield, england
josevin2000 wrote: most prominent i can currently think of right now is audio content for mobile phones, mainly talkin of ringtones...
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- KVRist
- 440 posts since 9 Mar, 2003 from Denver Co
Join a pro organization and pay dues, (Sounds stupid but there is and organization for video composers) Do demo's and lots of em, Show case what you do well, The more marketable skills should be out front. Make a point of knowing what these people want and give it to them. Try and team up with coders who are just starting out and do pro bono work for them.
Pentagon,z3ta+,Tassman,Vsampler 3,FM7,Vocator,Sonar 3 Producer,SoundForge,Awave,Vegas 5
SFZ+,P5. And two kick ass DawBox machines!
SFZ+,P5. And two kick ass DawBox machines!
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- KVRAF
- 10815 posts since 26 Nov, 2004 from UK
andrew vernon , rangtangtang, chagzuki,
you derserve a slap!!
fassys like you lot give KvR a bad name
you derserve a slap!!
fassys like you lot give KvR a bad name