Introduction

Roles in the recording and live sound industries share a great deal of similarities, both dealing with similar issues and leading similar lifestyles. This makes it possible to turn these different roles into one portfolio career, whereby you have multiple streams of income by building networks in different areas. By working freelance it is possible to have a career as a Producer, Mix Engineer and a Front-of-House Engineer. This would be a portfolio career.

Qualifications and experience

The journey to becoming a producer and mix engineer can differ for many people, however, a common route to go down is by starting out working in a studio as an Assistant Engineer, and from there progressing onto other roles like Recording or Mixing Engineer.  A degree in this area can be highly beneficial but is not necessarily essential, whereas experience is much more desirable in this area of expertise. Using this experience to learn and develop your knowledge is crucial in developing your career, and building a portfolio of work from this experience is a must. By doing this you are showing what experience you have but also what exactly you are capable of doing. Gaining experience and working with different people can help build up your reputation, which is important in an industry where networking and ‘who you know’ is so integral to getting work. Where working as front-of-house engineer is concerned, the journey can be very similar, as experience is the most important thing to gain. This can be done through shadow shifts in local venues, which can give you first hand experience and knowledge from experienced people. These roles that could make up a portfolio career are quite accessible, as they rely more on experience and networking, as opposed to a degree, meaning that as long as you are willing to work for free or rather little, you can build up your experience from early on and start building your portfolio and network of people.

Knowledge skills and personal qualities

When working in a studio environment, there are personal attributes that are important to build up as you gain experience. “Providing creative and practical solutions throughout the production process forms a large part of studio-based recording work.” (DBS Institute, 2023). As a producer that could mean getting involved with the arrangement and instrumentation of songs, to help achieve the artist’s vision of the songs being recorded. Likewise, as a mix engineer, having input on the choice of microphones to achieve a desired tone that will better suit or compliment the mix. Therefore, building your problem-solving skills can be very helpful. Being a strong, clear communicator by being able to “effectively understand a client’s vision and communicate your ideas in a manner that fosters a positive environment.” (DBS Institute, 2023).

This can be important when working in a producer role, as you want to create an environment where the artist and musicians are comfortable and confident in their performance, whilst also identifying any performance issues. As both a mix engineer and producer, having a wealthy knowledge of all different types and genres of music can mean that you open yourself up to a broader range of clients, and this would allow you to potentially, further expand your network and keep the work coming in. The role of a live sound engineer, particularly in front of house uses a lot of similar skills, however it involves working in a faster paced environment where working under pressure is a must, and unexpected issues can often arise but if you can “adapt and respond to issues quickly you’ll be able to limit the impact on the show.” (DBS Institute, 2023)

Responsibilities and Duties

The roles of engineers and producers can be rather loose in the modern age, as there can be lots of overlap in their duties and people often end up doing both simultaneously, particularly with the rise of home studio recording. Both the mix engineer and producer will have a creative input into the work, just at differing levels. A producer can often have heavy artistic input into a piece of work, whether that is sonically, creating an identity for the piece or it could be even further than that whereby the producer is directly involved in the song writing and collaborating with the artist. The role of a mix engineer is more involved with the idea of the artist and producer is represented on the recording, through processing and balancing the audio, “creating a final balanced mix before it is sent for mastering.” (DBS Institute, 2023). The day-to-day can look very similar for both a mix engineer and a producer, where recording sessions can be long days,12 hours and more, varying from client to client. During this day a mix engineer may work sometimes alone or with the producer and artist, and by doing so they can take on their feedback. Taking on these two roles as a part of a portfolio career, would give the best of both worlds in terms of working both collaboratively and independently.  These roles together would certainly be a “lifestyle commitment as there is a lot of time and life investment involved.” (DBS Institute, 2023). The hours working as a Front-of-House Engineer can too be long, with the day often starting in the afternoon and finishing later. This may involve getting setup as much as possible before the band’s arrival, and then into a soundcheck to achieve a balanced mix in whatever venue you are in. This could be easier if you have a role in one particular venue, as you will become familiar with the room’s acoustics. All this work is ensuring a smooth running of the show, but issues may occur while the show is ongoing, and as a result it can be a hard day working on front-of-house. These three roles as a portfolio career, span the differing creative and technical roles withing recording and live sound, but all contained with a similar working pattern and lifestyle, making it suitable as a portfolio career.

Nature of roles and Finances

The nature of touring and festival season can mean work on front-of-house is temporary and therefore, there can be a lack of a steady stream of income. However, working freelance in this role gives you the opportunity to hop between jobs, to ensure work all year round and therefore, a solid and steady income, meaning you are more financially stable. Having a portfolio career can mean that the time in between tours and festivals can be filled with jobs concerning other roles. In the early stages of this portfolio career, a job outside of the music industry may be necessary to supplement your income, as at the beginning of your career, work may be more sparse, as you’re building up your network, and therefore, need an extra source of income, despite the fact you may cover multiple roles as your portfolio career.

Modern technology has changed the potential ways of working as a Producer and as a Mixing Engineer. Equipment is now a lot more affordable meaning that bands and artists can more easily record their music in a home studio as opposed to hiring out an external recording space. This may mean less work as a Mix Engineer, who works in a Recording Studio, where artists are trying to save costs, however it could actually allow for remote working in your own home, which could suite a freelance portfolio career. This is not to say proper Recording Studios are redundant. The idea of home studios and remote working could be an advantage for a Producer, where you can produce your own music in your own right, but it allows you to offer a recording space to your client, which could further add to your income, on top of what you charge for your services as a Producer. The idea of working in your own space, gives a level of flexibility that would perfectly suite a freelance portfolio career.

Another income stream on top of services in live sound and recording is the royalties that can be earnt as a Producer. Copyright is Intellectual Property which protects the expression of an idea in legislative law as part of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. As a producer, you can receive royalties as part of the Master Rights, which are the royalties from the sound recording. These can be earnt as soon as the music is released and last for 70 years. Therefore, royalties can act as an extra passive income, which will only increase the more recordings you do as a producer. The revenue will differ depending on the client and the role you took in the recording. If you are working with an artist, who is signed to a major label that will own the master rights, then you may only receive a small percentage of the royalties. However, if it’s your own original music as an independent artist, then you are able to take all of the master’s revenue. If as a producer you were involved in the song writing process, then you can also receive royalties as part of the Publishing Rights, through PRS. Royalties can provide a great stream of revenue as a producer to help supplement income, however, the level of this heavily depends on the client circumstances.

Marketing and Promotion

The way in which you market yourself, in whatever role, is important to grow your profile and expand your network of creatives and clients. Social media is a major part of that, as “your online presence will be one of the main ways that a new client or collaborator fan will find you.” (SAE Institute, n.d.). Particularly as a Producer and Mix Engineer, this can be a great way to showcase your work by using your social media pages as a kind of portfolio. This can be an easy way of showing potential clients exactly what services you offer, and the level of experience you have up to this point. This can all be done for free or for a small cost, so it can be a cost-effective way of advertising as you are not having to take from your income stream. Producer Rob Late, has used social media, consistently uploading on social media, which has helped him engage and grow a large audience and has worked with many A-list artists and songwriters, such as The Chainsmokers and Ian Kirkpatrick, who has worked with Dua Lipa. Using a content market strategy, like Rob Late, uploading different types of content, like tutorials, snippets of current work and sharing photos of collaborators, all create an image for potential clients.

Progression/Development Opportunities

As a Producer and a Mix Engineer, as you grow your network and gain more experience, the opportunity to heighten your fee to reflect this experience and the knowledge that comes from that may come. Through working on successful music, as you grow this may lead to working with A-list recording artists signed to major record labels. This would incur a higher fee and would hugely raise your profile, and lead to consistent major work in the future, working at such a high level with longevity. As a Front-Of-House Engineer often, working freelance can be a solid route to take as part of a portfolio career, as it provides greater flexibility. However, the opportunity to work in a fixed venue could arise, providing regular hours and therefore, as regular income. However, this could lead to less flexibility and impact on your availability in your other roles that make up your portfolio career.

Conclusion

Overall, this portfolio career, which relies heavily on experience and knowledge, can provide a great deal of flexibility, allowing you to take on these different roles simultaneously, providing multiple income streams. Having a portfolio career including these roles, would provide fulfilment in both creative and technical areas, where as a Producer, there is an opportunity to have artistic input into the arrangement and the song writing process. Comparatively, as a Front-of-House Engineer, this may involve use of mainly technical knowledge. Despite the flexible nature of a portfolio career, all these roles mentioned, are very time consuming and require enduring long hours.

Bibliography:

DBS Institute (2023) Career Spotlight: Studio Engineer/Producer.  Available Online: https://www.dbsinstitute.ac.uk/career-spotlights/studio-producer-engineer [Accessed 10 Dec 2024].

DBS Institute (2023) Career Spotlight: Live Sound Engineer. Available Online: https://www.dbsinstitute.ac.uk/career-spotlights/live-sound-engineer [Accessed 11 Dec 2024].

SAE Education (n.d.) Promoting Yourself As A Music Producer. Available Online: https://www.sae.edu/gbr/insights/promoting-yourself-as-a-music-producer-top-branding-and-marketing-tips [Accessed 11 Dec 2024].