Audio Engineer Help For Beginners
March 20, 2025
Blog Posts
Breaking into the world of audio engineering can be both exciting and overwhelming. Whether you’re an aspiring engineer or just stepping into your first professional studio, avoiding common pitfalls is essential to your growth. At Studio 713, we’ve worked with top-tier talent and industry pros, and we’ve seen firsthand the mistakes that new engineers make.
If you’re looking for audio engineer help, this guide will break down the most common errors and provide actionable solutions to keep you on the right track.
1. Not Understanding Gain Staging
The Mistake: New engineers often overlook proper gain staging, leading to distortion, noise buildup, or weak recordings. Many assume they can fix everything in post-production, but improper levels during tracking can ruin a session before it even begins.
How to Avoid It: Gain staging is about maintaining optimal signal levels at every stage of the recording chain. Keep your levels between -18 dBFS and -12 dBFS to leave enough headroom for mixing. If you need audio engineer help with gain staging, check out our in-depth guide to setting proper levels.
2. Overusing Plugins Instead of Focusing on Source Quality
The Mistake: Many beginners rely too heavily on EQ, compression, and other plugins instead of capturing the best possible sound at the source. This leads to over-processed, unnatural-sounding mixes.
How to Avoid It: A great recording starts with mic placement, room acoustics, and a clean signal chain. Experiment with different mics and positions to find the best natural sound. Need audio engineer help with mic placement? Read our guide to microphone techniques.
3. Not Communicating Effectively with Artists
The Mistake: New engineers often focus too much on the technical side and not enough on the creative collaboration with artists. This can lead to uncomfortable sessions and subpar performances.
How to Avoid It: Develop strong interpersonal skills. Make artists feel comfortable by actively listening to their vision. Simple phrases like “How do you feel about that take?” can go a long way. At Studio 713, we emphasize the importance of creating a collaborative recording environment. Need help improving session communication? Learn more about studio etiquette.
4. Neglecting Proper File Management
The Mistake: Misplacing session files, improperly labeling tracks, or failing to back up projects can lead to costly delays and lost work.
How to Avoid It: Establish a consistent naming system for sessions and stems. Save multiple backups on external drives and cloud storage. Want more audio engineer help with file organization? Check out our workflow guide.
5. Ignoring the Importance of Acoustics
The Mistake: Focusing solely on gear while neglecting the room’s acoustics can lead to inaccurate monitoring and poor mix decisions.
How to Avoid It: Even if you have top-tier speakers, an untreated room will distort what you hear. Use bass traps, diffusion panels, and monitor placement techniques to create a balanced listening environment. For more audio engineer help, see our acoustic treatment recommendations.
6. Not Learning the Business Side of Audio Engineering
The Mistake: Many new engineers focus solely on the craft but fail to learn about contracts, rates, and client management.
How to Avoid It: Learn about copyright laws, publishing, and how to properly charge for your services. At Studio 713, we help local artists with publishing and ensure they get paid properly. If you need audio engineer help on the business side, read our music business guide.
Final Thoughts
Mistakes are a natural part of learning, but knowing how to avoid common pitfalls will set you apart as an engineer. If you’re looking for audio engineer help from professionals who have worked with industry heavyweights, contact us at Studio 713.
We offer hands-on training, mixing/mastering services, and mentorship to help new engineers develop their skills. Whether you’re just starting or looking to level up, we’ve got you covered.