I make killer robots.
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Funny. I taught English in Taiwan for a few years after college. Enjoy the students and experience. Many of my peers went back home (US/UK/Australia) and earned their Master’s in Teaching in order to get a better teaching job. I went back to the US, earned an MBA, figuring I would be able to work in global operations. It took almost 15 years(!) but I finally found a job that is almost what I had in mind. Oddly enough, I am applying to go get my MEd in order to head back and teach English, preferably at the university level.
In short: I had a wonderful job and did not realize how god it was until I left it.
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Happy to! Nothing mind blowing, I try to keep the “toys” to a minimum and buy high quality for what I really need.
The vast majority of my work is composing for instrumental ensembles, meaning I start in a notation program, THEN mix audio, rather than composing all in a DAW. My setup includes:
HARDWARE
-1 Mac Mini - 16GB RAM with SSD Fusion Drive (The audio programs and samples take up gigs and gigs and gigs. SSD is essential for this kind of work.)
-2 external SSD hard drives that I store all of my sound libraries on (hundreds of gigs worth)
-Pair of JBL LSR305 Professional Studio Monitors, once I got these my audio production really went to the next level. I was thinking of getting the 308’s, but I work in a square spare bedroom of the house, it’s not a huge room, so the 305’s are more than adequate for this space.
-32" main monitor, used primarily for notation, very helpful for viewing the manuscript and lots of notation as you can see in the second pic.
-28" auxiliary monitor, used primarily for audio interface and mixing while I’m writing. After the composing itself is done, I’ll shut down the notation and use the main monitor for my DAW, and the aux monitor for my sounds.
-M-Audio MIDI keyboard for note input and recording (as I mentioned earlier, could have spent over $1,000 on a MIDI keyboard, but this gets the job done for me.)
-Magic Track Pad and Magic Mouse. I was using Magic Mouse for a couple of years and recently tried out the Track Pad, LOVE IT. Work productivity is up and wrist/hand discomfort is down.
-Sometimes I’ll have my Macbook Pro on the desk as well to make contracts, maintain my spreadsheet of clients, or watch South Park while I’m formatting. Formatting is the mind numbing task of making the sheet music look clean and professional after the composing and audio is done. Once you really know how to format, it’s not challenging but is quite monotonous.
SOFTWARE
-Sibelius 6 for notation (they’re up to Sibelius 8 now, I just really like 6).
-Logic Pro X as my DAW. I taught a digital music class during my time as a teacher in a Mac Lab, Garageband especially, so moving up to Logic was an easy switch. It’s an incredible DAW, just as capable as Pro Tools for a better price point.
-Sound libraries include the entire East Meets West collection, utilizing their new “Composer Cloud” service, and I also use some marching staples like Fanfare, Garritan, Rumble, Virtual Drum Line. Some composers, you’ll see their setup and they’ve got dozens of keyboards and processors, typically for the sounds they contain. With today’s technology, I can store literally limitless sounds on my SSD’s, so as long as I know my libraries, I don’t need a massive amount of equipment.
TYPICAL WORKFLOW
-I’ll start a new composition by writing in Sibelius (main monitor) and having my sound libraries running through an audio interface like Kontakt or Play on the aux monitor. This allows me to run my sound libraries through Sibelius, so for example when I’m writing the trumpet parts it sounds like real trumpets playing back at me. This is not the final mixed audio, Sibelius is a notation program and not a DAW, so I use it to give a good idea of what it’ll sound like and mix audio after.
-Once the composing is done, I will export a MIDI file of the notation, then import that into Logic Pro X. From there, I’ll assign each channel (instrument) to a sound using my array of libraries. So for example if I have a solo flute playing, I would probably assign the East Meets West “Hollywood Woodwinds” library solo flute track, add some reverb and effects, so it sounds like a theatrical real player, not a computer. If I’m working on percussion parts, I’ll probably use “Virtual Drum Line”, which will make you swear you’re listening to real musicians.
-After each instrument is assigned its own sound, I’ll then add in samples, sound effects, voice overs, and whatever else is needed to make the final audio.
-Finished product is a high def audio file that is uploaded to my website. This is what my clients listen to, to decide if they want to purchase my music or not. If the audio is realistic, it’ll sound incredibly theatrical and exciting, and they’ll have a very realistic interpretation of what the band will sound like.
-If they want to purchase the music, they fill out my contact form, we take care of the paperwork and I email them all of the PDF sheet music they need, so they can print it out, give it to the performers and make the audio come to life.
For other projects I’ve done that do not need sheet music, I’ll compose in Logic Pro X start to finish.
Most people are not aware that the vast majority of music you hear, either through pop music, movie soundtracks, commercials, is all made on a computer now, and you’re not listening to real musicians. It is truly incredible what can be done these days with a good DAW and great sound libraries.
-Cubase is a great and popular DAW, some of the guys I work with use it and they all have great reviews. Having a solid DAW and knowing your way around it is the most important aspect I think, so it sounds like you’re set there. Really understanding how mic placement, panning, compressing, etc., all comes into play, these aspects take audio from decent to great.
-I think if you want to be able to create some great demos without going overboard, you’ll want to expand your sound libraries a bit. Cubase I’m sure comes with a lot of sounds, as does Logic or Pro Tools, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg. For example I wrote the intro music to a podcast that was a rock feel, so I used East Meets West “Ministry of Rock” library to make it happen, nothing that came with Logic could have given me the electric guitar sounds I got from Ministry of Rock.
-At least one SSD external hard drive for your sounds. Even if you don’t have any additional sound libraries other than what comes with Cubase, you should store the Cubase library on the external SSD. Load time and productivity will go much, much faster and less risk of crashes.
-A good MIDI keyboard that has pitch and modulation wheels so you can play in live and realistic sounding lines. Doesn’t have to have bells and whistles, mine was about $100 and does everything I need.
-A solid pair of studio monitors. Studio monitors differ from speakers in that they’re not meant to enhance sound in any way, they’re meant to give a very realistic interpretation of what your audio will sound like. So, whoever plays your demo, it’ll sound the way it’s supposed to no matter what equipment they’re using.
-The computer should have the fastest processor and most RAM you can afford. At least 16GB of RAM.
Hope this helps, sorry for the super long post just wanted to provide as much info as possible. Please post back with any other questions or anything!
Still don’t know how you (or anyone) can enjoy that job… I feel like I’d need to drink, and cry myself to sleep every night if I sat and listened to the victims of the worst life has to offer everyday.
Hat’s off to you.
Nah man, that was great, thanks.
I’ll be back but where is this “east meets west” thing for me to look at, is it this? EastWest | Sweetwater
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Seriously.
Talk about unappreciated everyday heroes.
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How do y’all even know whats your dream job? What I always hear from people is something along the lines of… Something that you’d do even if no one paid you to etc etc…
And, that’s why many millennial do nothing…
I don’t believe there is a job that someone loves doing 100% of the time. My dream job checks off ideals that I have, not defining specific work. I love being at the top of the food chain and the freedom I have; I detest the monotonous paper work I have to do to satisfy state statutes.
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Many millennials were also fed the notion: “Go to college, get a degree, get a good job…live happily ever after.”
With the government backed student loan situation, the timing of the recession, and the emphasis on doing something you love…I believe it was a perfect storm.
Millennials with a bunch of debt and degrees in stupid fields, working jobs they don’t want thinking they are under-compensated or under-employed, and having to pay a ton of debt off that previous generations didn’t have until they got a mortgage.
The debt situation is even worse if you have a degree in a stupid field, then your degree isnt even fucking asset.
Sincerely,
A millennial with a bunch of debt
That’s not a bad notion. I did just that and graduated with no debt.
The notion above didn’t specify debt. If millennial worked their way through college, attended a CC or JC for their first two years, and went to a state college, I don’t see why they couldn’t graduate with no debt - like myself - or minimal.
I can’t help stupidity. Earning a degree in a useless field is on them.
This is an internal problem. Everyone thinks they are underpaid, the difference between ‘millennial’ and others, not having this trait, are millennials whine and complain, eventually quitting. Whereas, others work hard at their job and develop skills that are a benefit to an employer.
Hopefully you have a degree that is worth something? If not, you must of learned marketable skills while in college? Unlike many, I learned tons of useful shit in college. Mostly, how to write a solid paper, which I constantly do now.
I get it, I’ve got a good friend who has over 250k in debt. He has a masters and is a PT at Nike headquarters making 50k a year. In college, he took out loans for school and living, then smoked weed and played xbox while not in school. I have no sympathy for him.
One of my (stupidly large number of) degrees is in music. I wanted in on production and sound recording tech. Didn’t work out so much. Really loved the business aspects, hating making my passion/hobby a job.
Actually killed my ability to play and enjoy music for like… A decade or more.
Now today, I get paid to do things that make me feel good about myself and my world around me, and wouldn’t do it for an instant without getting paid, lol. And go home and play music after I put my kids to bed.
And I wouldn’t trade this for “rock star” or “famous record producer” for anything.
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This is it. EastWest ComposerCloud+ | Virtual Instruments Plugin Bundle
They have many libraries, the “composer cloud” lets you access all of them for a monthly fee, more feasible for me than purchasing them all. Kind of like the Spotify of sound libraries.
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To be fair, my generation (graduated '86) were pretty much lead to believe the same thing. Leaving university I felt like I was pretty special. It was very deflating when I had to work a number of jobs that I felt were beneath my level of education. It was a bit of a punch in the face with reality that I wasn’t as special as I felt I was lead to believe. I didn’t have the debt though which was nice.
30 years later and I still am not treated as well as I thought I should have been when I graduated university 
While I admire your unique story of living out of your car, working, and playing sports in college…it’s pretty unrealistic to expect every individual to uphold that standard.
Going to a JC or CC first would be a good start. I can imagine most millennials aren’t thinking about that when they think about attending college. Short-term gratification vs long term + a level of financial literacy that is likely not there imo.
You missed the part about the student loan debt that saddles you to said job. This creates a different reality for someone who feels underpaid.
But, as you said above, if you didn’t have the debt you wouldn’t be saddled to said job.
Hopefully you don’t have to pay rent as well. You probably have a cell phone because you have to be 100% available in this day and age. And hopefully you have some sort of transportation already or live in a city with a solid public transit system.
With all of these factors, saving money to acquire a house that you build equity on vs paying someone elses rent is pretty hard. It can be done however, as long they don’t smash your ability to get a loan based on your income to debt ratio.
You say you get it but then you post an example of a friend of yours who fits your narrative of a POS millennial lol. I suppose you know no millennials that work hard and have a bunch of debt.
Let’s take myself for example. (Fun fact: I played baseball in college too! Where did you play at?)I work at a hospital 28 hrs/wk and at a university for 8, am trying to start my own business, and am a personal trainer. I’ll make 46k from the hospital/university gig. These are all my first jobs since finishing my year long 1220 hour unpaid internship in June.
I have 130k in debt, mostly from grad school because I had to go out of state to get the master’s degree I wanted and I felt I had to do it. Bad decision. But, when you come from a family with poor financial literacy that’s what happens. Have corrected that since.
My wife also has 56k in student loans.
I am fortunate to be married to someone who works in higher education so we get housing for free. If I had not, median rent in the US in 2014 was 934, average was 994. And that’s just rent alone. Even with 2 rommates and utilities your probably paying at least $400-500/month + student loans. Once again, hopefully you have a car you’re not paying for, live below your means, and don’t pay much for your cellphone.
What I’m saying is, your friend is a horrible example of someone who didn’t do the right things. I have lots of friends who are doing the right things and struggling.
One works at Nasa as an engineer, lives with his Dad and drives an hour to and from work each day, but can’t afford to move out because he pays $700/month in student loans. His old truck broke down when he was at a conference and he had to buy a new truck on credit because, well, he had no money saved. And his dad makes him pay rent.
I was fortunate with the field my wife went into…otherwise we would be struggling. We live relatively comfortably, can make fat student loan payments, and manage to save money. But most folks out here can’t. The income based measures for repayment were a good start, but only apply to federally backed loans (which makes sense) and can only be applied for if you have >30k in debt. I think average student loan debt post college is 25k at this point. And you can’t discharge them via bankruptcy (the government is gonna get their money lol)
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I think working somewhere you don’t want to and realizing you’re not special is a positive experience. Makes you work harder.
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That’s pretty much how it’s worked out. It was a year or two of attitude adjustment though.
The other take away is taking a job you’re not that into and working hard enough to turn it into something you like. That’s what I have with my current place. 13 years ago I started working in a junior position because I needed a job after a marriage break up. My intellectual fulfillment took a backseat to a pay cheque. Over time, it’s managed to morph into something challenging enough to enjoy without being stressful and allowing me time with my family. There’s enough time and success in the position that I can pretty much do my own thing and my recommendations are taken.
It’s all about having the ability to land on your feet.
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While I’m not on the end of a marriage break up I can totally relate to this. I’m definitely in a position that I took because it was a job that someone offered to me shortly after I finished grad school. I didnt really want it but I’ve found parts of it I like.
I appreciate your sentiments.
Ahhh, yes. Another Bitter Gen X’er.
I love us, love us so much.
I think I may be on the tail end of the boomers. I was pretty certain I was hot shit though. Sadly, employers at the time thought otherwise.
ohhh, well you ruined the world, and what you haven’t, the millennials will
-signed Bitter Gen X’er
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An Xer refusing to take responsibility for all the shit they fucked up, no way… 