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Rat Sound Intern Program
Getting Started in Live Sound - FAQ of Ideas from Other Rats
"What I Wish I'd Learned in School" - Article in Mix Magazine Nov 2003
Full Sail Article on Intern Mike Souder December 2003
The Program:
Rat Sound hires an individual who expresses a desire to work for a professional sound reinforcement provider and gain valuable "real world" knowledge and experience. Duties include: Equipment preparation for rentals, equipment repair, bench tech work, cable building and repair, equipment deliveries and working as an audio crewperson on shows and events. the internship will entail working approximately 5 days a week in the shop from 9am to 6pm.
After a suitable candidate has been selected, they will begin with a 6 week trial period, in which their basic skills, work ethic and attitude will be assessed to insure both the Intern and Rat are compatible. At this point Rat may offer the Intern an additional one year, long term internship. Over the course of that year, the Intern will gradually be given more complex projects with greater responsibility. At the conclusion of the Internship, Rat may decide to offer the Intern a permanent position as a shop bench tech or may hire them for local or touring work as an audio crewperson.
Who do we want?
While it is preferable that a candidate has some formal education in sound reinforcement it is not necessary. If you can show that you have a basic knowledge in sound reinforcement you will be considered. Having a friendly, outgoing, positive and congenial personality is very important to us here at Rat Sound. Be prepared for some very long days. If you don't think that you can handle working 16-17 hours on a show day, get 4-5 hours sleep in a very small bunk on a moving bus and then do the whole thing over again, you're in the wrong business! Having a great attitude is very important. Being able to drive, owning your own vehicle and especially legally being able to drive a large delivery truck is a huge advantage. Being able to make deliveries to other sound companies is very important both to you and Rat Sound. Picking up or dropping off equipment to and from other sound companies enables you to meet other people in the industry within the LA area, it's a great way to network. It's not all about sound either, there are other traits and signs that we look for when deciding if we want to keep you on for the full year. Solving problems quickly and efficiently will set you apart from the rest. Being able to use the right tool for the right job at hand and understanding how to disassemble a piece of equipment and then reassemble it correctly is key, we want people who are mechanically inclined. Having a set of your own tools is of great importance to you. we are not talking about having $100's worth of tools, just a basic tool kit. The more self sufficient you are the less your work will suffer. Most sound companies these days use digital processors to control their sound systems and the majority of them if not all use a computer interface to assist the operator. Some sound companies also utilize some kind of sound analysis software to aid in the tuning of a sound system. Having the ability to navigate your way around these programs with confidence is essential. Programs such as BSS Sound Web and XTA Audio Core can be downloaded for free. And having your own computer gives you the chance to use the software for these processors well before you get your hands on one.
We've had some amazing interns here at Rat Sound. Here are three successful examples....
Mike Souder came to us about 18 months ago fresh out of school in Florida and we put him straight to work re-taping a 250' loom of snake, drive and feeder. After he had finished we gave him 150' feeder to re-tape. He worked all day in the baking sun without any complaints or whining, we liked that. He continued to impress us so we decided to keep him on. We sent him out on one offs; he worked free for a week on a tour just so he could learn how to fly the PA and eventually we sent him out on the Jimmy Eat World tour as the third person. Mike mixed monitors for most of the support acts on the tour, including in-ear monitors. He did such a fantastic job that one of the bands hired him as their monitor engineer and they took him around the world. We still refer to him here at Rat as "intern Mike".
Ivan Ortiz is a native of Puerto Rico, he decided to leave his dads auto repair business and pursue a career in sound. He moved to Florida and attended school there and he also worked for a small sound company that specialized in Latin acts. After completing his course he contacted us here at Rat and we agreed to take him on for 6 weeks. Ivan arrived here at Rat to start work bright and early at 9am………….a week too early! When we explained to him that the person that he was replacing was still here and that he could work but wouldn't get paid his response was "where do I start". We were so impressed with him after the first week we paid him anyway. Ivan was able to drive our truck and make deliveries for us to other sound companies and once they got to know his face they started to offer him weekend shows. Ivan has gone from strength to strength with his "can do" attitude and there hasn't been much that he couldn't handle, he even took it upon himself to take the V-DOSC course. Ivan has been out with Blink 182 as the monitor tech, Pepe Aguilar, Jimmy Eat World and Taste of Chaos. We miss him here at the Rat HQ; until he gets back we have to pay to have our vehicles repaired!
So there you have it. It's great if you've attended a school for live sound or you know a little about sound reinforcement. If you're lucky enough to intern here at Rat Sound Systems for one year you'll discover that the learning experience is priceless and, we pay you!
Andy Rat January 2005
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