Hiya,

You don't say which side of the pond you're on? In the UK there are lots of courses, most of which cost an arm and a leg and concentrate mostly on recording. The best way really is to do as much as possible, and to observe whenever and wherever possible.

The best piece of advice I ever got was to stand behind the engineer at every gig you can work out what they're doing. Never be afraid to ask questions - pretty much any engineer will be happy to tell you what they're doing, although probably only briefly because they'll be desparate to get to the bar and/or have a fag! If they won't tell you, they don't know!

As for getting actual paying work, that's down to the old fashioned way. Know the right people and be in the right place.

Good luck.

QTWF

PS - In response to the reason why a desk doesn't tell you how loud a gig is: A desk only puts out line level. Enough to maybe drive a pair of headphones! It's the amplifiers at the other end that make it loud, the desk has no way of telling what it's driving. Simple and cheap SPL meters are available and pretty much everyone has one.

Health and Safety laws cover anybody who works in loud environments, so anyone working at a gig should be offered ear protection if it's a potential issue. I'm afraid it doesn't cover punters, who are assumed to have made an informed choice.

Sorry about that.