Starting as a Touring Musician to a Resume that Now Includes 166 Film & TV Credits, Tim Limer Was Open to All the Opportunities Presented to Him
Gilbert, Ariz., June 23, 2026 – The numbers don’t lie. Tim Limer grew up in a town with a population of less than 600 people. His resume now boasts 166 film and TV credits. It’s all about working hard and letting your path guide you to the career you were meant to do, no matter where you started.
Hailing from Stanford, Ill., Limer graduated from high school in 1998 and knew a four-year education was not part of his future as he immediately wanted to pursue his music career…and he did just that for the next 10 years.
“Upon graduation, I applied to and was immediately accepted into the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS), but I chose a career as a touring musician instead,” explained Limer. “My CRAS representative at the time, John McJunkin, was very supportive and told me that he was happy that I was following my heart and that if I ever decided to attend CRAS there was an open seat waiting for me. I took him up on it a decade later after I had gotten the performance bug out of my system.”
Originally, Limer applied at CRAS because he was interested in music production, mixing, and recording, but he was also drawn to it not being a multi-year program while still turning out success stories in the industry.
“I was ready to get out and start working,” Limer continued. “CRAS was definitely the winner in that category with their internship program. I went in with the mindset that I couldn’t fail and I was given the skill and the confidence to go out and make that a reality.”
Limer quickly learned while at CRAS that post production was where he truly wanted to be as he had never been exposed to that kind of work before. He also realized that he could most likely find a gig faster in that field and that he was very interested in the prospect of union work and everything that comes with it.
A reality check was also just what Limer needed.
“At CRAS, nothing was sugar coated,” Limer said. “We weren’t told we were the best or that we deserved to be the top dogs right out of school, but we were instead given realistic expectations. If I showed up willing to do any job, such as cleaning toilets and running for clients, that I would succeed so long as I was ready and willing the moment I was needed.”
Fate often plays a part one’s career.
For his mandatory internship, Limer landed at Wildfire Studios in Los Angeles, which was owned by Leslie Shatz and Chris David, who were also the head mixers at the facility. For his internship, they had Limer in the Central Machine Room. Wildfire had three stages total, but only one recordist, so they were in the MR all day listening for stage calls, of which there were many, according to Limer.
“During my internship, I stayed as long as I could, and took copious amounts of notes and helped out as much as I possibly could,” Limer continued. “By the end of my internship, I was hired into an entry level union position as a y-16. I assisted our recordist / mix tech and our engineers. One year later, the recordist was promoted to a mixer and I took over as the facility recordist (y-9) and held that position for seven years before making the jump over to StudioPost, A NBCUniversal company, located on the Universal Studios Lot.”
Now at StudioPost, A NBCUniversal Company for the past 10 years, Limer was hired there as a Recordist / Mix Tech, and five years later he joined the engineering department, where he is now personally responsible for multiple mix stages. Every morning, he has to verify that the stages are in spec and repair any hardware and software issues that may arise, build out new computer systems and research hardware and plug-ins for its mixers.
“The best part, though, is that I am also on an incredible team that builds out our new stages and facilities including our flagship, The Hitchcock Mixing Stage, of which I am also the stage engineer,” Limer explained. “These days it consists of a lot of Dante Audio troubleshooting as well as Avid S6 console configurations as we change the consoles around for every new crew that comes in based on their specifications. I also spend a lot of time with editors making sure their edit suites, which we also provide to them, are working properly with their equipment.”
As a result, Limer has worked on many notable films as a mix tech, including The Revenant (Oscar nominated for sound), Fast and The Furious (8-10), Twelve Years a Slave (Best Picture Oscar winner), The Expendables (1-3), and most recently, Michael where he is credited as a stage engineer.
“When I made the jump from Wildfire to StudioPost it was for the film, The Revenant as I got the call because Wlidfire and StudioPost were two of only a few feature mix stages that still used the Harrison consoles,” Limer explained. “While working on that project, I was the second stage recordist, working with Randy Thom on the odd reels while the main crew was working on the even reels. After the consolidation of stages, I was coming in as standby and one morning I got the call.”
Limer was told over the phone that the mix tech was involved in an accident and he was needed to fill in. The mix tech was battered and bruised, but unable to finish the mix. There was one month left on the project, and it was now Limer’s gig to complete.
“I got the call and because I was prepared, I was able to slide in and get it finished without any issues,” Limer said. “It was stressful, and it was hard, but it was the greatest opportunity I’d had up to that point. At the time I was still just a temporary employee, but because of that they gave me a full time job and the rest is history. So, my advice to current CRAS students and graduates would be to be humble and know the job. This industry is very competitive and you will need to put in the hours in order to be successful.”
Limer concluded that everyone should be open to opportunities as they arise as they will often lead to a completely different career path that they might not have known existed.
“I had no idea what a mix tech was when I started my internship,” Limer explained. “If I hadn’t been open to learning the job, which is absolutely one of the most important jobs in the studio, I probably would have missed out on an entire career. I went after the job they needed to fill instead of waiting for the job I originally wanted (mixer) and as it turns out, I didn’t want that original job anyway. CRAS will give you an incredible foundation and open doors for you, and you then have to be willing to put in the work if you want to succeed.”
About The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences
The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.
CRAS structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by its small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings. CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades. The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.
The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools 12, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment.
For more information on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-800-562-6383, or email to [email protected].
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