How can a stay-at-home dad make his audio production chops pay?

December 1, 2008 12:27 PM

I have advanced audio production skills, but am mystified as to how to make it pay in my situation. Ideas?

Experience facts: I have spent over ten years working in regional theatre, specifically as a sound designer. I am well-versed in Adobe Audition and can do practically anything I've ever been asked in the over 50 different productions I have worked on. I have cut/mixed score pieces from already-existing music, custom-built loops and beds for scene changes, mixed custom sound effects, recorded and edited voice-over material, produced audio books. I am very adept with hair-splitting details and have a reputation as somewhat of a miracle worker. But, I am self-taught (online forums, trial-and-error, reading the manual, etc). I am not versed in ProTools and other common industry software but I find that anything I want to do I can do in Audition.

I also have some music experience and am adept at making shorter, modular music pieces that I hear are becoming very sought-after online for background use (licensed).

I am a stay-at-home dad now; I need to be able to work from home. There should be little impediment to this with high-speed Internet. I live in a rural area and there are no record companies or ad agencies nearby. The usual/traditional first-thought possibilities are not so useful here. Surely some branch of advertising, audio book publishing, independent film, web design, news, etc. would have use for my services freelance or telecommute. I have searched for months and can't really find anything that seems to fit my needs.

Any advice or point toward a new avenue of research is appreciated.

posted by skypieces to work & money (4 answers total)

How about creating your own audio dramas? or create a podcast for beginning audiophiles? or create podcasts for sites that could use them?
posted by mrmarley at 12:51 PM on December 1, 2008

It seems that your location might restrict you from drawing Clients to you. But, that doesn't mean that you can't use the internet. I do lots of Audio related Work (editing, mixing, mastering) where clients upload files to a server, and when I'm done, I set them up for the client to download.

Also, Utilize social networking sites, like Myspace, Facebook, Craigslist, Metafilter, and start a Blog, to create a web-presence. Let people know what you've done, and what other service you can provide.
posted by JamesMCS at 1:59 PM on December 1, 2008

Check out Taxi.com. They provide a way for amateur musicians to get their work quality screened and into the hands (and ears) of music producers as well as film, tv and commercial music libraries. Short instrumental tracks suitable for commercial work are always in demand and they sound right up your alley. Good luck!
posted by platinum at 9:34 PM on December 1, 2008 [1 favorite]

Thanks for the help so far. I didn't want my original post to go an even longer than it did, but I do have experience setting up podcasts for businesses and have dipped into the "web-presence" arena. Much of these kinds of things feel as far removed from actually making money doing audio production work as most musicians find themselves. Perhaps I am hoping for something more direct. Great feedback so far; thanks, and keep it coming.
posted by skypieces at 5:21 AM on December 2, 2008