Do you think anyone can be an AE with effort and commitment?

[professorlamp]

I read a while ago about someone who had been doing it for a while and had gotten nowhere
Whilst some people were just like 'Some people just dont have IT'
a few we're thinking maybe he doesnt apply the knowledge he reads.

anyway the first comment scared the shit out of me and made me think what if i dont have 'IT'?
I mean every paycheck I get I splurge it on trying to get the best stuff i can for my money and then live off the bare minimum , I'm constantly at it most hours of the day and its all i talk about to my mates. There's no way that you can be naturally bad at something and still not progress is there?

I mean, when we start guitar we can barely stretch about 2 frets but then time goes by and you find yourself doing stretches that holdsworth himself would be proud of, I personally think effort and attitude can get you far and that natural inability is total BS

what do you guys think of this?

 

[Sinister Mephisto]

I pretty much believe that within certain limitations, it all comes down to attitude and how much effort you put into it. Certainly some people have an aptitude for it but I think that doesn't really matter in the long run. If you love what you do, than it doesn't really matter. You're going to get better.

 

[guitarguru777]

I think it has more to do with having an affinity for something. I mean do you know what to listen for?

Do you know what makes a good take vs a bad take?
Do you know how to set a guitar tone to sit in a mix?
Same goes for bass and drums....

Now add keys to the mix

Personally I think if you don't make a decent producer you would not make a good AE. I mean there are tons of "fader jockeys" out there who can do the job, but how many of them understand the process of side chaining? Do they even know WHY they do it?

I think these are things you CAN lean, but I also think some people have a natural affinity for it. Like myself i always had the ability to separate a mix in my head and hear the individual instruments. As long as I can remember I can tell the difference between a tube and solid state amp. I was just blessed with a good set of ears, but it wasn't till I learned how to make my ears work and WHAT to listen for that I became what I think is a half way decent producer. I am no Sneap or anyone who does this for a living, but I do think my mixes kick ass for the gear I am working with.

Contrary to what seems to be popular belief among "musicians" Plugins and Preset dont make you a better producer / AE / Fader Jockey. Good ears and know how do.

 

[crillemannen]

Well i believe that with music,sport whatever in life there are people that are more talented then others. Then of course with the right teacher/trainer you can probably get really really far. Perhaps so far that you are able to make a living out of it. then there is of course those who are really talented and will go longer, getting more successful.

But hey dont worry about it there are always people that are more talented then you. If you get that, and if it dont get to you in a bad way then you can probably let it go, and try to be as good as you can be
there are always those who get jealous of those who are better and there are those that get inspired instead, trying to improve themselfs.
You just have to ask yourself.. Which one are you??

Cheers

 

[professorlamp]

haha I'm not worried about it anymore, I had a look through my back catalogue of recordings spanning about 2 years and its a pretty drastic improvement so that screwed my head back into place

 

[joeymusicguy]

i think being an engineer takes massive amounts of patience. so no, not everyone can do it.

 

[muckypup1]

I fucking hope its possible I have a lot of patience though, and have noticed a big improvement from my old mixes from a year ago and my latest mixes, I want to be a good AE one day, I've still got a lot of work to do though

 

[JeffTD]

Not everyone can have patience, drive, intense problem solving abilities, people skills, and a damn good understanding of rhythm, harmony, and structure.

 

[Ermz]

We're all naturally inclined toward one thing or another. It should become obvious after a short while of working with bands whether you're cut out for the job.

 

[Saculus]

Its all about practice and never being satisfied. At least for me I always think my AE work has been crap but the more I work, the more I learn, and the more I learn the less I hate what I do. I still think I'm nowhere near professional but I can now compete locally in skill.

 

[Ionei]

I don't believe in natural talent, so yes i think anyone can do it if they put the time and effort in.

 

[gabriel g.]

We're all naturally inclined toward one thing or another. It should become obvious after a short while of working with bands whether you're cut out for the job.

+1

 

[drew_drummer]

I'm more of a musician than an AE. But I started out learning production way before I even picked up a guitar. I've recorded our album, and I've done drums for another album. But recording other people's music just isn't for me I don't think. Too self obsessed.

 

[Ermz]

I don't believe in natural talent, so yes i think anyone can do it if they put the time and effort in.

Whether or not you believe in it is irrelevant. It is a fact. Just as some are born more attractive than others, others are born more intelligent, others with aptitudes for certain things in life. How far those aptitudes, or lack thereof, affect us I suspect is variable, but there is genetic potential and limitation within us for almost all things. None of it is fair, nor should it be rationalized as such, out of intense fear of falling into the lefty denial-wagon.

If you're an ectomorph, you'd be fooling yourself trying to compete with endomorphs in bodybuilding contests. If you don't have a large attention span, or ability to zero in and focus, you'd find AEing pretty hard.

This isn't to say that someone with natural aptitude doesn't have to work hard. Of course they do, but the difference between them and someone with no aptitude is that they don't use that time and effort in vain.

 

[Melb_shredder]

I have to agree with Ermin. You can't really train yourself to be a different person if you as he said, be patience, have a large unwavering attention span. Personally Ermin I think that's your win factor... I know in myself, I could not sit at a PC mixing recording for hours and hours on end. I have limits haha!

Some can work around this, or some just don't need to! But that doesn't mean you can't be a good engineer. It just makes your work harder

 

[amarshism]

Should and could are two different things.

 

[Omega_Void]

If you're an ectomorph, you'd be fooling yourself trying to compete with endomorphs in bodybuilding contests.

You're thinking of mesomorphs.

Otherwise, fully agree with yer post.

 

[Ermz]

Ahh good catch, yes I did mean Mesomorph, thanks!

 

[Ronixis]

Some pretty notable AE said that the phenomena about "the golden ear" is exaggerated. He said that all you need is to know what sounds great and what sounds like shit. The next step is to know how to achieve the good sound. But of course to become a succesful AE, you need million other good qualities, not just your ears.

...too bad I can't remember who said that.

 

[brianhood]

i dont think everyone can do it(well). Being an engineer/producer on a professional level is an art. Just like any other art, if the talent is there, you can develop it. If it's not there, it never will be.

I know that no matter how much i learn, no matter how much i practice, no matter how amazing an art teacher may be, and no matter how hard i try, I could never ever ever be a sketch artist. I can't even draw a decent looking stick figure. That is just not were my talents lie.