Teach the intern – Trying to break lifeblog :-) by roland via flickr

The first thing you have to ask yourself when you decide you want to be a studio intern is: Why? More often than not the role of a studio intern is to be a maid, a personal assistant, a food runner, a host, a waiter, and a multitude of other jobs completely unrelated to audio. In some cases you’ll be treated like an animal, and you can expect little to no pay. You’ll have a horrible schedule, and in order to show you’re capable of pulling your weight, you’ll be doing several double and even triple shifts to gain respect among your peers. Still interested?

The absolute only reason you should be interested in an internship like this is because you want to be an engineer. If you want to be a rapper, singer, or songwriter, there are plenty of other ways of going about it. Studio internships are typically only given to graduates or students of audio engineering or production schools and it’s for a reason. The absolute only reason you should be interested in an internship like this is because you want to be an engineer.The kind of equipment you’re responsible for in a studio can cost more than a small island, and it’s usually not entrusted to you unless you’ve gained a certain amount of trust and/or knowledge.

The truth is, most of the founding fathers of the modern engineering industry started as studio interns. It’s not an easy way to the top, but interning is certainly an opening into the industry. It gives you an opportunity to act as an apprentice and learn in exchange for labor. You get to establish working relationships with experienced engineers, and sometimes even the artists and producers that come in to record. You can learn techniques and concepts by watching tracking and mixing sessions, and you can immediately apply them to your home studio setup. If you act like a know-it all, you probably won’t last too long, but most engineers are eager to share everything they’ve learned.

There’s something that engineers refer to as “studio etiquette”. Generally, it’s a list of things you absolutely, positively shouldn’t do. It might be considered common sense to some people, but it could get anyone unfamiliar with the rules fired in a second.

1. First and foremost, never give a CD of your beats or songs to a client. What you do on your own time is your own business, and studios usually want nothing to do with your business outside of their doors. If you want to approach someone about your music, talk to your studio manager first. Understand that if you don’t, you could lose your job.
2. Don’t interrupt the session. Keep quiet, be attentive, and make sure you’re aware of when the engineer is recording. If you walk into a room and it looks like you’re interrupting something, quietly make your way back out. Don’t walk into the live room in the middle of a take.
3. Don’t speak unless spoken to. It’s important not to ruin the vibe or mood of a recording session by opening your mouth at the wrong time. At one point or another, you’re going to have to be laid back and easy going. There will be times when you’re working with engineers who know you and are comfortable with you. There will also be times when you work with engineers that want to be left alone. Make sure you can tell the difference.
4. Never screw up food orders. Always open the take-out bag and check every single container. You don’t want to get yelled at by a diva or rock star you admire because you forgot to get extra soy milk in their latte.
5. Never leave a session before the engineer does. You don’t want to leave an engineer with cleanup duty because you got tired and wanted to go home. Stay up, wait it out, and show that you’re capable and willing to put in the necessary hours into your job.

Recording studio jobs are highly competitive, and graduates of recording schools around the US outnumber the positions available. It’s important to make the best impression when you apply for an internship because odds are, you won’t have many more chances if you don’t. The most important thing is to be humble. Don’t talk about the mixing techniques you use, because you probably won’t be touching a board for a while. Don’t talk about the projects you did at school, because everyone else who graduated with you did them too.

A local studio intern enjoys some down time at home. Will eat for food by altemark via flickr.

Instead, talk about the things that set you apart from other potential employees like your eagerness to learn, your strong work ethic, and your willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Those are the characteristics that will get you hired. Never have a resume that’s more than a page long, and never list your projects from school on your resume. If your school has you write a resume, try to set yours apart from your peers. If not, you’ll be put into the “generic resume” file that never gets opened. Remember, every year a new graduating class sends out hundreds of resumes. Make sure yours isn’t the same as everyone else. Make it clean, simple, and to the point.

This job isn’t for the faint of heart. If you can handle being an intern for a year with little to no pay, and you have no problem with paying your dues, then this might be for you. It’s an incredible opportunity, and regardless of what aspect of the music industry you want to end up in, studio interning will give you better insight on how things work. Just remember that more often than not, you’ll be doing things that have nothing to do with audio, and more to do with cleaning.

Not every studio is the same. Some smaller “mom and pop” studios might make more of an effort to have the interns learning and working, but most major recording studios that cater to the “top-40” artists will be the opposite. Most will get several resume’s a week, and you’ll constantly be reminded that you’re replaceable.

Good luck!