[LAU] OT: talent and craftsmanship [was: Re: OT: Dub Fx]

[Renato]

On Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:45:48 +0100
fons at kokkinizita.net wrote:

> On Fri, Feb 12, 2010 at 07:38:31PM +0100, Pedro Lopez-Cabanillas
> wrote:
> 
> > how much of sound engineer and musician should be in 
> > your blood stream? 
> 
> If you want to be a musician you need music in your
> blood stream, to be a sound engineer in the usual
> meaning of that term you need both music and technology.
> 
> The term 'sound engineer' is sort of a linguistic
> mixup. Usually an 'X engineer' is someone who has
> a good knowledge of the technology of X, and able
> to apply that knowledge in a systematic way to the
> the solution of practical problems. In many cases
> it also implies formal training and certification.
> The focus on technology and practical application
> is what differentiates an engineer from a scientist
> in the same field.
> 
> By that definition, most of the people called 'sound
> engineeers' should maybe be called 'music engineers',
> and the 'real' sound engineers according to that
> definition are the ones usually called 'acoustic
> engineers'.
> 
> But even the term 'music engineer' is too broad to
> describe most 'sound engineers'. It implies a much
> more universal knowledge - most people called 'sound
> engineer' only know about one type of music and would
> be completely lost when e.g. asked to record an opera
> performance. That's not a reflection on their qualities
> which can be exceptional, but on the usual meaning of
> the term 'engineer'.
> 
> Apart from all this there is a second linguistic
> mixup. In English the term 'engineer' refers to
> engines and machines. The drivers of steam trains
> were called engineeers. In roman languages the term
> used sounds almost the same (French: ingenieur,
> Italian: ingegnere), but has a different origin going
> back the the Latin 'ingeniosus' meaning 'skilled'.
> 
> And strangely enough, in Italian today 'ingenuo'
> means just the opposite: someone naive and easily
> abused.
> 
> Ciao,
> 

wow Fons, this was a beautiful etimological dissertation. Didn't think
I could thind such literate discussions on a linux audio list :)

Renato