Pro Tools certification

[jeniuZ]

To get Pro Tools certified do i have to take courses online with Berkley or can i just buy books and DVDs and stuff and than take the exam?

[narcoman]

being "PT certified" doesnt mean a damn thing. Get the manual and just teach yourself. I'm an employer in this field and I can assure you - if you promote yourself as "PT certified" to me I'd have a giggle.

[Avening]

You'd need to take the certification classes through a Digidesign authorized pro school. You can't access any of the course material after 101 unless you're signed up.

With regards to if it's worth it or not is really up to you. If you are able to work at it and reach the expert level, you'll know more about the operation of PT than 99% of operators out there, but it will really boil down to whether or not your potential employer gives a shit or not (Narcoman being an example of someone who doesn't ... him and I have spoken in depth in a previous thread about this very topic!)

I'm certified, and it has given me tons of opportunities. However, it's an exception to the rule, and only one small piece of the puzzle.

[belolab]

Do it if you: a) have some spare time, and cash (that you dont need to spend on a decent mic or outboard), b)you were like me - a dumb musician who only used the software as a tape recorder and wanted to actually make the most of your investment.
It doubled my workflow speed, as I had never bothered with all the short cuts, but I am just writing for other people so never needed to be quick in the studio like a specialist engineer needs to be.
But that is it. It's whether you can justify it for your own personal PT use, as has already been stated here, a high level of software technical expertise should be a given for professional work and can be achieved through experience.
Best way to get good on PT is to record as many different musicians and groups as you can. All the short cuts and tips are on the web anyway. (attached is a list of 7.0 shortcuts, most of which still apply)

[teo]

Originally Posted by Avening

If you are able to work at it and reach the expert level, you'll know more about the operation of PT than 99% of operators out there, but it will really boil down to whether or not your potential employer gives a shit or not (Narcoman being an example of someone who doesn't ... him and I have spoken in depth in a previous thread about this very topic!)

I'm certified, and it has given me tons of opportunities. However, it's an exception to the rule, and only one small piece of the puzzle.

I still have to meet somebody who gives a shit! Actually over here, I don't know any professional who's certified...

But you have obviously a different experience, which means that the OP's fuel efficiency can divert from mine...

[haikusoftruth]

Certification is BS. Its a great way to waste a CRAPload of money.

We have a guy who got certified and now wears the hat to work. Hes also the worst at protools in the entire place...

There are only 2 people who will tell you certification is worthwhile-

1. the people you pay for certification
2. People who were silly enough to pay for certification

In the REAL world- its obvious right away if you are competent on PT or not... You dont need a hat and a a cool piece of stamped paper.

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by haikusoftruth

Certification is BS. Its a great way to waste a CRAPload of money.

We have a guy who got certified and now wears the hat to work. Hes also the worst at protools in the entire place...

There are only 2 people who will tell you certification is worthwhile-

1. the people you pay for certification
2. People who were silly enough to pay for certification

In the REAL world- its obvious right away if you are competent on PT or not... You dont need a hat and a a cool piece of stamped paper.

it is a little lie being certified in washing windows. It aint exactly rocket science!!

[tapehiss]

a $30 book and an investment in an mbox and a mac for practice time will be the best way to learn.

honestly, i'd rather go to clown college because it would be more fun.

i'm not trying to say its a bad thing for those who did it, it is just a way for digidesign to make more money and obviously there efforts to dominate all things recording have worked...

protools is a great thing for audio, but it would probably be better to find a school with instuctors who have good experience and teach you protools along the way as well as how to work tape and consoles and wiring and comps and eqs.

if much money was spent to get certified that could have been spent on gear, id say you got boned!

[Avening]

The thing is that there are exceptions to the rule. In the right hands, a certification course can be a valuable credential. If you take a person off the street and put him through a PT certification course, that doesn't make him an engineer. However, you can take a competent engineer and put him through the same training and the end result can be very positive.

Learning from the creators of the software is win-win in my eyes. Price, and cool hat aside, there is no better place to learn the software then from the ground up, so that you may decide your own workflow, and not that of someone else who figured stuff out for themselves (which is potentially dangerous ... trust me, i've been in sessions with very big name engineers [ones that you all would know] that have done some potentially disasterous stuff because they don't know any better). The thousands of pages of technical, and practical education contained in the certification courseware, and the hundreds of hours of hands on classtime during the couses cannot be seen as a waste by any means. In the hands of the right inividual, it can be seen as invaluable.

On the other hand, if one were to rely on the education as being the means to obtain employment, they'd have another thing coming ... A lot of employers either a) don't really know what it is, or what's involved, or b) give a shit.

Yes, it is stupidly expensive ... no, I did not have to pay for mine.

[No-Doz]

if I were you (and this is coming from a graduate of an engineering school, which was not a waste of time BTW), I would spend the money you're going to spend on that, put it towards eating and rent, and go to a studio and be somebody's studio bitch for a half a year or a year. You'll learn a lot more from someone actually applying themselves to pro tools rather than being an encyclopedia of keyboard shortcuts that you don't know how best to use.

That being said, I love me some keyboard shortcuts. I feel like I learn at least a new one every week. Keep rockin' in the free/expensive world of audio.

[rhythmtech]

In the right hands, a certification course can be a valuable credential. If you take a person off the street and put him through a PT certification course, that doesn't make him an engineer. However, you can take a competent engineer and put him through the same training and the end result can be very positive.

thats whats its all about

getting my PT exams was (for me) an amazing achievment as it was my first real certification in life (its only taken me 32 years ) it really gave me the drive to persue audio as a career (or any real career for that matter). so its worked for me in its own way and im on the way to 201 and 210m by next year with a little luck

jobwise it may not get you in the door but its certainly a huge advantage to know the tools and ANYONE with 210 or above really does know the tools well.

[studiostuff]

Originally Posted by rhythmtech

ANYONE with 210 or above really does know the tools well.

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Anyone that uses PT on a daily basis knows how to do the work they do. You don't need training, just a desire to speed-up the repetitive motion.

The true key to learning Pro Tools is to TEACH PT. In this way, you get paid for teaching folks PT and as you go through the material, you learn it Mo' Better.

Don't ask me how I know this...

[psycho_monkey]

I'd spend the cash on a pt rig and use it every day.

I'm not pt certified....yet I get a lot of pt work (including some from narcoman!) troubleshoot rigs etc. Nothing like working under pressure!

If you can get someone else to pay for you to do it, maybe it's an ok idea.

[amacfarlane]

I used to teach the Pro Tools certification courses. Here's the deal. You're probably not going to get any work simply because you're Pro Tools certified. You do it for the training if you need it.

I had one student who got a job over a lot of other candidates. This was a game company who had a lot of people applying who claimed to be "experts" on Pro Tools. They gave everyone they were interested a verbal test over the phone and most all applicants failed miserably exept the student who was certified who scored very high. This wasn't the only reason he got the job but at least it backed up what he claimed on his resume!

Alex

[amacfarlane]

One more thing. Even though I taught the Pro Tools certification courses for PT 6.x and 7.x, I'd probably flunk the PT 8.x certification!

Alex

[phillysoulman]

Originally Posted by jeniuZ

To get Pro Tools certified do i have to take courses online with Berkley or can i just buy books and DVDs and stuff and than take the exam?

Its bullshit

[rhythmtech]

wow. never seen such negative attitudes to education. quite a shock really.

the OP didnt come on here to ask "am i guaranteed a job if i get X exam" he asked a specific question.

believe it or not people some of us might want to educate ourselves for our own reasons.

if you can learn protools yourself then fairplay but its a little belittling to knock others because thats the route they choose.

horses for courses...

[rhythmtech]

Originally Posted by studiostuff

Yeah, yeah, yeah... Anyone that uses PT on a daily basis knows how to do the work they do. You don't need training, just a desire to speed-up the repetitive motion.

so you're arguing my claim with a counter claim of your own that holds no argument to my original claim?

my brain hurts

[Larry Mal]

Agreed. No one asked if it was a good idea or if anyone got a job from it, the question was: how can I best go about taking the course?

[haikusoftruth]

Originally Posted by rhythmtech

wow. never seen such negative attitudes to education. quite a shock really....

Making people pay a HUGE amount of money and IMPLYING it will BENEFIT your career is NOT education...

If people are stupid enough to pay for it, fine. But EVERYONE is TRYING to tell the OP dont waste your time or money!

So its funny to me to see the ONLY people defending it are NOT working professionals..

Kinda says it all. Protools and Gearslutz kinda go hand in hand now anyway... 90% of the users are 100% full of sh*t.

[s.d.finley]

Originally Posted by psycho_monkey

Nothing like working under pressure!

snip!

Amen to that! Having to be Johnny on the spot, and having your paycheck depend on it, will make you learn PT faster than anything else. Maybe not the best route to go. Studio bitch might be better as long you are learning from a PT pro.

[TitaniumG]

Use your money wisely and buy a protools system and then hire some one to work for you. I did this, while learning i was making money.

[narcoman]

Originally Posted by phillysoulman

Its bullshit

succinct and the truth.

[xtrmspl]

I was a little surprised by the PT certification questions. I attended a college where the certification tests were included in the tuition so I had the opportunity to take a few. Some of the questions were a little weird like "How many filters does the Digidesign software synth Hybrid have?". I thought to myself who cares, I'll know when I open it to use it IF that will ever happen. Being PT certified doesn't necessarily mean your good at PT, just good at studying and taking tests.

[studiostuff]

Originally Posted by rhythmtech

so you're arguing my claim with a counter claim of your own that holds no argument to my original claim?

my brain hurts

Your brain hurts because it needs people to explain everything to you.

Knowing Pro Tools well is of no value at all... unless the stuff you know well is the stuff that makes you a faster/better user. Which, by the way, is stuff you will learn as you use Pro Tools in you own way.

Just knowing... or having a piece of paper that claims you know is self-abuse (if you know what I'm sayin' and I bet YOU do).

[Avening]

Originally Posted by haikusoftruth

Making people pay a HUGE amount of money and IMPLYING it will BENEFIT your career is NOT education...

If people are stupid enough to pay for it, fine. But EVERYONE is TRYING to tell the OP dont waste your time or money!

So its funny to me to see the ONLY people defending it are NOT working professionals..

Kinda says it all. Protools and Gearslutz kinda go hand in hand now anyway... 90% of the users are 100% full of sh*t.

Which is kinda funny in it's own right because I'm a working professional, and I'm defending it ....

Kinda seems like the only ones bashing it are people who haven't taken the certification courses at all, and have no idea what they entail or what benefits they would provide ...

[rhythmtech]

Originally Posted by Avening

Which is kinda funny in it's own right because I'm a working professional, and I'm defending it ....

Kinda seems like the only ones bashing it are people who haven't taken the certification courses at all, and have no idea what they entail or what benefits they would provide ...

same here.

just because im studying doesnt mean i aint working.

kinda blows a few theories out of the water.

Your brain hurts because it needs people to explain everything to you

and as for this ^^
dont make claims you clearly could never back up. i never once insulted you, please show me the same respect.

[haikusoftruth]

Originally Posted by Avening

Which is kinda funny in it's own right because I'm a working professional, and I'm defending it ....

Kinda seems like the only ones bashing it are people who haven't taken the certification courses at all, and have no idea what they entail or what benefits they would provide ...

And one of us actually OWNS a studio...

You are exactly what Im talking about. You stupidly paid the money, got screwed, and need to defend it to make that 5 grand MINIMUM feel better...

Not once have I or my Mentor EVER hired someone because of certification.

And finally the BEST argument of all-

99% of the people certified in protools CANNOT MAKE A LIVING AT IT. Hmmmm I think that says it all. And of the people I work with here and at my Mentors, NONE of the people who are actually GOOD are certified... And neither is my Mentor.

So when all the people I know here in LOS ANGELES and OC ( gee I think its a HUB of the best TALENT in the world) and not ONE is certified other than the people who CANT GET WORK.... That says it all.

So argue all you want but I would bet you haven't been a working professional for very long. Im going on 20 years...

But thats it for me- Im actually making a record today. Good luck brushing up on your course work!

[Magic Alex]

...and the next question...

Does owning a studio in this economy cause anger management issues?

[rhythmtech]

Originally Posted by haikusoftruth

And one of us actually OWNS a studio...

You are exactly what Im talking about. You stupidly paid the money, got screwed, and need to defend it to make that 5 grand MINIMUM feel better...

Not once have I or my Mentor EVER hired someone because of certification.

And finally the BEST argument of all-

99% of the people certified in protools CANNOT MAKE A LIVING AT IT. Hmmmm I think that says it all. And of the people I work with here and at my Mentors, NONE of the people who are actually GOOD are certified... And neither is my Mentor.

So when all the people I know here in LOS ANGELES and OC ( gee I think its a HUB of the best TALENT in the world) and not ONE is certified other than the people who CANT GET WORK.... That says it all.

So argue all you want but I would bet you haven't been a working professional for very long. Im going on 20 years...

But thats it for me- Im actually making a record today. Good luck brushing up on your course work!

wow. if thats your attitude towards your fellow humans maybe you should think about an education afterall.

you could start with anger management