My suggestion is to write to them and say how interested and eager you are, what a good dedicated worker you are, and how you would be happy to do anything to learn from them.
OFFER to send them some examples of the work you are doing on your own while reiterating that you know you have much to learn and that's precisely WHY you want to work for them.

Say you'd love to have the chance to come in a speak with someone face to face about any possible openings.

I'd, personally, avoid any hint that you think you're already a qualified engineer unless you're sure that both they WANT that and that you're demo reel is really strong enough to get you that position.
YOur demo reel is PROBABLY irrelevant (sorry).

I tend to feel you're better off selling your personality and dedication and seeking an entry level position.

Thank you very much! I will do that!

get a job at Starbucks...

work there for 6 months to a year, then go to a studio with your coffee making skills. That will get you in the door. Then show them your audio skills.

I expect to make coffee and never see the mixing board, but I'm serious about this and I don't care what it takes. The difference between me and the schooled interns is that I don't and will not give up. I've followed through on everything I said I would and I don't care if it takes me my whole life....I'm going to be behind a large console in a pro enviroment.

I don't know how it works in the big multiroom studios like Sony Studios or something, but most of the studios around here are basically a one-man show for the most part. One guy takes out a giant loan, buys studio, runs studio, little use for an "aspiring engineer." The more likely thing to happen as I can figure, is record bands on your own equipment, gain the trust of some bands that end up getting signed (perhaps record the demo that gets them signed, perhaps the demo you recorded gets remixed and becomes released by a label), you build up a list of credits of bands you have worked with, eventually a label/band decides to let you go into a (rented professional) studio with the band once they get signed. Boom, you're recording on a large format console in a professional environment. OK, not Boom I guess; this would probably take several years of solid recordings.

Although being coffeeboy for a big studio might allow you to rub shoulders with some pros and perhaps learn some of the tricks, I'm not sure it would be easy to get them to say "Hey, you've been around here for a while, why don't YOU mix this track for the band. I'm gonna go home now and die. Have fun!" I guess you could squeeze in a little credit as an assistant eng. on an album at some point, and from there use that as leverage for more jobs until you become 2nd engineer on something.

I dunno, if I'm wrong please someone correct me.

I totally agree, Reggie....it won't be instant success, but my opinion is that if you work hard then good things happen. Maybe I'm too young and naive to think that hard work and determination still means something, but I'd rather try and be proved wrong.

therecordingart wrote: I expect to make coffee and never see the mixing board, but I'm serious about this and I don't care what it takes. The difference between me and the schooled interns is that I don't and will not give up. I've followed through on everything I said I would and I don't care if it takes me my whole life....I'm going to be behind a large console in a pro enviroment.

This attitude is prehaps the one thing that will ultimately separate you from others. Persistence without being pushy, willingness to quietly learn while eagerly cleaning up the metal guitarist's gin-infused puke on the carpet next to the studio couch helps a lot. Your intermediate goal is to get the owner to trust you enough to let you use the studio during unbooked off-hours. When you do, make sure everything is left pristinely. If all goes according to plan, someday, the owner will hear your stuff, or the head engineer is too hung over to twist knobs and you swoop in and save the day.

With any luck, this all happens within your first five years.

....and that works for me just fine.

Another tip: find yourself an older sugarmamma near death to sustain you till you make your big break. :lol:

I'm not even looking for a "big" break. I expect and want to work my ass off for anything good that happens for me. People that get big breaks without hard work don't appreciate what they get. I've worked for everything I have, and I value what I've got.