Get Yoshed is excited to welcome back Grant Greene in this week’s post!
Hi everyone! It’s been awhile since you have seen me on getyoshed.com. A lot of things have happened since Yosh’s and my first blog. In what may seem a bit of irony, I have gone back to school to finish up my undergraduate degree. If you recall, Yosh suggested that I needed to take a ProTools training course. As it turned out, I did have to take a hard disk recording class as part of my degree. While it might seem there isn’t a lot to learn in an intro to hard disk recording class for someone that has been working with ProTools and other hard disk recorders for over 15 years, I did learn a few tips and tricks, but what I learned the most was a few perspectives of the up and coming engineers in this business and the instructors teaching these students.
During one of the first discussions of the class, the instructor asked the class what made each student hirable in the industry. Most of the students answered that their personality, or good attitude, made them good candidates to be hired at a studio. The instructor quickly dismissed these claims and said that to him, as a studio owner himself, knowledge and skills were more important than anything else. While I agree that you need to be smart and have a knack for learning quickly, I disagree with him that attitude takes a back seat to how well you know how to record, mix, or wire a studio. Over the past 11 years, I have learned A LOT watching Yosh work. I can’t recall once where he told a client that something couldn’t be done. You give Yosh a problem, he will find a solution. While this might seem to validate the opinion that knowledge is more important to attitude, it is actually the opposite. It’s Yosh’s attitude that drives him to come up with a solution to any problem. He might not know the answer immediately, but he will come up with one, if not five. This is what makes a great engineer in my opinion.
Over the years, Yosh has had many interns and I can tell you this, while most had the “chops” to be successful recording engineers, few had the right attitude. The right attitude makes up for any lack of knowledge. Back in the “day”, there were no schools for recording. Those interested in breaking into the business didn’t walk into a studio with the knowledge to run a large format console, multitrack tape machines, and all the outboard effects gear. They weren’t expected to be able to record a full band or mix an album on their first day either. What they were expected to do was to make coffee, answer phones, get things for the clients, clean the studio, and keep their mouths shut. So you might ask yourself, how did they learn? Well this is where attitude comes in. Those with the drive and determination found a way to learn. If they were told there was a session at 10 a.m., they would arrive at 8 a.m., or earlier, to be sure everything was in order and help the client set-up for the session. If they were told that they only had to work until 5 p.m., they would stay to 2 a.m. to help the assistant engineer tear down. If there was no session happening at the studio, they would ask the studio manager if it was o.k. if they used the studio to hone their chops. Those with the right attitude can always learn something they don’t know. Working in an industry where things are rapidly changing, we are constantly having to learn. There is no way we can know everything about every piece of gear or software out there, but we can have an open mind and a drive to educate ourselves and add more tricks to our arsenal.
In my next appearance here on getyoshed.com, I’ll touch on things interns should and shouldn’t do in the studio.
- Grant Greene
Great entry, Grant!Thank you.
ReplyDelete-Nell
Yosh has always maintained one of the best attitudes I have ever seen in a studio. He always finds something good to say even in the most trying situations. (just for the record I came down in the "JJ" camp back when he was being assigned a Nickname. lol
ReplyDeleteI'm Greg Reilly, the studio owner that hired Yosh. I can tell you that personality and attitude is at least as important as your recording knowledge. I can fix a lack of knowledge,I can't fix personality. Yosh had one of best attitudes and patience of all my engineers. That's why they kept asking for him over and over.
ReplyDeleteAttitude is equally as important as knowledge most definitely.
ReplyDeleteHere's a thought for your next post on what interns should and should not do:
When Shirley Caesar comes to record, check the mic THREE times instead of two......
I interned with John some 30 years ago and recently returned to recording with a small project that my wife and I did ourselves. I didn't have too much trouble figuring out the new digital equipment (Cakewalk, SONAR, etc.) but there were two very basic lessons that I had learned from Yosh that helped a great deal. First, if you start with good instruments and voices, the engineer's job is much easier (i.e.- stay the heck out of the way if you don't need to do more) and (this one took a while to come back), managing customer expectations is a key skill, which is primarily what Yosh's attitude was all about. He was always there to help get the best performance for the client. If you had an idea, he'd find creative solutions. And, because he knew what he was doing and the APPLICATION implications of his skills, he could very gently and professionally guide you away from stuff you really didn't want to do. Thanks, John, for good lessons that have staying power.
ReplyDeleteI agree and I am proud to have worked for this man for as long as I have. The exact moment that I knew he was a good man was when he served on a panel with other well known engineers to critique the mixes of student engineers. I was HORRIFIED at how our elite set of mixers spoke to those kids. Then it came Yosh's turn. He was honest yet constructive and most importantly ...not hurtful.
ReplyDeleteHe carries that attitude into the studio and I am convinced that it is that (in addition to his mad mixing skills) that have made him a true success.
Attitude is everything. Especially in a good assistant.
ReplyDeleteNow go get me coffee!
Great entry! Attitude is so important.
ReplyDeleteMr. Jaszcz was my instructor in 1981 at the studio that Greg Reilly owns here in Detroit. John's attitude still influences me today. The attitude he has is for me to explore what I was doing and not just be satisfied if it sounded good, could it sound great? He’d say” listen to the crack of that snare……make it massive!” or “you don’t want the kick to sound like a cardboard box, do you? Here, play with the 200hz until it sounds real”.
ReplyDeleteI had the honor to go with him to other studios to see how other sessions were run. (How many other instructors would even give you the time of day after class?) It’s that kind of attitude that would get you to keep improving and learning. He showed by example. People skills rate right up there with the engineering skills. People skills are attitude skills. You get a better performance out of someone when you treat them with respect.
Today’s technology requires more schooling then ever at a time when there are fewer interns jobs. Even in 1981 when I got out of school, the chance to work in a studio as an intern was slim to none. How are you going to gain the hands on skills today when the larger studios are closing? Those of you that got to intern for Yosh or other engineers are lucky. The magic that they pass on is much needed. A lot of the recordings that are being passed off as music (can you say Autotune?) are substandard.
I need to take a Protools course. Thanks Grant, for the reminder. :-)