Production Schools.

[Krook]

So i've been looking into school, i've seen Berklee, FullSail, and Pyramid, does anyone know of any other schools? Those are great but a bit expensive in expensive areas.

[arcOne]

Save your money on school. Buy some programs and hardware and learn how to use them.

[stingray]

Save your money on school. Buy some programs and hardware and learn how to use them.


I agree with that. With all the tutorials out there on the web, you should be able to teach yourself. But you will still learn a crap-load from a school. If I had an extra $20k, I would probably do it for fun, maybe the conservatory or full sail.

[Krook]

Save your money on school. Buy some programs and hardware and learn how to use them.

I do know how to use programs, its not just learning Reason, Pro Tools and others like that. Its learning studio engineering and running a studio and more things like that. Plus i'm not just going into it for making a few tracks here and there, i want to actually work in a studio running the board or making beats.

[arcOne]

I do know how to use programs, its not just learning Reason, Pro Tools and others like that. Its learning studio engineering and running a studio and more things like that. Plus i'm not just going into it for making a few tracks here and there, i want to actually work in a studio running the board or making beats.

In that case you should save your money and get a job at a studio.

[Krook]

i could, but i'm more of a person to likes to know more of what i'm doing before walking onto a job site and saying "hey i don't know much, but i want a job!"

[eepz]

I think the cost of those schools is quite a bit much tbh. You realize that most studios big & small are shutting down alot or just not doing as well as even 5 years ago, if you look at a forum like gearslutz they talk about it quite often.

One of my favorite comments from a studio owner though is how he was planning to go to a school for engineering, but due to bad luck or fate he didnt and went head first into a new studio with a friend with very little knowledge beforehand...turns out a couple years down the road that same school was trying to get its students internships at his studio, the same spot he would have been in if he had gone instead of just opening one up. amusing to me at least...

[Kumpfilms]

I was in this same boat but with film.

I say go to school and take psychology and philosophy and then everyone you meet that is connected in the industry, use what you learned to manipulate and convince them that you are the best at what you do hahaha. On the serious side though, learn everything you can from those around you whether or not you go to school.

Everything I have ever learned from filming/editing etc.. was done by sitting countless nights with energy drinks and watching videos,tutorials messing around etc.. studying them in every aspect on how they did that and what I could do to mimic them to my desire. School is a great tool if you have low ambition and need someone to tell you to do something before you do it or try it. I have a so many friends that have so much potential but are just to lazy to put forth the effort in trying to learn by themselves. As im sure everyone has these types of friends "The ones who sat around are the ones who never learned."

With the amount of good talent here locally and the power of the internet/books (which you can learn anything school can teach you at your own speed fast or slow and choose your own subjects.) I dont see the need for school.

You are going to get alot of people saying school is the right thing to do and you are going to get the same amount stating its a waste of time.

You just take it one step at a time, and if school is the right path, then take it. Its your life you make the decisions, there is no wrong choice that you make.

Granted this is not for every subject there is no way in hell I am going to trust a doctor who learned from trial and error..

[Krook]

I agree w/ both sides, but the reason i want to go to a school is that i have non-verbal learning disorder, meaning, that i can't just read and comprehend the stuff as well as i could (or at all sometimes) if i had an instructor showing me and telling me how to do things. It sucks a lot of the time.

So... besides the schools i posted does anyone know of any, seriously?

[Julliette]

Listen to ArcOne, he knows what he's talking about.

With your learning disorder, it's probably best to simply go to a studio and look for a job. Even with a degree, they aren't going to hire you to work the board immediately. You have to start at the very bottom and work your way up. Along the way you learn as much, and more than what you would at school. Plus, your 20K richer.

However, if you are dead set on going to school I STRONGLY suggest the Conservatory or Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, AZ. You will get a hell of a lot more hands on experience than you would at Full Sail.
(I derive this fact from attending CRAS, and knowing/working with people that went to Full Sail.)

[DJ Namaste]

It seems that if you go to school and learn production, you better be ready to record live bands and study other forms of music. If you go apply for a studio job, techinenechno better not be the only form of music. Just a thought.

[Iceman]

I will be attending the los angeles recording school next year. www.recordingcareer.com (http://www.recordingcareer.com)

[sOn:R]

Save your money on school. Buy some programs and hardware and learn how to use them.


you may learn all of the programs on your own but the real plus side to going to any production school is the connections that you make in the industry. You may have all of the talent in the world and may produce a sound no one has touched on but having the extra push of knowing people in the industry when you get out of school HIGHLY raises your chances at getting good-paying work when you leave school to help pay off those damn student loans. It may be expensive but its worth what you get out of it in the long run.- Become pro tools certified, meet some of the top producers from around the world in an intimate class setting and experience life in cali for a little bit.

Im going to the las angeles school of recording arts for two years.

check into their school- great program, and a wonderful campus.

[Krook]

I've applied to Conservatory today and have talked to someone there.

And the music industry in itself isn't all i want to do, i was looking at schools that did movies and games as well and they do that too. and they do it.

Investing some money on myself is worth it to me.

[arcOne]

For a recommended school you really can't get better than the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, Az. I will say this since I am alumni. I will also say this since working in recording studios in Los Angeles for 6 years have allowed me to train a lot of interns from various schools. Of course it boils down to how motivated the individual is but Conservatory grads were more on their shit than most. With the exception of a few motivated people, I would say that most people from Full Sail, Musicians Institute (mostly dummys), and LARW were not well trained or not motivated. Again, it's all in the individual persons drive to succeed in the business. It is really about the connections you make with people along the way and relationships you establish with "industry people".

Some peoples personalities just don't gel well with the recording studio lifestyle. In fact, I would say unless you are into working 14 hour days in front of a computer on a song you have been listening to since the morning, not eating regular meals, getting 4 hours of restless sleep at night, having bad relationships with your girlfriend and friends because you work 90 hours a week, dealing sometimes with egomaniac artist folk who treat you shitty, working on amazing sessions with amazing musicians/songwriters followed by working with people with no talent and inflated egos, having rap musicians who need to listen to everything full volume in the big Ausberger monitors and your ears bleed by the end of the night, then the studio might not be the place for you.

A big part reason I moved from Los Angeles back to Salt Lake is because there is a seriously high number of recording studios closing down. This partly because of illegal downloading destroying record company budgets for records being made and also limiting the number of signings to a label. This is also because of recording technology being so advanced that producers/bands can just pretty much record most things in their house and only rent studio time for things like drums and final mixdown. I promise that if you will either be in short periods of no work followed by a few 100 hour weeks or you will be getting $15 an hour for jobs you would usually be getting $35 an hour for. Research online will tell you that the recording studio industry is in the biggest slump it has seen, ever.

School is great and it will definitely help you get your foot in the door and be useful enough to keep your foot in the door. Is totally necessary? No. Not really. I have made friends in Los Angeles who gained studio internships with little or no studio experience and who worked hard along the way to learn all of the equipment and do well who are working at high level Chief Engineer positions at various studios. If this is something you really wanna do then go for the schooling. I just know too many people who spent a buttload of money on recording school only to do their internship and find out that the recording studio business is really hard and isn't for them.

As a side note I might add that Pro Tools Certifications and other Certifications don't really amount to shit when you apply to places. People are more concerned on what albums you have worked on and how much practical studio time you have put in. Recording school may teach you things but the recording school and the recording studio are two totally different places There are many things in school that recording school will never be able prepare you for. They wanna know if you can handle a recording session, not your "certifications".

Good luck. If you do it well it will end up being the funnest jobs you have ever had despite all the bad things I mentioned.

[stingray]

You also will want to find out EXACTLY what you want to do.

Saying you want to be a doctor is way too generic.

Even saying 'studio engineer' is too generic. There are so many aspects of the entertainment industry to consider. Film audio, video games, music production, music recording, mixing, foley arts.

Not to mention all the different jobs in the TV and Radio industry.

[NuQ]

I know berklee offers online courses for like 1/10th of the actual classes. but if you're looking for a little certificate to hang on our wall saying you graduated, you actually have to attend. i was looking into it a few years back but then went the route that arcone suggested, plus a family friend had a recording studio so i just apprenticed there for a while. check around, theres plenty of local and internet sources that can hep you learn.

[Krook]

Berklee = way to expensive.

Ive always been partial to the video game aspect of music, so i'm gonna go that direction.

[RS4]

For a recommended school you really can't get better than the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Tempe, Az. I will say this since I am alumni. I will also say this since working in recording studios in Los Angeles for 6 years have allowed me to train a lot of interns from various schools. Of course it boils down to how motivated the individual is but Conservatory grads were more on their shit than most. With the exception of a few motivated people, I would say that most people from Full Sail, Musicians Institute (mostly dummys), and LARW were not well trained or not motivated. Again, it's all in the individual persons drive to succeed in the business. It is really about the connections you make with people along the way and relationships you establish with "industry people".

Some peoples personalities just don't gel well with the recording studio lifestyle. In fact, I would say unless you are into working 14 hour days in front of a computer on a song you have been listening to since the morning, not eating regular meals, getting 4 hours of restless sleep at night, having bad relationships with your girlfriend and friends because you work 90 hours a week, dealing sometimes with egomaniac artist folk who treat you shitty, working on amazing sessions with amazing musicians/songwriters followed by working with people with no talent and inflated egos, having rap musicians who need to listen to everything full volume in the big Ausberger monitors and your ears bleed by the end of the night, then the studio might not be the place for you.

A big part reason I moved from Los Angeles back to Salt Lake is because there is a seriously high number of recording studios closing down. This partly because of illegal downloading destroying record company budgets for records being made and also limiting the number of signings to a label. This is also because of recording technology being so advanced that producers/bands can just pretty much record most things in their house and only rent studio time for things like drums and final mixdown. I promise that if you will either be in short periods of no work followed by a few 100 hour weeks or you will be getting $15 an hour for jobs you would usually be getting $35 an hour for. Research online will tell you that the recording studio industry is in the biggest slump it has seen, ever.

School is great and it will definitely help you get your foot in the door and be useful enough to keep your foot in the door. Is totally necessary? No. Not really. I have made friends in Los Angeles who gained studio internships with little or no studio experience and who worked hard along the way to learn all of the equipment and do well who are working at high level Chief Engineer positions at various studios. If this is something you really wanna do then go for the schooling. I just know too many people who spent a buttload of money on recording school only to do their internship and find out that the recording studio business is really hard and isn't for them.

As a side note I might add that Pro Tools Certifications and other Certifications don't really amount to shit when you apply to places. People are more concerned on what albums you have worked on and how much practical studio time you have put in. Recording school may teach you things but the recording school and the recording studio are two totally different places There are many things in school that recording school will never be able prepare you for. They wanna know if you can handle a recording session, not your "certifications".

Good luck. If you do it well it will end up being the funnest jobs you have ever had despite all the bad things I mentioned.

Excellent post! :D

[sOn:R]

blam........ http://recordingconnection.com/