'The stars aligned': how a shocking diagnosis led Iain to NCL
Iain Mcmillan had spent years working in HMV, doing what he loved – surrounded by music. Learning the back catalogues of every artist on the shelves, knowing who produced what and why, but then everything changed.
What he had put down to tiredness and a chest infection turned out to be something far more serious. After struggling through Christmas shifts at HMV, barely able to breathe, his GP took one look at him and knew something was wrong. Within weeks, Iain had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and was facing six months of intensive chemotherapy.
Thankfully as recovery began and the fog of recovery began to lift, something else took over a restlessness need for purpose. Sitting at home on sick pay, Iain knew he needed something to aim for.
He always had a small home studio. Samplers, hardware equipment, the lot and it had kept him company through the thick of it. He had watched documentaries on Rick Rubin, Bob Power, Dr. Dre, Scott Storch et al. He had always been curious about what went into making music, not just listening to it.
So, he “Googled sound production courses and saw NCL did one. It was on my doorstep."
His girlfriend was sceptical. "She said ‘there's no way you'll go back to college and stick at it’," he smiles. "I'm going for this."
He enrolled on the NQ Creative Music & Sound Production course at the Motherwell Campus, and he has not looked back.
"I've achieved everything I set out to achieve. I wanted to learn how to use DAWs properly, and I have. The course lecturer James [Savage] has been great – really supportive, understands my circumstances. It's creative but professional at the same time."
What surprised him most was how much the course changed the way he thinks about music, not just makes it.
"I'd worked in a record shop, and I liked what I liked. But the course gets you critically thinking. What went into that music, the politics, the ideologies behind it, who was in the studio, who influenced it. What instrumentation was used, what recording techniques. You learn about how drums were recorded in Stairway to Heaven. It's very nerdy," he laughs, "but it's good."
Now 50, 'getting into the golden years,' as he puts it, Iain is planning to continue into the HNC/D. He has gone from a man who could barely walk through a door to someone who can professionally present his work, build beats, and network with labels and artists.
"I can now present myself professionally and send examples of my work. The course got me to that stage."
For anyone thinking about applying, his advice is straightforward.
"If you've got a genuine interest in music and want to learn it, the pieces will fall into place. Everything on the course is there for a reason. They've thought it out very well. And it's what I feel I've always wanted. The stars aligned for me."
The Creative Music & Sound Production courses introduce learners to the many skills and disciplines of audio engineering including: studio recording, live sound, sound design for film and games, sampling, synthesis, remixing and much more. This course is the perfect preparation for our HN-level courses, providing the opportunity to work with our state-of-the-art facilities within a professional industry-standard environment.
