We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Christopher Doms a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Christopher, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today So, let’s start with a hypothetical – what would you change about the educational system?

On a broad level I think schools that are teaching people to stay away from AI technology are doing a disservice to students. Relating to my major and industry there needs to be a greater emphasis on teaching what the music business is actually like outside of the classroom. It’s a very complex industry. It doesn’t make sense to me that I’m still sitting in lectures, learning how to import and route tracks in Pro Tools as a Senior. I think any Bachelor’s program related to the music industry could be divided into two years of in class lectures, so students can learn the foundations and different technologies engineers/producers/artists use. Students then could spend two years outside of the classroom and begin immersing themselves in the industry. Ultimately they would have to show their work/experience gained over the course of those two years. This could mean two years of internships, making albums own your own and or with others, getting an actual job(s) in the industry, touring, whatever. It’s all valid experience, I think. I’m less inclined to share a story as to why this change is needed because I don’t have a career solidified for myself, yet. I just look at it like, if you want to succeed in the music industry it is kinda like playing the lottery, depending on what your goals are. There are a lot of variables you just can’t control. So if your goal is to make or be around music in some way for a living after college, no reason not to get started!

Christopher, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I’ve lived in New Jersey pretty much my whole life. I’ve loved music since I was a kid. The first band I became obsessed was Green Day. Their album “Nimrod” was the first CD my parents ever bought for me. My grandad and uncles played the guitar, which I picked up when I was eleven or twelve. I didn’t stick with it for long. I took voice lessons for a year when I was thirteen or fourteen too, but I didn’t keep singing afterwards. That was my last experience trying to perform music in anyway up until a few years ago. For some reason I thought music theory would be a good place to pick things up again when I was a junior in high school but I was horribly mistaken, my teacher really helped me out that semester, she was always encouraging. Oh, and I played in some band that never made a single song for like a couple months, haha. Even though I had no ability in high school, that’s when I really fell in love with music as a community. I went to local hardcore shows all the time. That music really made me feel understood as a person and even though I had been obsessed with bands before I never had connected with one in such way until then. Once I finished high school I started writing and playing songs and after doing that for a couple years I decided I wanted to pursue a career in this industry.

Some of the services I offer are but not limited to, recording, mixing, and mastering services. I can also help people write and produce their music. I’m trying to offer the most services I can as an audio engineer, even taking on jobs recording & editing podcasts. I want to work on movies too. The kinds of problems I’m currently solving for my clients are related to how their music sounds. I’ve definitely become confident and skilled enough to where I can usually make a difference in a smaller band or artists’ sound. I am looking to start working with more established artists so my schtick will have to change, but people come to me because I can take their sound to a professional level and not break their bank. I really try to consider what it’s like trying to be an artist and make a living doing music in 2024, hence why I also don’t charge for revisions on projects either. I treat every project that comes across the desk the same, it doesn’t matter how small of an act you are, you could be realizing your first single and I’d still treat it with the same level of care as a Billie Ellish record.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

I’ve realized the reason I have become so involved in making music is because I want contribute to what I got out of music as a fan, I’ll do whatever it takes. I want to write and contribute to making songs that resonate with people.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I finished high school I began to pursue a career in the maritime industry. I did this for two years and started to get in a place where I wasn’t really feeling motivated by the work anymore. I decided to pivot and go to college. When I got to college I began studying computer science, and after getting through all the gen eds and being into the program for a year a two, I started to feel a similar way towards the work. I then pivoted again towards music technology as I had been writing songs for a few years leading up to this. Music has since been the thing I’m chasing a career in.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/christoph_doms/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc90ukyM394sVcO1vQdC-5Q
• Other: https://linktr.ee/chrisdoms

Image Credits
Any photos of me were taken by Roxy Squillace