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If you are interested in Music Technology, Audio/Sound Engineering, and Music Production, this article is chock-full of useful advice on how to prepare yourself for a career and learn all about what it’s like to work in the music field as a technologist.

There’s an interview with a working Engineer, Producer, and Professor, and some informative videos included as well.

World-renowned GRAMMY® winning Record Producer and Sound Engineer Prince Charles Alexander shares advice for young musicians, aspiring Engineers and Record Producers, talks about what Engineers and Producers do, how to prepare for a career as a Producer and Engineer, and his own career path as a prominent Engineer and Record Producer on the global stage.

What does an Engineer/Producer do? In this article, we’ll take a look at:

  1. The job duties of an Engineer
  2. A day on the job for a Producer or Engineer
  3. Launching a career in sound engineering
  4. Challenges and rewards of being an Engineer/Producer
  5. Finding work as a Producer
  6. What you should know about engineering careers

Prince Charles Alexander is a Recording Artist and 3x Grammy-winning, multi-platinum Music Producer and Mixing Engineer.

With his group Prince Charles and the City Beat Band, he recorded three albums on Virgin Records from the early to mid-’80s and achieved their biggest successes on the European charts. Charles fronted the group as the Lead Singer and multi-instrumentalist using the futuristic wind synthesizer called the “Lyricon.”

With the emergence of rap as the dominant reflection of street culture, Prince Charles disbanded his funk group and began focusing on audio engineering. After the switch, “Prince Charles Alexander” became a multi-platinum Producer, Mixing Engineer and Recording Engineer for a large client base including Mary J. Blige, the Notorious B.I.G., Puff Daddy, Usher, Boyz II Men, Brandy, Babyface, Sting, Aretha Franklin and many more.

Sean “Puffy” Combs utilized Prince Charles’ technical expertise to launch and sustain the Bad Boy record label throughout the ‘90s.

Charles’ accolades include more than 40 Platinum and Gold certifications from the RIAA, 3 GRAMMY® wins and 7 GRAMMY® nominations from NARAS (National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences), and a Victoire de la Musique (the French equivalent of a GRAMMY®).

Prince Charles is currently an active Producer/Engineer as well as a Professor in the Music Production & Engineering Department at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts where he created their Commercial Record Production curriculum and Berklee Online Vocal Production undergraduate and graduate courses. Simultaneously, for nine years, he also held an Adjunct Instructor position at NYU’s Clive Davis Dept. of Recorded Music, teaching Music Production.

Prince Charles is involved in the following organizations:

Watch this TEDx talk to hear Prince Charles describe his journey to becoming a GRAMMY® winning music producer, and the steps involved:

(The following interview with Prince Charles Alexander was conducted by Tom Stein. Note: Answers have been edited for clarity and length.)

The Job Duties of an Engineer

How did you become a Producer and Engineer?

My first real step was spending money to make a record in a recording studio. The record was successful mainly because it was co-produced by Maurice Starr (from New Kids on the Block fame.

This was in 1979, the name of the record was In The Streets and I was the artist. At that time, Maurice had a hit record in Boston and I was in his band. I asked him to co-produce my record because I wanted it to be a commercial success.

Backtracking a bit, I was a musician first. I played clarinet from age 11 and started working as a professional saxophonist at 15. When I started college at Brandeis University I would gig in Boston at night and on the weekends, so my grades suffered.

Once I pulled together academically, I started a jazz group at college and made a record with them in 1978. Though I learned a lot about the recording process, I knew that jazz was not going to appeal to a large audience, so that’s why I hired Maurice to work with me, so I could make a recording that would be more appealing to a wider audience. I had to invest the money to make it happen.

Through these early experiences, I learned that producing a record is a team effort. I learned about the painstaking work that goes into making a record sound really good.

What qualifications do I need to be a sound engineer?

Tom Stein

There are no specific requirements for entry to the field of audio or music, but there are many certifications, degrees, diplomas, available to aspiring audio engineers. For example, you can earn a certification from Ableton or Pro Tools by taking some online courses. You can earn an associate degree from many colleges around the US or abroad, usually in two years. There are diplomas and bachelor’s degrees that will take you three to four years to complete, including at top-name schools.

While specific training may not be required, it offers distinct advantages to those who can afford it. The paper the certificate or degree is printed on may not have much intrinsic value, but the skills you will learn and the connections you make will be invaluable in your future career. It’s true that clients and employers are most interested in your unique talents and abilities, but having completed a training program shows that you have the drive, persistence, and ambition to succeed, and attests to certain knowledge and capabilities.

There’s a “Catch 22” involved with getting a start in any career: you need experience to get the work, and you need work to gain the experience.” It’s always been this way, yet people do succeed. Often, attending a school or completing a certificate program can give you a leg up.

What does a Producer do?

The main role of the Producer is to create an overall vision of what the record will sound like and to harness the efforts of the team to bring that vision to life. There are three areas, or levels, of being a Producer: an Executive Producer provides funding, the Creative Producer is what we usually think of when we use the word “Producer,” whose job is to set the artistic direction, and the Technical Engineer.

The first two kinds of Producers are relatively straightforward, but the Technical Engineer can actually be divided into three realms: recording, mixing, and mastering.

So, the Engineer is a part of the production team, and their role is highly technical. Most Engineers specialize, to some degree in one of those areas, especially Mastering Engineers.

Watch this video from Full Circle Music Academy in Nashville to learn from a pro what a music producer does:

Can a sound engineer produce music?

Tom Stein

Audio, sound, and recording engineers (these terms are used interchangeably) have many skills that overlap with music production. And many music producers started out as audio engineers, working in a recording studio or with DAWs (Digital Audio Workstations). At the very least, music producers must know enough about recording technology to be able to communicate effectively with a sound engineer. A good engineer with musical and business skills can become an effective producer.

Although many of the skills overlap, they are not identical. As the name implies, audio engineering is a highly technical field, which requires specialized knowledge of how audio and music technology works to capture the sounds musicians make and then mix recordings that are artistically fulfilling and pleasing to the listener. Producers have a broader skillset and mandate and can also be very adept at the technical aspects of engineering.

There are many kinds of producers. For example, executive producers are responsible for securing budgets and may oversee the marketing and distribution of the recorded works. Compared to an engineer, the producer usually has more input when it comes to the creative side of the music. The producer might even be performing on the recorded track or change notes or sections of the composition.

The producer is primarily tasked with fulfilling the artistic vision of the artist and may or may not possess certain technical skills. The skills for an audio engineer are more defined and narrower but may also lend themselves to a music producing role.

A Day on the Job for a Producer or Engineer

Describe a typical working day for a Producer or Engineer.

As I stated earlier, there are three different technical processes related to the creative production: recording, mixing, and mastering. Much of the work that we used to do in a studio can now be done at home on a computer with audio interfaces or a DAW (Digital Audio Workstation). On any given day, I might be working in one of those areas primarily. Mostly I’m using Logic or Ableton Live to work on tracks that I am creating for a piece.

Another thing I do is spend time listening to reference source materials, for inspiration, and to define the feeling or vibe I am wanting to recreate in my own music. I gather all these other pieces of music to discover some emotional content that inspires me to create a similar vibe. This is a very important part of the process for me. I’m never really starting with a blank slate; I always am seeking to create something new based on something that came before.

Say something about technique or technical skills required.

It’s important to be able to play music to a click track. It’s much more efficient if you can play tracks into the computer in real-time. I might use a keyboard or drum controller for this.

I’m usually starting from sounds, not lyrics, so I need to build a scaffold using cyclical patterns in the center. This might be comprised of melodic, rhythmic, or even harmonic patterns, which could also be implied harmony. I’m working with a musical vocabulary, moving from articulations of notes to syllables, language, and ultimately lyrics.

Watch this video from guitarist Chris Harvey for some easy tips on how to play a click track:

How do I become a Sound Engineer?

Tom Stein

Becoming a Sound Engineer requires a love and passion for music and technology, and the ability to bring those two together. You need a well-trained ear for music and sound, and you must understand the principles and applications of music and audio software and hardware. It takes a variety of knowledge and skills to integrate music and technology.

Most aspiring recording engineers and producers attend a college or university program in Audio Engineering and/or Music Production and Engineering. There are now many terrific programs available at a wide variety of schools, ranging from a 2-year associate’s degree to a 4-year bachelor’s degree and even master’s and doctoral degrees. Going to school provides a huge advantage in both learning to work with expensive equipment and facilities, gaining technical, theoretical, and musical knowledge and skills, and building a professional network leading to opportunities after graduation.

Most college programs culminate with the creation of a portfolio of works that graduates use to get work, and usually require completion of an internship with an established engineer or recording facility. Besides skills, talent, and connections, recording engineers and producers need solid knowledge of how the music business works, and how music is marketed, licensed, and sold.

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Launching a Career in Sound Engineering

What should a young person do to prepare for a career as a Producer?

Be attracted to music, like music, and listen to a LOT of music. When I was 13 years old I would listen to artists like Isaac Hayes over and over again, and then deconstruct what was in the music. I would play the bass lines on my clarinet. Play the melodies, and even try to recreate the harmonies, though it was hard to do, on clarinet.

Listening to music is one kind of “muscle” but the deconstructing muscle might be even more important. Now, it’s not a requirement to be a musician to be a great Engineer; some of my colleagues here at Berklee have proven this, but I think it does help. People often learn music on their own and have wrong understandings, but being a trained musician provides a more efficient way to understand music and how it is created.

The Engineer thinks of musical notes as frequencies, and this analogy is not always perfect. So I would tell most young people who want to be Producers or audio Engineers to undertake a rigorous training in music. It opens up many opportunities to do incredible musical things, like adding a classical orchestra to pop or jazz, something I have done successfully.

Dr. Robert Rowe, director of the Music Technology program at NYU Steinhardt, discusses the program’s undergraduate, master’s, and PhD degrees:

Is Sound Engineering a good career?

Tom Stein

Anyone who lands a good job as a recording engineer can expect to have a good career ahead of them. There will always be a demand for good audio recording engineers, whether for live concerts and shows or in the recording studio. For those who are passionate about music, sound, and recording technology, and enjoy working in teams with other creatives, a career as a recording engineer can offer the chance to combine doing something they love with earning a good living.

While working as a sound recording engineer can be lucrative, it will take a while to build the solid reputation needed for advancing in the industry while climbing the ladder of success. This often means working long hours, sometimes into the night or around the clock. Many projects must be completed under a deadline, and finding a healthy work-life balance can sometimes be difficult as a result.

Whether working in live audio or in a recording environment (or both), if you know how to find and build relationships with clients and can maintain a flexible schedule (working nights and weekends), there will always be good opportunities to work in the music recording field. While most aspiring producers and recording engineers go to school to learn, having experience behind the board is also necessary, as is knowing how to set up and tear down gear, soundcheck a band, and create a good mix efficiently and quickly. Many live music engineers end up going on tour at some point of their career.

How long does it take to become a recording engineer?

Tom Stein

To master any art form or technical skill can take many years of hard work. Malcolm Gladwell’s “10,000 Hours Rule” (from his bestselling book Outliers, The Story Of Success, and based on his research into accomplished musicians) states that “…the key to achieving true expertise in any skill is simply a matter of practicing, albeit in the correct way, for at least 10,000 hours.”

This handy generalization has been debunked by some, saying that it’s at best an average, and that there are some who put in fewer or more hours, and may or may not become experts in the end. Taking a closer look, 10,000 hours translates to approximately four hours a day, five days a week, for ten years. Whether you do it in eight years or twelve, his greater point is well-taken: to becoming expert at anything requires putting in the time.

Like any professional career, becoming a recording engineer demands an investment in time over years. Some people may achieve it sooner or later than others, but it isn’t going to happen overnight. If you spend ten years doing something for hours every day, you are bound to get good at it.

Challenges and Rewards of Being an Engineer/Producer

What are some positives and negatives of the job?

A positive is that your career will not be hostage to the fickle nature of audiences, meaning you can make a bad record and still get work. There’s also a certain empowerment, as technology changes – and it always does, so as Engineers we are positioned to embrace these changes better than the artists typically are. We don’t get stuck in a certain way of doing things because we can realize the benefits of the new tech as soon as it appears and is available.

A negative is the long hours and lack of sleep. There is so much to do and never enough time to do it in, so we tend to sacrifice our sleep, and sometimes health and even relationships. Another drawback is that Engineers tend to be typecast as functional, but not creative. There is a certain stereotype for the Engineer that is really unfair, because we are creative, too. We aren’t just there to push buttons.

Do sound engineers make good money?

Tom Stein

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, audio engineers earned an average of about $75,000 per year, with those in the top 10% earning over $100,000 or more. Depending on the sector they work in, the average varies quite a bit. For example, audio engineers working in the video and motion picture industries take home significantly more than those working in the TV, radio, and performing arts fields.

Geographic location also matters: Recording engineers working in California and New York earn quite a lot more than their counterparts in Nebraska, Kansas, or Wyoming, where the cost of living is also significantly lower. Audio engineers who have earned a degree should expect to earn more than those without a degree, and years of hands-on experience also allow engineers to earn more.

Finding Work as a Producer

How does a Producer find work?

Let’s remember that the end-goal of any Producer is to create recordings that are successful in the market. Producing and engineering recordings is extremely results-oriented, and to get the calls to work, we need to achieve good results in the marketplace. Since we are so results-driven, we must create work that connects to a target audience and is not solely artistic.

I think we must have an objective “third eye” looking at the quality of our work, judging whether or not if it will have the intended result. Getting results equals getting work in this field.

What’s the biggest problem Producers face today?

We often face a lack of credits on released product we created. It’s difficult because there is this lack of documentation across all platforms, including streaming platforms and YouTube so that nobody knows what songs the Engineer worked on. There’s this huge lack of accuracy in the documentation of our work and it can be frustrating as a Producer or Engineer to not be credited for the work you did. We need the visibility to get more work, after all.

Additionally, there are issues around viable and binding contracts for our work. We often have ongoing working relationships with the artists, and they can be affected negatively by the introduction of a legal contract. All of a sudden, it’s like they are thinking differently about our work together because of the contract, but at the same time, we need to have these viable binding contracts to protect our interests and clarify terms of engagement.

It’s tricky to navigate this aspect, but successful Engineers and Producers manage to make all these parts work well.

Is it hard to be a recording engineer?

Tom Stein

Nothing worth doing is ever easy. If it was easy, everyone would do it. There’s always competition and there will always be people who are more skilled, experienced, and perhaps more talented than you are. But none of this should stop you if you have set your heart on it.

The key is to take joy in the learning and from the satisfaction you will feel by improving in something you truly love doing. Find opportunities to learn and to work as an engineer, or to assist a more experienced audio engineer. Find like-minded people who lift you up and avoid negative people who try to poke holes in your dreams. These are some things that will make it easier for you.

Rome wasn’t built in a day. You are building a city, not a single building. As you gain skill and accumulate valuable knowledge that helps you in your recording work, you will know that you are on the path. Someday you will look back and feel proud of all you have achieved. It does take work, and work is always hard, so don’t expect it will be easy. Just do the work and don’t question whether it is hard. Instead, tell yourself that it’s worth it.

What You Should Know About Engineering Careers

Are there special challenges for people of color, women, and other underrepresented constituencies?

Yes, there most certainly are significant challenges for people of color, women, and other marginalized groups in this industry. For one thing, we are expected to be two or three times as good as our white male counterparts. We have to really know the tech and be better than anyone in the room in order to be accepted and appreciated. There are certain stereotypes about competence that make it harder for us to develop our own persona and to fit in with the team.

For example, white males are generally viewed as being more competent in the technology aspect. If someone walks into a studio control booth and sees a white man and a black man, they are likely to assume that the white man is the Engineer and the black man is the artist. We need to work extra hard to develop the right kind of personality that allows us to fit in and be seen for our talents and capabilities.

Learn more about women and gender non-conforming individuals in sound engineering and resources such as Women’s Audio Mission and soundgirls.org:

Working in many styles as you do, crossing over from pop and jazz to other contemporary styles, does it help or hurt your professional opportunities? Tell me about the styles you cover and what it’s like for you crossing over between styles.

I work in so many styles: Funk, Soul, R&B, Hip Hop, EDM, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country, Reggae, and so on. I’ve also recorded classical orchestras to enhance recordings of pop and R&B. This all really helps my career because I can move seamlessly between the acoustic and electronic environments, and fuse them together.

If you could tell your son or daughter (or students) just one thing, what would it be?

Music is a business, just like any other business. You have to be accountable for your financial health. I got my second degree in marketing. You should understand that for a business to be successful it must create and sell great products or services. Engineering and producing music is ultimately a service business.

(This concludes our interview with Prince Charles Alexander.)

In Conclusion

By doing some research you can quickly find out about the many possible career paths for students interested in learning about Music Technology, Sound Engineering, Recording, and Music Production. Those seeking careers in music need to be well-prepared with knowledge, skills, and training. Attending school is a great way to build your professional network, build your portfolio, gain internships, and learn the skills you need. Fortunately, there are many great programs offered in conservatories, colleges, and universities today.

Speak with music technology graduates to find out what their training was like and how it prepared them for what they are doing now. Visit schools and recording studios, volunteer to work on community productions and concerts, and hang around with musicians in the know about Audio Recording, Sound Engineering, and Music Production. You too can find the right path forward if you are determined, and many good opportunities will surely await you.

Here’s some bonus videos for anyone wanting to learn more about what it’s like to be an audio engineer or music producer:

Music Production | Having a Conversation with the Artist and Songwriter | Prince Charles Alexander from Berklee Online

A day in the life of an Audio Engineer

What does a Music Producer Actually Do? Consordini Music interview with Joe Scott

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