Personal Development Plan 1

This is something I'll be doing a few times throughout my first year in university to try and keep track of how my life's progressing. Here goes nothing...


1: The Present...

My strengths:

• Experience with various studio environments and control surfaces/mixing desks (Avid D-Command, Avid C24, KORG nanoKONTROL 2, Behringer Eurorack MX3242X, Behringer DDX3216, Allen & Heath ZED-R16))
• Recorded artists across a wide range of genres (acoustic, jazz, indie rock, alternative rock, grunge, surf rock)
• Usage of different recording techniques (Glyn Johns, X-Y, Spaced Pair, Blumlein Pair, Mid-Side, Tchad Blake, etc.)
• Fairly high proficiency in playing the drums.
• Competent proficiency in playing the keyboards and bass guitar.
• My weaknesses:
• Low proficiency in playing the electric guitar.
• Inexperience with analog studio recording environments.
• Lack of connections with local musicians.
• Lack of a competent home recording studio.
• Unemployed.

2: My Desired Future...

My desired future would be to receive a BA (Hons) degree in Music Production, and have my own professional-grade recording studio at home (in the garage), along with a high-end drum kit (ideally, a Neil Peart-sized kit, so at least 20 pieces!), and maybe an electric guitar of my own (probably a PRS Santana Signature); I've already got my own bass guitar, a 5-string Fender Jazz Bass, so I wouldn't be in a hurry to get a new one. And of course, the talent to play it all at a high level. Optionally, I'd also love to be working at a high-end professional recording studio, but as I'm in Plymouth, I would have to move somewhere else (probably London) to accommodate that.


3: How to Get It...

The degree is the quickest one; I simply have to proceed through my current Foundation Degree course. I'm in the first year at the moment, there's a second year, and then there is an optional third year to top it up to a BA (Hons) degree, which is what I am planning to do. For getting my instruments, a lot of money is required, so that also means needing a very good-paying job, which in my career, would be at a high-end professional recording studio, meaning I'd have to move away from Plymouth, probably up to London, or maybe even to America or Canada.