THE RECORDING CLUB.

Engineering Director Application

A leadership role with hands-on engineering responsibility and a building-systems mandate. Santa Monica. Read every word before you apply.

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This application is the start of a real conversation. Every answer is read by Greg Spero, TRC's founder/CEO. The most important questions are open-ended — the kind that show how you think, what you've actually built, and how you would operate inside a high-standard studio. Plan on 30–45 minutes.

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Section 1 of 13

About you

Basics. Location matters because the role is on-site in Santa Monica.

Tell us your honest answer. Drive time, transit, parking situation, plans to relocate, etc.

Section 2 of 13

Engineering background

Years and recent roles. We're looking for substantial paid session work, not academic credentials.

Where, what you did, dates. Be specific. (No CV upload needed — tell us in your own words.)

Section 3 of 13

Recording engineering — Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton

The role expects session-lead fluency across all three. Pick what's true and describe the work.

Check all that apply. For each one you select, a short description box appears below.

Describe a complex signal-flow, patching, or diagnostic problem you ran down and solved. Include the symptom, what you ruled out, and the actual root cause.

Section 4 of 13

Live sound and front-of-house mixing

The Live Room hosts ticketed shows, livestreams, and member events. You need to be strong at FOH under pressure.

What consoles have you mixed on? (Allen & Heath SQ-7, Midas M32, others.) Room sizes you've worked? Frequency — weekly, monthly, occasionally?

Describe a moment during a live show or session when something broke and you had seconds to fix it. What broke, what you did, what the audience or talent experienced.

Section 5 of 13 — The big one

A system you built that made a studio measurably better

This is the most important question in the application. From the role: "If a problem happens twice, the fix becomes a system, not a heroic intervention."

The problem. What you built (templates, automations, SOPs, hardware setups, smart-plug routines, anything). How long it took. The measurable result for the studio or its clients. Be concrete.

Section 6 of 13

Documentation discipline

From the role: "Every audio system, signal chain, room turn-on procedure, reset procedure, and recurring troubleshooting fix is documented."

What was the problem, how did you document it, where did the doc live, and how did you make sure other engineers actually used it?

Section 7 of 13

A session that went sideways

From the role: zero troubleshooting in the room while talent is present. Take the issue to a separate space, fix it calmly, never frame solutions as paid add-ons.

What broke. How you handled the room. What the member or client experienced. Whether they came back.

Section 8 of 13

Unreasonable hospitality

From the role: anticipate what a session needs before they ask. Greet members warmly. Leave the room when it's time for them to work. Reappear when needed.

Concrete examples, not abstractions.

Section 9 of 13

AI fluency — today, not someday

From the role: AI is "a daily practice, not a buzzword." We expect this role to actively use AI for documentation, troubleshooting, session prep, post-production, training, and system integration.

Tools (Claude, ChatGPT, Suno, RipX, Izotope-with-AI, custom scripts, etc.). Specific prompts or workflows. The result. Be concrete — "I use AI for stuff" doesn't count.

Section 10 of 13

Music production — full tracks from a half-formed idea

From the role: some clients walk in with a melody, a lyric, or a vibe and want to walk out with a finished song. You sit with them, brainstorm, then build the record.

Who the client was (or your own project), the starting point, what you played, programmed, arranged, comped, mixed. Link the finished track if it's public (else describe it).

Check what applies. The backline here is Yamaha C2 grand, Moog Sub37, Hofner bass, Fender Strat/Jazz, Roland/Yamaha keys, Custom Birch/Catalina drums, vintage and modern synths.

E.g. "Piano: jazz-school trained, comp + lead. Bass: solid root-fifths + walking, can cut a record." Optional, but helpful.

Section 11 of 13

Your first 30 days at TRC

From the role's how-to-apply: "Tell us, in your own words, what you would do in the first 30 days."

Real plan, not platitudes. Reference specific rooms, systems, or projects from the role page if you've read it (you should have).

Section 12 of 13 — The other big one

Could you grow into running the club?

TRC's current org is the CEO plus six directors (Studio Operations, Engineering, Innovation, Business, Membership, Studio Experience). The roadmap goes beyond Santa Monica — New York and London are on the strategic horizon. The Engineering Director seat is the obvious first step, but we are especially interested in candidates with the leadership track record, capability, and appetite to grow into running the club and eventually be the person who opens location #2.

(a) Track record. The largest team or revenue line you have ever owned end-to-end. Team size, scope, what you actually built, and the measurable result. We are interested in real responsibility — not "I was on a team of 30." If you have ever been the last point of failure for a creative business or hospitality venue, this is where to say it.

(b) Strategic instinct. If TRC asked YOU to open the second location in a city you have never operated in, what would you do in the first 90 days? Be specific — brand, hires, members, partnerships, what you would protect, what you would change.

(c) Appetite. Do you actually want this kind of executive responsibility — running a five-to-ten person director team, owning brand and culture across multiple locations, eventually being the president of one of them? Honest answers are valued. Many excellent engineers do not want this, and saying so is not a disqualifier for the Engineering Director role — it just helps us know which seat to fit you to.

Section 13 of 13

Bonus skills — with publicly released proof

From the role: "Bonus: podcasting, Dolby Atmos, video, lighting, post-production." For each one you have, paste a link to publicly released work. Publicly released means we can click and watch/listen right now — not a private portfolio link.

Lighting design
Video / camera / multimedia capture
Podcasting
Audio post-production
Dolby Atmos
Other (specify in note)

What was your role on each piece? Anything you want us to know.

1–3 publicly released links. Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, SoundCloud. The role explicitly asks: "Send links to work you are proud of."

Logistics

Comp, structure, start date

From the role: $20/hr contractor track OR $45K–$70K salary track depending on scope.

Annual salary or hourly. Range is fine.

Ready to send

Once you submit, Greg will see your application within minutes. We respond to every applicant we want to phone-screen within 5 business days.

Thank you

Your application is in. Greg will read every word personally.

If we want to phone-screen you, expect a reply within 5 business days. If you haven't heard back in two weeks, assume it's a pass for this round — we'll keep your application on file.

Re-read the role