Jimmy Eadie
When you chat with Jimmy Eadie, his modesty and low-key approach belies a successful 25 year career in the music business and as he talks about his experiences and achievements, his passion for creativity in music shines brightly through the conversation.
With a career spanning over 25 years, he’s seen it all – from the heady heights of signing a record deal and being whisked off to London as guitar player with Dublin indie band Into Paradise in his early twenties, through to his current involvement with cutting edge installations combining music and technology, Jimmy has a depth of creative experience and technical expertise that marks him out as a true innovator in the art of music and production. He was also a founding member of Crash Ensemble and now acts as a Creative Partner to the group. He describes Crash music as “An adventure – using current audio technology on with world class musicians”.
Happily he has been able to share his knowledge through a career in lecturing, which he combines with his other work. “I’m not sure what I’d call myself these days,” Jimmy laughs, “maybe something like a producer, engineer and educator, how’s that?”
At Pulse College, Jimmy lectures on the music technology courses, mainly teaching on the B.A. in Music Production although with his experience in sound engineering, his also does lecturing spots on a number of the media courses.
How did you kick start your career in music?
The music industry has changed radically but years back, the big break every band was looking for was to be signed by a record label. Luckily we got that break and went off to record an album in London, working in the Church Studios. It was exciting times and although I went as the guitarist for the band, I was immediately hooked on the technology at the studio and got involved on the production side. Eventually we got dropped from the record label, I went back to Dublin to get some formal education in sound engineering and spent a couple of years studying music and media technology. That’s really when I moved from performance to production and it suited me; it was the best of both worlds – I got to work with music and play with technology! I continued working on my own music too though and I started to produce other bands.
(Read more about Jimmy’s ‘Wow & Flutter’ installation above by clicking here)
How did you get involved with Pulse College?
When I finished the course and was actively producing music, I built a career in sound engineering and travelled around the world with different music and theatre acts. Ultimately it was a natural move to set up my own recording studio and I ran that for almost 15 years. It’s a small city so of course I ran into Tony Perrey over the years. And when I decided to spend more time on a variety of creative projects as well as lecturing, Pulse College was the right environment to move into because this ethos of working in the industry as you teach is really the best way forward for students and lecturers alike – it sparks energy and creativity both ways.
Why Should Students Choose Pulse College for Music Technology & Production Courses?
What I find is that most students are already involved in the practical side of the business – they play in bands, know some of the technology, they produce their own work, etc. What we do at Pulse College is to give them the proven theories behind the practice. It’s important to have a grounding in the theory and the fact that they get a recognised qualification is useful from a career perspective.
We also teach students how to use the tools of the industry of course, that’s essential, and the equipment at the College is the best you’re going to come across in Ireland.
But if I had to pick one thing about Pulse College, it’d be the enthusiasm and talent that exists with the lecturing team – there’s a sense of excitement and creativity in the air and the students feed off that.
Do you have any words of wisdom for students looking to get into the music business?
Students need to reach out and make as many contacts as possible – connections are everything in this business. Because the teachers at Pulse College are active within he industry; the students should really nurture relationships with the staff here if they’re planning on working in Ireland. When I was young you got into sound engineering by becoming an apprentice in a studio but that’s not an option anymore. So they really have to work on networking to create opportunities – they need to be in the right place at the right time; when an opportunity arises and you’re prepared, that’s luck!
The other thing to consider in terms of connections, is looking for opportunities to work with students in other disciplines – Pulse College has so many courses; animation, film, gaming and so on and there’s a lot of collaboration needed across these media when it comes to real-world projects. So experience of working with these media is going to be incredibly useful.
Finally for students who love music, I’d say don’t be put off by anyone; if you want a career in the industry – go for it!
MUSIC PRODUCTION COURSES AT PULSE COLLEGE
Read about our music technology courses or visit on an open day to check out the facilities.
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