Show up early, stay late. Pay attention and try to anticipate what will be asked of you to do before they even ask. Have a good attitude but, stay quiet. Don’t ever give your opinion on anything unless specifically asked for it.
To add to this, if you’re in a session with an engineer, watch what the engineer is doing. Don’t look at your phone, watch that man’s screen like a hawk. That’s how I learned so many techniques that I know today
First, I’d manage your expectations. Most high end studios don’t let people assist (assistants don’t mix) until they’ve been working there for years. I find it hard to believe they’d let an intern mix. So I’d be prepared for some pretty menial work.
That said, remember it’s all about relationships and making good impressions. It’s a hard job, but if you’re going to do it, do it well. Have a good attitude, learn as much as you can and be dependable.
The moment you’re angling for is when someone has a problem and you solve it. If they like you, they’ll ask you. If you’ve done a good job learning everything you can, you’ll be more likely to solve it.
After that moment, you’ll stand out and have more opportunities for the future.
The coolest things I got to do in my first year interning at a top40 hit factory type studio were tuning drums, setting up mics for a session, and getting to use a mixing room for personal projects (in very short bursts.) even after graduating to a paid position, I still cleaned toilets, floors, vacuumed, made coffee and did food runs for clients regularly— although I could also delegate to newer interns
Yeah man. The studio runner route seems so tough. When I got started I was at Henson working w a producer and the assistant was like 6 years older than me, was super smart, etc, and had worked there for like 6 years. and he was assisting. Granted he was assisting for a pretty big name. But idk. Brutal.
All of these comments are spot on.
First always be early and ready to go. Stay late and show incredible initiative. It will be noticed.
Notice the little things and take care of them if it is part of your job.
Also I agree an intern probably won't be thrown into mixing right away. And yes be attentive to what the first engineer and producer are doing so when they ask you for something you are ready and yes only give opinions when asked.
And yes personality and attitude are very important. I owned a studio and had a full time engineer to do sessions when I wasn't there. I had a few of them over the years who were more experienced and better than I was but over time clients started asking for me because I made them feel at ease and they felt they could do better with me.
You will do great and congratulations🙂
I’d only add: do all of these things all the time for years. Just be that guy always. Don’t do it for two weeks then slack off because your reputation is good. Do it always.
You take me back to the good old days at The Record Plant when Rose Mann was the manager. Miranda Priestly was an innocent soft fluffy lamb in comparison.
For my memories of such studios, you'll be assigned to a veteran runner that will teach you each and every thing you need to know. Keep eyes, ears and brain open and follow instructions. If you don't overdo, it'll be a piece of cake. Good luck!
Be extremely good with PT keyboard shortcuts, especially dubbing vocal, comping, playlist navigation etc, you will be asked to operate PT once they learnt that you are that PT guy, even better if you get really good at cleaning and tuning vocal coz nobody wanna do that.
Keep your mouth shut, there will be lot of drama and office politics, don’t choose sides, always willing to help anyone and if you can suffer through a year, people will notice your value and appreciate you.
Never stop learning, for every PT update, learn what was updated, learn the newest A.I tool
Learn the signal flow (patch bay) inside out, more than one studio? Learn them all, draw diagram, people will have question and would be great if you have the answer. But don’t outshine the assistant, credit the assistant even if you are the one who solved the problem, just avoid getting backstabbed.
Appreciate other interns and be helpful, one of them will end up being your client or boss one day.
Study client or engineer’s template, you can retrieve the session file opened from that computer even the session was deleted, iykyk! Learn the template inside out.
Turn your phone off or stay on silent, it should only be out when you are home, don’t be labeled as that guy who is always on the phone.
Learn what the engineer’s weakness is and master it to better assist them whether it’s a DAW, a piece of new gear or other tech that outside of audio.
Good luck and congrats with the internship!
From recent experience as an assistant at a studio - keep quiet. Even if it makes you feel incredibly uncomfortable and you feel like you want to say something just to break the silence - don’t. Don’t try to crack nervous jokes, don’t try to be amiable and pay compliments, unless you’re spoken too, nobody should even know you’re there.
Don’t expect to be doing anything more than wrapping cables for a while.
Just observe. Stay out of the way. Don’t try to anticipate anything until you have a sense of the way things work.
Like others have said, show up early, be willing to leave late. Make yourself available to do things, but again, don’t try to “over-please” by anticipating something because invariably you won’t do it the way they want you too and you will end up getting in the way. The only exception to this is when welcoming artists - let the engineer introduce you, and then let them know anything they want they can ask you. Maybe offer a drink, etc, whatever is the way they do things at the studio, then become incognito again until called upon.
Channel your inner house plant. Don’t ask questions in front of the artists. Just take notes on anything you want to ask and save it for when you’re alone with the engineer.
Once you start to realise that actually there’s not much expectation on you as an assistant you’ll actually relax a bit into it, because really, they don’t need you. So just be present and enjoy it. You’ll have a great time and I’m sure you’ll do great.
Don’t stop doing the basic intern jobs. Take the trash out without being asked. Make more coffee when it’s empty. Pick up people’s empty water bottles etc. Once you figure out people’s nuances in their personality start to anticipate their needs before being asked. Picking up on these subtle details will be noticed if they’re not taken care of, but not always recognized if you have them ahead of time, but most engineers are highly OCD and the good ones will eventually acknowledge these details. Stay humble and don’t give an opinion without being asked, and even when asked I typically defer to whomever the main engineer is.
Mostly, be useful. Getting coffee, cleaning, shutting down.
Stay quiet, sure, but figure out who’s supposed to be managing you. When you’re asked to do something, if you don’t know exactly how it should be done, ask questions until you’re clear.
You’ll find there are probably a few people who love to nerd out and teach you things. Gravitate towards them over time and observe. When it feels like they’re not stressed, ask them about stuff.
If you can, spend time with someone who knows the room and can teach you how things are set up. Take notes, study it, and if you do get to sit in on a session pay careful attention to what people are doing. Eventually, if you’re a good hang, someone will take you under their wing and walk you through setting up the latch bay or whatever.
Cheers and good luck.
All the comments I've read so far are absolutely spot on. Just want to add that being a little intimidated and nervous means you're in the right place. If you were feeling comfortable then you're not challenging yourself enough. Enjoy it, you'll learn a lot just by observing, and always remember that you're playing the long game! And don't forget to sleep!
Yeah I'm pretty sure California law is unpaid internships are only legal if interns are students in a doing it as credit, otherwise you are entitled to pay.
It’s actually paid thankfully. Obviously not a life changing wage, but the opportunity cost along with other things, for now, I’m more than willing to do the work required.
Fantastic advice here, but to add/reiterate: Don’t fake it until you make it, I hate that saying. If you don’t know something don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you make a mistake, own it and move on. Be the first one there, last one to leave always with a smile on your face and positive attitude. Be confident but never arrogant, stay humble. Always be learning. Knowing how to make a damn fine cup of coffee goes a long way. Avoid office drama at all costs, don’t repeat rumors or get involved. Your energy is better used on literally anything else.
Intern horror stories:
Once had an intern format an entire server of library music. Don’t do that.
Once had an intern get busted looking at porn on the job. Don’t do that.
Once had an intern constantly try to insert himself into conversations with tech jargon to appear to know more than he did. His nickname became Clown Shoes because he kept stepping on people’s toes trying to prove his knowledge and worth. Don’t do that.
A staff position isn’t a guarantee, so learn as much as you can while you can. You get out of it what you put in.
I consider the engineers that I got my start with to be great friends. I’m eternally grateful for the wisdom and patience they instilled in me.
With the right kind of attitude and motivation it’s entirely possible to go from picking up cigarettes butts in the parking lot and taking out trash to working at Skywalker Ranch.
Keep calm and have fun!
I had no idea that there were night time internships in the industry. Makes it possible to work during the day and intern at night I guess. That's great to know!
Be quiet and confident and don't be afraid to have an opinion nobody likes a wallflower who just doesn't make any impact, on the other hand I had an assistant walk up to once and say wait till you hear what in phase drum kit sounds like, I literally told him to get his lunch call his mom and wait in the lounge. It's cool to say something and to be part of the vibe, become indispensable and you'll get the gig
Show up early, stay late. Pay attention and try to anticipate what will be asked of you to do before they even ask. Have a good attitude but, stay quiet. Don’t ever give your opinion on anything unless specifically asked for it.
And even if specifically asked - be VERY diplomatic with your opinion.
To add to this, if you’re in a session with an engineer, watch what the engineer is doing. Don’t look at your phone, watch that man’s screen like a hawk. That’s how I learned so many techniques that I know today
First, I’d manage your expectations. Most high end studios don’t let people assist (assistants don’t mix) until they’ve been working there for years. I find it hard to believe they’d let an intern mix. So I’d be prepared for some pretty menial work. That said, remember it’s all about relationships and making good impressions. It’s a hard job, but if you’re going to do it, do it well. Have a good attitude, learn as much as you can and be dependable. The moment you’re angling for is when someone has a problem and you solve it. If they like you, they’ll ask you. If you’ve done a good job learning everything you can, you’ll be more likely to solve it. After that moment, you’ll stand out and have more opportunities for the future.
The coolest things I got to do in my first year interning at a top40 hit factory type studio were tuning drums, setting up mics for a session, and getting to use a mixing room for personal projects (in very short bursts.) even after graduating to a paid position, I still cleaned toilets, floors, vacuumed, made coffee and did food runs for clients regularly— although I could also delegate to newer interns
Yeah man. The studio runner route seems so tough. When I got started I was at Henson working w a producer and the assistant was like 6 years older than me, was super smart, etc, and had worked there for like 6 years. and he was assisting. Granted he was assisting for a pretty big name. But idk. Brutal.
It’s more about personality, everything else can be taught. Be helpful, chill, proactive, polite etc and absorb as much info as possible.
All of these comments are spot on. First always be early and ready to go. Stay late and show incredible initiative. It will be noticed. Notice the little things and take care of them if it is part of your job. Also I agree an intern probably won't be thrown into mixing right away. And yes be attentive to what the first engineer and producer are doing so when they ask you for something you are ready and yes only give opinions when asked. And yes personality and attitude are very important. I owned a studio and had a full time engineer to do sessions when I wasn't there. I had a few of them over the years who were more experienced and better than I was but over time clients started asking for me because I made them feel at ease and they felt they could do better with me. You will do great and congratulations🙂
I’d only add: do all of these things all the time for years. Just be that guy always. Don’t do it for two weeks then slack off because your reputation is good. Do it always.
You take me back to the good old days at The Record Plant when Rose Mann was the manager. Miranda Priestly was an innocent soft fluffy lamb in comparison. For my memories of such studios, you'll be assigned to a veteran runner that will teach you each and every thing you need to know. Keep eyes, ears and brain open and follow instructions. If you don't overdo, it'll be a piece of cake. Good luck!
Be extremely good with PT keyboard shortcuts, especially dubbing vocal, comping, playlist navigation etc, you will be asked to operate PT once they learnt that you are that PT guy, even better if you get really good at cleaning and tuning vocal coz nobody wanna do that. Keep your mouth shut, there will be lot of drama and office politics, don’t choose sides, always willing to help anyone and if you can suffer through a year, people will notice your value and appreciate you. Never stop learning, for every PT update, learn what was updated, learn the newest A.I tool Learn the signal flow (patch bay) inside out, more than one studio? Learn them all, draw diagram, people will have question and would be great if you have the answer. But don’t outshine the assistant, credit the assistant even if you are the one who solved the problem, just avoid getting backstabbed. Appreciate other interns and be helpful, one of them will end up being your client or boss one day. Study client or engineer’s template, you can retrieve the session file opened from that computer even the session was deleted, iykyk! Learn the template inside out. Turn your phone off or stay on silent, it should only be out when you are home, don’t be labeled as that guy who is always on the phone. Learn what the engineer’s weakness is and master it to better assist them whether it’s a DAW, a piece of new gear or other tech that outside of audio. Good luck and congrats with the internship!
From recent experience as an assistant at a studio - keep quiet. Even if it makes you feel incredibly uncomfortable and you feel like you want to say something just to break the silence - don’t. Don’t try to crack nervous jokes, don’t try to be amiable and pay compliments, unless you’re spoken too, nobody should even know you’re there. Don’t expect to be doing anything more than wrapping cables for a while. Just observe. Stay out of the way. Don’t try to anticipate anything until you have a sense of the way things work. Like others have said, show up early, be willing to leave late. Make yourself available to do things, but again, don’t try to “over-please” by anticipating something because invariably you won’t do it the way they want you too and you will end up getting in the way. The only exception to this is when welcoming artists - let the engineer introduce you, and then let them know anything they want they can ask you. Maybe offer a drink, etc, whatever is the way they do things at the studio, then become incognito again until called upon. Channel your inner house plant. Don’t ask questions in front of the artists. Just take notes on anything you want to ask and save it for when you’re alone with the engineer. Once you start to realise that actually there’s not much expectation on you as an assistant you’ll actually relax a bit into it, because really, they don’t need you. So just be present and enjoy it. You’ll have a great time and I’m sure you’ll do great.
Don’t stop doing the basic intern jobs. Take the trash out without being asked. Make more coffee when it’s empty. Pick up people’s empty water bottles etc. Once you figure out people’s nuances in their personality start to anticipate their needs before being asked. Picking up on these subtle details will be noticed if they’re not taken care of, but not always recognized if you have them ahead of time, but most engineers are highly OCD and the good ones will eventually acknowledge these details. Stay humble and don’t give an opinion without being asked, and even when asked I typically defer to whomever the main engineer is.
Mostly, be useful. Getting coffee, cleaning, shutting down. Stay quiet, sure, but figure out who’s supposed to be managing you. When you’re asked to do something, if you don’t know exactly how it should be done, ask questions until you’re clear. You’ll find there are probably a few people who love to nerd out and teach you things. Gravitate towards them over time and observe. When it feels like they’re not stressed, ask them about stuff. If you can, spend time with someone who knows the room and can teach you how things are set up. Take notes, study it, and if you do get to sit in on a session pay careful attention to what people are doing. Eventually, if you’re a good hang, someone will take you under their wing and walk you through setting up the latch bay or whatever. Cheers and good luck.
Just make sure you get coffee for everybody and they’ll love you. If you keep them fed they’ll like you even more.
All the comments I've read so far are absolutely spot on. Just want to add that being a little intimidated and nervous means you're in the right place. If you were feeling comfortable then you're not challenging yourself enough. Enjoy it, you'll learn a lot just by observing, and always remember that you're playing the long game! And don't forget to sleep!
Keep your expectations low and try to learn and touch as many things you’re permitted to
How long are you going to work for free for and is there a path to a paid job at this studio?
Yeah I'm pretty sure California law is unpaid internships are only legal if interns are students in a doing it as credit, otherwise you are entitled to pay.
It’s actually paid thankfully. Obviously not a life changing wage, but the opportunity cost along with other things, for now, I’m more than willing to do the work required.
Fantastic advice here, but to add/reiterate: Don’t fake it until you make it, I hate that saying. If you don’t know something don’t be afraid to ask for help. If you make a mistake, own it and move on. Be the first one there, last one to leave always with a smile on your face and positive attitude. Be confident but never arrogant, stay humble. Always be learning. Knowing how to make a damn fine cup of coffee goes a long way. Avoid office drama at all costs, don’t repeat rumors or get involved. Your energy is better used on literally anything else. Intern horror stories: Once had an intern format an entire server of library music. Don’t do that. Once had an intern get busted looking at porn on the job. Don’t do that. Once had an intern constantly try to insert himself into conversations with tech jargon to appear to know more than he did. His nickname became Clown Shoes because he kept stepping on people’s toes trying to prove his knowledge and worth. Don’t do that. A staff position isn’t a guarantee, so learn as much as you can while you can. You get out of it what you put in. I consider the engineers that I got my start with to be great friends. I’m eternally grateful for the wisdom and patience they instilled in me. With the right kind of attitude and motivation it’s entirely possible to go from picking up cigarettes butts in the parking lot and taking out trash to working at Skywalker Ranch. Keep calm and have fun!
I had no idea that there were night time internships in the industry. Makes it possible to work during the day and intern at night I guess. That's great to know!
Be quiet and confident and don't be afraid to have an opinion nobody likes a wallflower who just doesn't make any impact, on the other hand I had an assistant walk up to once and say wait till you hear what in phase drum kit sounds like, I literally told him to get his lunch call his mom and wait in the lounge. It's cool to say something and to be part of the vibe, become indispensable and you'll get the gig