We were lucky to catch up with Eric R. Fischer recently and have shared our conversation below.

Eric R., thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Are you happier as a business owner? Do you sometimes think about what it would be like to just have a regular job?

While it’s not easy or stable, and it’s not for everyone, I love being a (very) small business owner. I’ve always been an independent sort, and even though I’ve been a good employee in my former work lives, I’m much happier on my own.

Eric R., 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’m a Sound Re-Recording Mixer. An audio engineer. I’m responsible for the final sound mix of audio for film and TV. Sometimes it’s the sound design (footsteps, explosions), sometimes just cleaning up the dialog, most times I take care of all the audio elements – sound design, music, and dialog. Over the years I’ve specialized in music oriented documentaries, but I’ve done it all. Indie horror films, dramas, documentaries of all sorts, short films, industrials, whatever my clients need.

I have my own mix room, which is client friendly, here in Altadena, CA near Los Angeles.

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

In my time in Los Angeles (since 1993) I’ve had to pivot a couple of times. When I first moved out here, I was a staff ‘assistant engineer’ and Jr. tech at a music studio in Hollywood (Music Grinder). It was a great place to learn the ropes, recording and mixing bands and artists. From there the logical move is to a freelance ‘first engineer’. At that time Napster and new digital technology turned the music industry upside down, and in @ ’98 I was offered a job as a studio technician by a company called Vertigo Recording services, doing repairs and studio installations. As that business changed, and less of our clients were installing analog equipment, I wanted to get back to engineering, so I set up a mix room at home, and taught myself mixing for picture (’07). Which I’m still doing to this day.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

Any project you work on is not yours. Certainly you want to enjoy your job, and do the best you can, but at the end of the day it’s not yours. Early in my current gig mixing audio post I did a short for a friend of a friend. In hindsight I was too invested in making creative decisions and clashed with the client. I never worked with that person again, unfortunately. Lesson learned. Have suggestions for the feel of the project, but ultimately it’s the clients call. Be gracious and accommodating. At the end of the day everyone wins.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.autumnaudio.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/autumn_audio/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AutumnAudio/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-r-fischer-7683357b/