Working for the Beeb

Recent graduate (and Sennheiser award winner!) Mark Timms sent us some news from his current work on the BBC series 'Doctors'.

Working alongside top Production sound mixers such Tony Wass and Andy Redfern, Mark says...

"I’ve just finished my fourth week on doctors now for the BBC and it’s lots of fun, very hectic as they shoot a lot of material each day but you get used to it! I’m the sound assistant and second boom operator, so I’m in early prepping the kit for a 10-11 hour shoot then de-rigging in the evening. The team there are great though and it’s a good environment for learning and making contacts."

He adds that 'There's still loads to learn but knowing my stuff with the Sound Devices 664 mixer and having location sound experience got me in so couldn’t have done it without the help received on the course at Bucks'

As if that isn't a good enough start in the industry, Mark has also been working as a runner at one of Soho's premier Audio post-production facilities Warner Bros De Lane Lea. Of his experiences there so far he says, 'I was able to sit in on several ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement/Dubbing) sessions, including one with Brian Blessed for the Lego Dimensions game, and one crowd session for a film called How To Talk to Girls at Parties. I learnt a lot about how ADR is done at that level, I also spoke to the mix techs about what they do and they walked me through their set up which was great to see.'

Go Mark!!!

AMP Graduate Interview: Ally Siu

Q) What is your job title and where do you work?

Currently I am a self-employed freelancer. I keep my own diary and set my own pay rate. I work for multiple companies that vary from agencies to production companies and major corporate businesses.  I usually refer to myself as a live events technician; this covers my whole skillset, which is more then just being a sound technician.

Q) When did you start working there?

I have been freelancing since the summer of 2013 so just over a year now. However I did spend a year as an onsite audiovisual technician and manager for a production company.

Q) In a typical day, what do you do?

A usual day for me starts at a ridiculous time in the morning and travelling to the event site where I then help unload the truck(s) carrying the show kit.  The next several hours will be spent rigging and testing and sometimes rehearsing before the show starts and we are live.  There isn’t usually much time for testing so you have to be sure you know what you are doing and test along the way to give yourself a helping hand and lessening the rush when time is running out.  Operating during the show is the highlight of course where you can enjoying the thrill from executing your role to the highest standard.  Once the show is done you are then in de rigging mode and preparing to load the van back up and then go home at another unsociable hour!

  

Q) How did you get the job?

As mentioned earlier I worked as an onsite technician and then as a venue manager for a production company. I soon realized that being a venue manager was basically a fancy term for salesmen! I decided very quickly that I didn’t want to be a salesman, so I handed in my notice and started looking at various options.  With my experience levels from the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics and my time working on site I decided I could go and be a freelancer as I had the necessary skills to be successful.

Q) What are the best bits of what you do?

I get to work with some very talented people, which is an opportunity to learn as much as possible to further my skillset.  Since working after leaving BNU I have picked up more skills and am far more employable because of it.  I now get work not only as a sound technician but also as video/data operator, lighting tech and video conferencing controller.  My degree in audio and music production has had an influence in all the jobs I do as not only can I step in and help out whenever needed but as a video/data, lighting and VC technician I know how sound/audio interacts with each discipline and can offer advice to improve the overall show.  Being a freelancer also means I don’t have to work every day.  At the moment I earn more from 3 days work as a freelancer then I did from a 5 day week as an employee and I still work nearly 5 day weeks so my weekly turnover is excellent!

Q) What are the worst bits?

Definitely the unsociable hours, I’ve realized that all those midday naps I took while at university were in no way preparing me for a working life!  A hard part of freelancing is finding your own work.  I am now at the point where some companies come to me asking for work because they know me now.  If you choose to go freelance be prepared to do a lot of job searching and make sure you are comfortable with approaching people and essentially getting in their faces.  One company that now provides me nearly 45% of my work ignored my first two emails.  I then sent another and waited a few days before calling them to see if they had it.  Don’t be afraid to be bold! Companies like that!

Q) What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into the same line of work?

Get involved with everything.  Even if you are on the job as a sound technician have a chat with the video/data guys; I know we tend to call them vidiots but there is a lot of work out there for good video/data people and adding an extra skill to your repertoire is always a good thing.  If you can pick up some lighting skills as well do it.  Companies have a real appreciation of multi skilled people and will always employ you if they know you can do more then one thing!  I began to make friendship with project managers and now I do some project managing of my own.  I have managed two mid scale musical productions which included soloists, choirs and orchestras! I organized all the equipment and had it rigged into the venue and operated the shows. 

Be a help not a hindrance, just because you area good sound tech doesn’t mean you are above mucking in and helping get a show ready.  Don’t be a white glove operator (someone who turns up expecting everything to be ready to go) going above what is expected of you is a sure fire way to get more work and will play in your favour when you ask for a pay rise! 

Q) Anything else you’d like to add?

Enjoy what you do! If you don’t enjoy it then change something.  I found working as a venue manager depressing because I was spending all day at the venue and sometimes all night before going home, sleeping and then returning to my venue! Leaving that job and going freelance was the best thing I have ever done.  I get to meet new people and do new things every day! I now find it hard to see myself doing anything else.  There’s no one way to achieve success so make sure you make it your own way.

AMP Graduate Interview: Freyja Lawson

Q) What is your job title and where do you work?

I'm currently working for Britannia Row Productions (BRP). There are two parts to my job...

I'm employed day-to-day in BRP HQ in Twickenham, where I basically work with a team to service, prep., build and de-prep. all the equipment we own for shows, tours and corporate events.

I am also a Crew member, meaning BRP employ me to work on the events that they provide sound re-enforcement for. There are a few different roles on these events (depending on the nature of the job) and so as a crew member you have to have a skill set wide enough to take you from one end of the multicore to the other.

I'm focusing on becoming a System Engineer so I normally get put on a gig as a System Tech to help the (more senior) Engineer. Most of the crew we employ are freelance engineers who work for several different companies/bands etc. and I too am aiming to gain the valuable knowledge and experience needed to join them.

Q) When did you start working there?

A) I started at BRP in November 2012 & have been there ever since!

Q) In a typical day, what do you do?

A) Day to day in the warehouse it can be anything from rigging inspection to looming cables! Because we are a relatively large PA hire company, we can provide anything from speakers to microphones and everything in between. Our warehouse is split up into several different departments; Analogue, Digital, Cables, Speakers (& Rigging), Amps and Maintenance and as part of my job I have to get to know the ins and outs of every area including all the equipment. This means testing, maintaining and building takes up most of my day in the warehouse. Along with that I am also a rigging inspector for all the kit that we send out with our PA systems. I am also one of the people responsible for PAT testing our electronic equipment and repairing any faulty items.

I also worked for some time in our operations department where I was an assistant to our Operations Manager. This job involved retrieving quotes for the hire of equipment and transport for tours, assigning equipment to jobs and liaising with the warehouse staff and crew to ensure all prep was completed on time and all the kit fitted in the trucks!

On a gig, as a System Tech, my job is pretty much anything that needs doing! Firstly unloading the trucks (normally a 45 ft. arctic, or 2 or 3!) and loading it into the venue. Depending on the nature of the gig, there may be limitations as to when we can start to set up certain things but for the most part, the cables are normally run first. These will be the multicores from FOH to stage. There are normally at least 2 or 3 depending on the kind of consoles that are being used. We also run a returns multi for the drive system where we control the PA and amps from. The amps are also set up early on. Again, depending on the type of gig and how many amps you have, the set up may vary. Sometimes they are flown with the PA, sometimes they are built in huge racks called MeatRacks and sometimes they are in really awkward positions away from the stage or on a balcony. Their favourite place (and ours!) to be, is on either side of the stage, on the ground. From then on, it is my job to help get the PA in the air (if its being flown) or ground stacked. I'm also responsible for setting up side fills, lip fills and delays. I have to rig the speakers with the appropriate hardware (rigging, angle straps, ratchets, inclinometers etc.!) and ensure that they are in the optimum position to cover the venue sufficiently. The angles and positioning are worked out by the Engineer who uses specific software to plot the room and design the system around it.

Once speakers are in place it is time to cable up and patch the amps so that the correct signal goes to the correct parts of the PA (sub to subs etc!) Then we "pink" the system to make sure we have everything present and correct. We may also have to time align the system if its a larger venue and especially if we have delay hangs. Once the Engineer is happy, he/she will normally play a few tracks of songs they know the frequency range of very well and walk the room to make sure all areas are covered and no phasing is occurring. Once we are happy with the PA and the amps, it is time to make sure the rest of the crew are ok and help out with any remaining tasks. This whole process can take many hours and this is all before the main act arrives for their load in. Once they headliners are in, they usually soundcheck for at least an hour by which time the support/s will be ready for their soundcheck/s too. This takes us up to opening time and straight into the gig itself. Once the main event is over we then have to pack down and load out all the equipment and get it back on the truck/s!

  

Q) How did you get the job?

A) I was offered the opportunity through a lecturer at BUCKS to volunteer as an audio assistant for the 2012 Olympics. I went for an interview and was asked to cover the gymnastics at the O2 arena where I worked with some BRP crew. After graduating I was looking to pursue a career in live audio and decided to take a chance and contact BRP once the Olympics were over. The next day I got a call from the HR manager asking if I wanted to go in for a few days and I have been there ever since!

Q) What are the best bits of what you do?

A) There are loads of awesome things about this job. The obvious stuff like being backstage all the time and meeting lots of amazing artists is fantastic and I'd be lying if I said I didn't love it! But, there is nothing like going to work everyday with your best friends…sounds really lame I know but the live industry, especially my company, is like one big family and everyone knows everyone. Being on a tour with a brilliant crew and making an incredible show happen is the best feeling in the world. That and all the free stuff!!

Q) What are the worst bits?

A) We work VERY unsociable hours. This is not a typical 9-5 job and you have to be prepared to work seriously hard if you want to make it out there. Sometimes it is also a very high-pressure environment, especially when dealing with high-profile clients. Also, touring means long periods of time away from home, friends and family.

Q) What advice would you give to anyone looking to get into the same line of work?

A) Keep at it and don't give up. This industry is incredibly tough and you have to be prepared to get your hands dirty and earn respect. Don't expect just to waltz up to a console on your first day and be thrown out on tour as a FOH engineer just like that. No matter what your background, you will start at the very bottom just like everyone else did. Listen to everyone you work with and take advice from the ones who have made this their career. Also, be nice to everyone!!! There is nothing worse than Engineers/Techs who are rude to venue staff/local crew/anyone they think is below them. At the end of the day, people aren't paying for tickets to see you!

Q) Anything else you’d like to add?

A) I think I could go on about this forever!! I guess, you get out of this what you put into it. There are no shortcuts and you never stop learning.

Work Experience & beyond! Adam Whalley @ Team Rock

In the summer of 2013, in between second and third year - my favourite DJ from the only major national rock radio station (planet rock) left, to join a new station that was forming, Team Rock. Upon initial listens to the test transmissions I could tell there were some issues with the sound - and I decided I’d send an email to the head of radio, a guy called Moose. I told him the issue, and then proceeded to get a bit of work experience largely on my basis of my great knowledge of broadcast audio (lie) and my expert skills in making cups of tea (bigger lie). He then enquired about my degree and asked about what I do and invited me in to meet them all, so expecting nothing but an insight into a radio station - I headed off to London and was met by Moose who proceeded to show me the little studios in the basement of a palatial building in London. I was then showed their spare audio studios, where they wanted to record sessions. They asked can I do it? Of course I said yes, and from there I was taken to the roof garden to discuss an equipment list that needed to be bought.

Since then, I’ve had the privilege of working for a growing company, and working in a great team of people who really think outside the box and try and do things differently. At Team Rock Radio, there are no adverts and that means we can play whatever we like, whenever we like and provide listeners with a variety that really hasn’t been seen in ‘commerical’ radio for a very long time! Since I joined the company, they’ve won awards and established a fan base which is ever growing - as well as syndicated some of the shows abroad meaning some of the sessions I produce are played in varying countries to potential audiences above 10 million! It’s something I’m massively proud to be a part of.

There is also the small matter of the artists I’ve been privileged enough to work with, and the list is ever growing, but headed by massive names such as Slash, Richie Sambora (Bon Jovi), Joe Bonamassa, Alter Bridge, Scott Stapp, Black Star Riders (the current carnation of Thin Lizzy), Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple) and many more. I’ve met other great artists, and really learnt that the music business isn’t such a scary place full of cut-throat and evil people - although that’s not to say I haven’t met a few unsavoury characters who I’d rather not meet again! I've learnt tonnes of new music, been to gigs and got albums that I never would of bought off my own back - and it's led to me getting some new favourite bands

From an audio point of view - I entered the job wanting to do it slightly differently. I didn’t want to constantly just chuck an SM58 on a voice and plug a guitar into a DI. We have such great equipment and potential in our studios here, I’ve tried to treat each session with a studio feel. Recording through great pre amps and converters into Pro Tools, and using professional and high end studio microphones to get that great sound! It’s great fun, and as a one man team I’ve had to learn and adapt extremely quickly, but It’s probably been some of the best experiences I’ve ever had! 

Congratulations to our 2014 graduates!

Graduation week for Bucks students was last week (8^th – 12^th) September. It was a time for caps and gowns; suits; impressively vertiginous heels; pomp and ceremony. But, above all, it was a time for celebration (with maybe a smidge of alcohol).

In addition to all our graduates receiving their well-earned degrees, a few were also awarded special prizes.

Firstly, receiving the “Best Sound Design Production” award from Sennheiser was Mark Rowles. Mark graduated from AMP with a First Class honours degree and received the award for his final year sound design work on a collaborative film called ‘Immerse’. The film was part of Mark’s Showreel, of which Mark said: "I worked with students from other courses at the University including Film and Television Production, Animation and Visual Effects, and Advertising: so it was a real team effort.”

Mark is currently working as a freelance location sound recordist but hopes ultimately to work in audio post-production for television and film.

Also awarded special prizes were Roy Bates and Ian Bonner. Both graduated on Tuesday with 2:1s in Audio and Music Production. They received the annual “Focusrite Prize for Best Music Production” for their work recording, mixing and mastering a two-track EP for Colourshop; a singer/songwriter music project created by brothers Alfredo and Diego Salvati, from London.

Roy is now working as an Audio Technician at Bucks and Ian is a trainee live audio technician and operator at Moonlite Productions in Southern Road, Aylesbury.

Roy, Ian and fellow graduate George Belben have also set up a music production company called Fiermente Productions. Its website is at www.fiermente.co.uk. Fiermente Productions has worked with artists including Telpha and Misha and his Merry Men. The team is about to work on Colourshop's next EP.

Other award recipients were Adam Whalley, who received the JAMES (Joint Audio Media Education Support) award for 2014 (read more about what Adam is up to now here), and Nick Lucas who was awarded the Richer Sounds award for his achievements in production and recording throughout his degree.