I'm about to graduate college next spring and I have the opportunity to begin the career of my dreams as a music studio engineer. The problem is I didn't study with any equipment at college, I have no experience with most DAWs (Pro Tools, Reason), and I have no one to answer my many questions.

Can anyone point me in the right direction? What hardware/software is best for beginners? What education is usually required to get a job as an engineer in a professional studio? How to go about building your own home studio?

Are you fucking serious? You went to college for recording/engineering and they didn't teach you any of that? Or did you just graduate and decide to pursue this?

When you say no experience with equipment do you mean just the DAW's or do you mean all equipment. Mic pre's, comps and processors? If you're going to work in a "pro" studio then the only piece of software you should be concerned with is Pro Tools.

There are sooooooo many ways to do it yourself and so many different budgets to do it on. I know people who operate a studio with a DAW, 2 channels of external mic pre's and no external hardware or devices. I think they might have 6-8 microphones at their disposal and everything is done within their realm, in the box. This set up would cost you about $3000 if you bought some used gear but that'd be Mic's, DAW, Cables, Speakers and the Pre's.

I used to own a ton of gear and recently sold it (for live reinforcement) cause no one wanted to pay fair prices for higher quality. This is the day and age of self production and I would recommend staying very cost efficient in your start up unless you have loads of disposable money. If you have Zero experience, Get a Line six Tone port UX-2 or UX-8, an M-Audio Solaris or APEX 460 and 1 - 2 Shure sm58's. Maybe invest in ProTools or get Reaper for free if you think you're going to try this on your own. Start there. This will give you experience with Hardware, microphones, AD/DA interfaces, software and multitrack recording.

The biggest downfall of most places I find is the space itself. Can it do what you need it to do? Isolate each instrument? Fit all the performers? Does the room sound good or at least neutral? Then again, like I said, I know a couple people who operate a studio and get loads of business with shit space, shit equipment, poor recording techniques and yet stay busy.

The most important thing will be, can you do what the client asks and are you fun and easy to work with?

GOOD LUCK!

I did not study music engineering in college; I minored in music theory and history (my university ONLY offered classical music and jazz styles). So I have experience with neither equipment nor DAWs.
I know this is a huge set back, but I do have disposable money (if spending can be considered an 'investment'). Otherwise, thanks for your response!

I have been checking out Pro Tools M-powered and M-audio equip, but I'm pretty clueless about where to start. Several of my friends work in the film industry and have access to and experience with audio equipment,
one of them is teaching me what he learned in a brief sound tech class.

I'm also interested in going to a 2-3 year school that focuses specifically on music production and engineering, and as I live just 30 minutes from NYC, I think I can manage to commute to a pretty good one.
Does anyone know any schools in NYC for this sort of thing?

This post was edited by bjsdtl on Oct 10 2010 11:58am

Consult www.gearslutz.com and get someones opinion there. There will be people who have been to recording schools on the east coast. Careful though! Take everyones opinion with a grain of salt. The people on gearslutz can be quite subjective! Understand the only thing you'll get from the school is education, and maybe not what you need/want.

Out of curiosity, what kind of budget do you have?

This post was edited by Superchum on Oct 10 2010 06:53pm

Well I make a point to do lots of research on a piece of equipment before I buy it, and I prefer to spend frugally. However, I have a whole lot of money to be spent if I feel it is a good investment (at this time, I would prefer to spend the most money on a formal education in the matter and only after I know my own skills/weaknesses would I like to start building a permanent home studio)

In that case, I stand by my initial suggestion. Get a cost efficient small studio set up and try it yourself on your own. Kinda like how you most likely started on your instument. You just went and got it cause it sounded like you'd like it. Then it becomes more than that. After a bit of practice, your natural ability will take you as fas as you can and then decide if formal education is the right way to go or like some musicians, just find the gigs and go. You want a super budget studio to learn on with protools?

Mbox Mini
1 Multi pattern Condenser Microphone (used M-audio Solaris or Apex 460), 1 used dynamic mic (I recommend SM58 but the AKG D5 is pretty good too)
2 XLR Cables.
2 Boom Mic Stands
1 Set of half decent headphones, (AKG K77's)

Done. You could do a whole album with this set up. Not a whole band but you'd learn a load about recording. This would run you $650ish. Anyway, good luck on your venture.

That sounds like a good setup, but I would consider spending more an a more complex console mixer. I like the tactile feel of a board and I also want to get my hands on equipment that mirrors the industry standard.
In my opinion, mastering the hardware/software used by professional recording studios gives me the best chance at getting hired in such an environment.
My desire is to eventually have a full-time job in this field that allows me to work on personal projects aside from work, and gives me access to artists, equipment, and business networks that are successful.
I am not necessarily interested in freelance work, although I am expecting to do a lot following my graduation (giving me valuable experience and portfolio development for resume submissions)

Yea. I like the feel of real gear too. I used to have run this:

ATB24 Console
Alesis ADAT HD24XR
3 x Focusrite Mixmasters
Focusrite Compounder
SSL (Clone) Stereo Compressor
Eventide H-8000
Vintech 1272 (Early version of the Dual 72)
Bryston BMP-2
Several Recording Mic's (Vintage late 60's Gaffel UM70, Coles 4038, Earthworks SR25's, Bunch of 58's/57's, D112, few other esoteric ones)
Dynaudio BM5A's

Sold most of it and bought a live set up. Actually making money now. Seriously, Good luck! I don't mean it sarcastically. Working on a live console is great! You're right! You spend more time working on the music, rather than working with the gear when you buy the right tools. Your problem is, you don't know what tools you want to work with and what operating system you want to work in. If you want to get hired, you MUST use pro tools. If you want to run a more pro setup, you can get a couple Apogee converters, a nice stereo (or quad) mic pre set up. Get some kind of digital controller for the software to give you the "hands on" feel of a live console. But if you dive in real deep to begin with and you're not sure of what you want to get, it can be very, VERY costly.

I'm not sure what your principal instrument is, but imagine yourself saying, "I want to take up the guitar." Okay cool, get yourself a guitar and go figure it out. But you say you want to start off with the "right" gear. Well... Fender Start of Gibson Les Paul... or maybe PRS... No?... How bout a Terry McInturff? Freiheight? Oh shit... I wanted to get into guitar but I found out my playing style is more acoustic.... I should get a Martin... no no no... A Lowden.

The instrument you start on should be introductory. Then you can say, I like this and this about it and I don't like, this and this.... so that means I need a this! You said you have "no experience with most DAWS...pro tools..." and "...neither equipment." I wish it was as easy as minoring in music and go out and do it. You need to get started first. Walk before you run. There are many recording methods out there, many schools of thought. But which is right?

You're initial questions were, 'Can anyone point me in the right direction?"
Get a small simple set up and try it out at home.

What hardware/software is best for beginners?
Line 6 Toneport interface (with ableton light.)It's made for musicians, not engineers!

What education is usually required to get a job as an engineer in a professional studio?
I never worked there myself but I know loads of people who have. They all got in from an in. Who you know, not what you know, mind you... they were all talented musicians first. Engineering came second. Most pro studios from my understanding only care about how fast you can edit and navigate through Pro Tools. Mic placement, music theory, use of hardware, (Tape, programing algorithms in effects units) are ways of the past. Any school should provide this.

How to go about building your own home studio?"
Woa.... endless ways of doing it. The budget can be as little as $3000 and as high as $3,000,000. I've given a few suggestions. Mine was super sweet, (I just found out my set up was quite similar to Sun Studio's current set up!) and real fun to work with. I too suffered in the same area most places fail in. I didn't have an adequate space for what I wanted to accomplish. I wish I put about $20,000 into my room!

Does any of this help? Am I just babbling nonsense now? Anyway... hope you make it! You can see pics of some of my old gear on the Show your gear thread... http://forums.d2jsp.org/topic.php?t=18204147&f=187&o=1280

Superchum, you have been extremely helpful. I've been posting frequently in Gearslutz with similar questions and I've gotten soo many negative responses regarding "getting into" the music biz. This may be true, it's a difficult field to succeed in, but I believe that passion and hard, grinding work are the seeds of success...
That aside, you hit the nail on the head; I don't know what tools or environment in which I want to work. But some helpful individuals and yourself have given me really good ideas of how to get off on the right foot.

Hopefully I can invest in some gear and show it on that thread as well. So far I have a Fender Strat (m.i. Mexico), a 42W - 60Hz Ibanez guitar amp, and an 160W Orange Twin Channel pre-amp (overkill for my current setup).
I actually have a textbook laying around that a buddy gave me after taking a films-related audio course. I should have cracked that open ages ago, but only started being proactive as my college education nears an end.

Thanks, again chum! If anyone else would like to give some constructive input, please do! (honestly, so far jsp has been more helpful than Gearslutz

This post was edited by bjsdtl on Oct 10 2010 10:31pm

I would recommend going with the MBOX 2 over the mini, two XLR inputs are ideal for learning how to balance/blend mics (I primarily know this with recording guitars), and having the MIDI input is quite useful.