j.hall wrote on Fri, 20 October 2006 12:23 |
interesting topic.
i wonder how much this relates to the general decline of the master/apprentice relationship.
runner, intern, assistant........people seem to be skipping these things.
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This may be the greatest single problem with "engineering" today.
Many problems like G.A.S. and the S.H.I.T.S. [skipped hard intern time, sorry!!] are symptoms of this phenomenon.
Consider this old and overused analogy: There are lots of reasons why becoming a doctor is hard. The years of study, the cost of schooling, and the brutality of residency. One of the results of these trials is that only the most dedicated, stubborn, obsessive and egomaniacal [and in a few cases, talented] will make it. It's a system that culls the weak from the herd. I'm generalizing of course [there are some very bad doctors] but it's a very hostile envoronment for a dilettante.
Imagine if all you needed to become an M.D. was some cheap software and a six month course at DigiDoctor [or maybe a book] and you could hang a shingle and start chargin' the big bucks for botox down in Boca.
Everybody wants to skip to the front of the line and start charging Tom Lord-Alge money.
I have lots of kids ask me how to get into this business [I have a couple of friends that audio school teachers]and I always tell them the same thing. You can start at the bottom and work your way up, or you can go to school and get a degree/certificate and then start at the bottom and work your way up.
Needless to say this kind of thing gets greeted with a lot of blank stares.
It's so appropriate that someone would mention Mark Wilder. Mark is as old school as it gets [in a good way] even though he has plenty o' gear. It's no coincidence that he's a skilled and patient mentor [couldn't have done it without ya buddy, seriously]. Mentoring is hard work. Being an apprentice is hard work too. You can't make up for that by buying a Sontec.
Nobody wants the real answer to the question what gear should I buy to get [fill in blank] sound, or what settings should I use to make my master [fill in blank], cause the answer is always the same. Buy whatever box you want but you still gotta start at the bottom and work you're way up.
... or you can just buy ProTools.