Recording Engineering

[J.Warsoff]

Originally Posted by Al Skierkiewicz

Yes, I worked with Herbie a few times in the 80's. Another nice guy in the industry. We did a few Downbeat Jazz awards shows at my station. The project I am currently working on is also a jazz project.

Are you serious?!?!?! I love Herbie's stuff! I'm a huge jazz fan as well as a musician (i play tenor sax, guitar, bass, and harmonica) so I listen to a lot of his stuff.

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Herbie was one of the first keyboardists to use a small audio console to mix the outputs of his several keyboards to both an ear monitor and to the recording desk during the show. One of my most favorite other performers was Lionel Hampton. When we were setting up his equipment, he offered to give us all a lesson on how to play the vibes. How cool is that? Hamp was always cool and friendly with the crew and made us feel like we were visitors instead of the other way around. At one point he said "when I take a break, the crew takes a break".

[wireties]

This is beyond kewl! I am also a huge Herbie Hancock fan.

My daughter is studying EE at Baylor but on a recent trip to NY visited the studios at 30 Rock. She is now looking into music and broadcast engineering. She is a good piano player, composes some, reads well and has the voice of an angel (Dad talking here).

What kind of background do music/broadcast engineers typically have?

[Al Skierkiewicz]

Keith,
I wish I could recommend broadcast engineering but I can no longer look someone in the eye and say there is a real future here. I have a BS as a EET from Bradley but have been working in TV since I joined the TV club in high school. I had to engineer shows during a teacher's strike at my school to keep classes going. I have never crossed a picket line again. I am grandfathered in as a First Class Radiotelephone, now a General Class license. I was a certified Broadcast Engineer with the SBE but recently dropped membership. I am self taught in acoustics and audio control room design, and a graduate of SynAudCon audio seminar series.
While I sometimes am assigned to music shows and audio production, I am also involved with system engineering, equipment install and repair. While I might be fixing a mic one day, the very next I might be on the roof inside a satellite dish or up on Sears Tower working on our transmitter. Most young people do not want to go near something that has 35 kV@2amps power supplies, can make 20+ kW of RF or gets struck by lightning several times a year. This job has been very good to me and I have never regretted a day. On the other hand, most people would shy away if you tell them that occasionally I will start my day at 5 AM and still be on the clock, the next day at 2 PM. Starting at 7 AM and still working at 1 AM (and scheduled to start the next day at 6 AM) is not uncommon during a show day or commercial shoot.

BTW, Someone sent this to me a few weeks back. I hope you all like it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEliY73q_Fk

[rsisk]

I love listening in when engineers start talking about cool things. Thanks guys.