With the backing of Creative Scotland, the Blantyre-based Chem19 music studio is offering a brand new ten-month course for aspiring young engineers. Emma Pollock, one of the founders of the studio’s parent Chemikal Underground label, explains why it’s such a good deal.

What’s the thinking behind Soundlab?
‘We get so many requests for work experience and we don’t do it as a rule, because it’s not that useful for a student to just sit in the corner and watch a producer at work. So this is something for those who show a real aptitude and discipline, regardless of whether they’ve done an academic course or not.’

What will the students be taught?
‘We want to start with an assumption they’ll know the basics of multi-track recording, which is quite a simple thing in theory, but full of complicated detail that you can’t actually get to grips with unless you’re in front of a recording desk. We don’t want to mimic other courses, it will be explained very much from Chem19’s point of view. In London the engineer’s the guy who operates the machinery, whereas in smaller Scottish studios it’s a much more creative role, so students will be shown a way of working that’s as artistic as it is technical.’

What will they take away from the course?
‘That’s a difficult one to answer in the arts; courses don’t necessarily give you a defined skill-set. It’s an opportunity to develop hands-on problem-solving experience under supervision, and after that it’s really up to the individual’s own determination and ability to use what they’ve learned.’

Applications for Soundlab close on Fri 9 Sep. The course is open to 18 to 25-year-olds, priced at £50 for all 17 sessions. Full info is available at chem19.co.uk