My Summer at the Kitchen Studios | Kennedy Williams

During my summer internship at The Kitchen Studios in Dallas, TX, I was provided the opportunity to learn about and experience a career in the recording arts, specifically as an audio engineer. Under the mentorship of John Painter—known affectionately as JP—with over 20 years of experience in the field, I witnessed the entire process of creating and finetuning a song until it was ready for commercial release.

The earlier weeks of my summer consisted primarily of oversight. I would watch alongside JP as he gathered all of his materials for his next artist—mp3 files of the background track and any notes from the artist regarding the tempo, structure, etc. of the song. JP would then prepare his DAW (Digital Audio Workspace; a type of software that audio engineers use to record, mix, and master songs and other forms of audio) for said song by setting the tempo, ensuring that all hardware was working properly, and performing a sound check with the artist. Once everything was set, it was time to record.

Above is a quick image taken of me with my brilliant mentor, JP.

The artist would usually record one to two lines of his or her song at a time, but the recording process was entirely dependent on the artist’s personality. Some artists were confident enough with their lyrics to record a full verse or an entire song in one take. Other artists were less experienced with the professional studio setting and were a bit slower in their process. Regardless, JP was equally accommodating and ensured that each of his clients felt comfortable. This skill (more than strong technical competence in engineering) seemed to be key in providing the artist with a productive session.

After all vocals and instruments were recorded, the song had to be mixed. In short, mixing a song meant two things: 1) adjusting the volume levels of each track or instrument to highlight more important sections and eliminate any unnecessary loudness, and 2) manipulating the sound of individual tracks by adding effects such as reverb, delay, and compression. During this step, I gained an appreciation for the creativity that was needed to become a successful audio engineer. There is no correct or incorrect way to mix a song. Like any artistic pursuit, there are rules to be followed, and the best artists know when to break the rules. As a musician myself, I appreciated the flexibility and decision-making skills that were needed during the mixing process. Once mixing was complete, JP would complete the final step—mastering the song—and make final preparations before the song could be released publicly.

A month or so into the internship, JP relayed some of these duties to me. I was now responsible for recording the vocal tracks for some of JP’s regular clients. To say I felt incompetent was an understatement! I remember the first day I was asked to take control of the computer. I asked myself why—after several weeks of watching JP perform variations of the same tasks—I had such a hard time picking those memories from my brain and recording the tracks myself without a second thought. Nonetheless, I was living in the moment and didn’t have time to doubt myself. My first recording session went perfectly fine, and I wrote down and reviewed the (many) mistakes I’d made that day so they wouldn’t happen again.

This process repeated itself several times, and eventually, I felt slightly less uncomfortable. I knew that I’d prepared for each session as well as I could have, but each day as an audio engineer was wildly different from the last. Now, it was my job to adjust to the recording styles and personalities of several different musicians, and this was much more difficult than any technical responsibilities that I had, as was the case for JP. In many ways, the most significant professional skill that I’d gained during my three months as an intern was teamwork.

I am tremendously grateful that JP took a chance on me as his intern. I have learned so many valuable lessons that will serve me well as I continue my musical development and I focus on a career in medicine. Although I do not plan on pursuing a career full-time in the music industry, I will undoubtedly transfer the skills and personal growth that I have acquired over the last few months towards my academic pursuits in mathematics and medicine.