Sound Lab: Chemikal Engineering

Where did the idea for this course come from?

Over the years, I’ve noticed an increasing number of letters coming in from engineering graduates, as well as those without any qualifications, just asking for work experience. But we receive so many that we basically have a policy of not taking anybody on at all. So we thought in that respect we could expand what Chem 19 does to try and get into some form of education, but to make it unique to us. We approached the Youth Music Initiative which is a fund that creates opportunities for young people between the ages of 18 and 25 to access music making. We just wondered if we could widen the net a little bit to help those who want to get involved more in the recording industry because being a producer is intrinsically linked with the artist. There’s such a strong link there that we felt this could be applied to that grant. We felt it was a really unique opportunity and the response we got would seem to justify that.

How will this differ from a formal university course on sound engineering?

I think it’s more of an opportunity to come in and learn from another working engineer. Work experience often involves sitting in the corner and watching an engineer, as he or she just doesn’t have the time to explain everything. It’s very much a case of watch and learn and that’s a slow way of doing things. So this is a purpose built course, with only six students at any one time, and sometimes with an assistant tutor as well so we’ll sometimes have three students to one tutor. The course will also take a lot of consideration towards what makes a good performance and how to make the artist feel comfortable to get that performance. All these little things are not necessarily taught at university because it’s not the theory, but it’s very much part of the job. People say it’s as much about how an engineer makes a band feel as it is how good they are with Pro Tools. So we want to convey all these aspects coming together.

What are you looking for in successful applicants?

We’re going to be looking at a variety of things. The course will be open to people regardless of whether they have formally studied engineering before. People who can demonstrate a real instinct, passion and interest with some experience will be just as likely to succeed. What’s interesting to note is that a lot of engineers who work with us have never been through a course of any kind. They’ve come into it in a very hands-on way, making opportunities for themselves to become good at what they do. You have to take responsibility for it yourself, to go out there and to find opportunities. We’re not just looking for people who have been through university because that wouldn’t be representative of where our own engineers have come from.

Do you have an outline of what the classes will entail?

The way that the course will actually be presented, and this is in the PDF that can be downloaded from our website, will be as a sort of elongated recording session. It’s a very hands-on approach and each fortnight the students will focus on recording particular types of instruments. They’ll spend an entire session on drums for example; how to approach them, how best to mic up a drum kit and so on. Then the next session might be acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments, so that by the end of it they will have accrued enough practical knowledge to handle an entire session on their own, which will be a great way for them to get started.

What will those completing the course leave with?

It’s really going to be another level of understanding that they will gain. We’re not saying for a minute that this is something that allows people to walk into a job because, in actual fact, a lot of studios now are not necessarily employing an engineer full-time. I would say that this is another opportunity to develop the practical experience that the student has. When they come out of it, their perception of the job will be greatly enhanced and better informed. They’ll hopefully feel more confident about saying to a band ‘look, if you hire a studio, I’ll do the sessions for you’. It’s not always a case of knocking on the door and getting a job these days. Like I said, it’s more a case of making your own opportunities. The course will help with that.