When I was in high school, my mom asked me, “Tim, what do you want to do with your life?” I believe I said something like, “play drums and surf.” My mom was pretty cool about the whole thing, but I knew my ambitions did little to impress her. Soon after graduating high school, I enrolled at a local college. There I discovered I could obtain a degree in a field related to my interests, Radio TV Production. I loved music, but the idea of recording and working with musicians for a living seemed to be an unattainable dream! I moved to Austin, TX, in the late 80s to play drums and complete my Radio-TV-Film (RTF) degree at The University of Texas. I soon found myself at Cedar Creek Recording studio playing drums on a new wave demo. It was my first experience in a commercial recording studio and I was blown away. The 2” tape machine, the array of mics, the recording console, and the reverb! Oh, the Lexicon 224 reverb on my snare. I was hooked. That first night in the studio I was so wound up and boisterous that the engineer actually told me to shut up. The engineer's comments taught me the first lesson in studio etiquette. Don't talk, listen! Even with this reprimand, I was given the opportunity to become an intern at CCR and spent the next ten years engineering records.

Looking back, while I had only a basic foundation in recording, I remember feeling technically inept. I had to rely on a variety of strengths to compensate for my lack of technical expertise. Some of these strengths included showing up on time and having a good attitude and a willingness to listen. I was also very self-motivated and driven, had decent people skills, and was willing to struggle and work hard for little money while learning the craft. I also knew a few bands and musicians, and could bring in potential business. It took years before my technical skill level matched these intangible strengths. My point is, if you are a beginner, do not be discouraged. We all have to start somewhere.