TransitionTimes: Trying out a career helps you discover if it's right for you. This week: music production

So Chantelle (below), the non-celebrity in Celebrity Big Brother, is set to release a single when she leaves the house. The self-proclaimed "bright, blond bimbo" can't sing, but why should that stop her? Toss her into a studio with a decent producer and she'll sound fine.

Music producers have become more important in recent years, as the rise of Girls Aloud and other manufactured bands has shifted the emphasis from artist to producer.

The producer is responsible for how a record sounds. He or she records and mixes the music and therefore has to be technically adept. The producer can also be responsible for instrument arrangements.

Computers have made production easier, however, allowing some artists to record albums in their bedrooms. Many producers have had to diversify. Some teach, some compose music for advertisements and film; others record voice-overs and anything else that's going.

Steve Lynch is a composer and producer based at Stellarsound (www.stellarsound.ie), a studio in Dublin. "You basically need to collect a whole range of skills," he says. "It is useful to have a very good foundation in music. The engineering side can be learned through courses in any number of places, but you really have to have a good knowledge of the science of sound - frequencies and all of that. You need to know a good tune and how to make one, and you need to be relentless in your attention to detail."

Most producers are self-employed, working out of a recording studio. Your best chance of getting work experience is to contact a studio and ask if you can come in and see what it's all about. But it will take dedication, Lynch warns. "See if you can drop in, but it is difficult, because it's not a nine-to-five job. I'll often be recording a band late at night. Work can be sporadic."

So dedication is a must if you want experience. If you are lucky enough to get into a studio, don't expect anyone to hold your hand. "Recording is an expensive business for a client," says Lynch, "so a producer won't be able to explain everything as they go along. They're more than happy to answer questions, so just watch and ask about anything you don't understand."

He also advises students to volunteer for jobs, as there are plenty of simple ways to help within the studio. You can find a list of recording studios in Hot Press Yearbook.

For students who are serious about the business, Lynch says: "When you go into a studio it can be a bit overwhelming, so if you do your research you'll get a lot more from the experience."

He recommends students go to www.digidesign.com, where they can download a sample of the recording software Pro Tools. "Pro Tools is based on the equipment you find in a studio, so by understanding that you can get the gist of the studio equipment," he says.

A simple Google search of recording techniques can help, too. Doing that research should help you discover that the process is more straightforward than you might have imagined.