Can you recommend a good audio engineering school?

[JamieMB]

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post but since this is the high end forum and I am looking for a high end school I thought I'd check in with you guys.

I am looking for a school that offers both the theory behind the "why's and hows" of digital audio, acoustics and audio principles but also offers the "get it done" approach to teaching real world techniques and equipment usage. So far it seems like most schools excel in one of the two and do not offer a balance of both.

The anology I use is one school teaches you how to be a good race car driver and use the tools, while the other school teaches you how the engine works.


I currently work in video game audio. I am a sound designer and I'd like to focus my carreer in this direction and possibly into film sound design. I don't have an interest in recording bands, more so geared towards field recording.I hope someone can suggest some places that teach "how the engine works" but also teach how to drive that engine.


Best,
Jamie

[jdjustice]

check out this thread i started awhile back for the lowdown and other info:

http://gearslutz.com/board/showthrea...full+sail+CRAS




~j.d.

[JamieMB]

danke!

[soundeq]

A cheap one! save that $$$
I went to a private 4year mucho dinero school... I learned more in 3 months as an intern than in 4 years of college.
Some people need a school to get them started, I know I did! I couldn't have jumped into studio life straight out of high school. nothing wrong with that.

Seriously, I have had a decent ammount of sucess and I'm still paying LOTS 6 years later on student loans.
I think private $$$ colleges are the bigest rip-off and scam going to day, with banks and student loan financers laughing all the way to the, well, bank (they don't have to go far)
A motivated student will learn outside the walls and books that his teachers assign to him/her. You don't need Ivy leage to learn.
Stick with a state school or 2 year technical college, Use the rest of the money on gear!


RANT OFF....

If you want the "how the engine runs" of digital/analog audio, your looking at a EE or perhaps a 2 year program in electronics... Yah you can learn the dbu's, dbv's, 0db FS, RT60's and all that good stuff, but your still not really learning the how's and why's...
I'd sugest if you REALLY want to know the nitty gritty... get at EE or ME degree, and go to a school that has an audio recording progam, and take clases in that, or perhaps minor it it...

my .02

[Protools Guy]

Full Sail. Big bucks, but top-quality instructors.

[DarkstarII]

Don't go fulsale, you'll regret it.

I did two years at an inexpensive university to get my basics out of the way for less $$ and then transfered to Columbia College Chicago. I did the "audio arts and acoustics" program with a concentration in sound for picture--movies, commercials ect.

great program, great instructors--john murray, benj kanters, and a number on the tip of my tongue.

and great gear, you get to play with the best. at the time i didn't appreciate what they had, but boy do I now.

Check out their website:

www.colum.edu i think.

peace

[danasti]

Originally Posted by JamieMB

I currently work in video game audio. I am a sound designer and I'd like to focus my carreer in this direction and possibly into film sound design. I don't have an interest in recording bands, more so geared towards field recording.I hope someone can suggest some places that teach "how the engine works" but also teach how to drive that engine.

Best,
Jamie

Hi Jamie,

Since you know exactly what you want to do (and don't want to do) I think you should be looking to get right in and start at a job. For that industry where you live is important and I'd think you might want to get to L.A. if you aren't already there. Research and find a few companies to approach and go after them for a entry level position. Say, "here I am, this is what I want to do and I'll do whatever it takes to be here and make myself useful."

Just a thought.

[JamieMB]

Originally Posted by danasti

Hi Jamie,

Since you know exactly what you want to do (and don't want to do) I think you should be looking to get right in and start at a job. For that industry where you live is important and I'd think you might want to get to L.A. if you aren't already there. Research and find a few companies to approach and go after them for a entry level position. Say, "here I am, this is what I want to do and I'll do whatever it takes to be here and make myself useful."

Just a thought.

Hey I hear ya on the LA thing, I've been offered a few jobs in LA and 1 in santa monica so far but I've been rejected on the visa because I have no degree (I'm from ontario canada) ...this is partly why I want education but also I want to get formal training. Has anybody been to OIART in london ontario canada? The course outline looks pretty good..nice variety of theory and real world practice.

Jamie

[pahji@yahoo.com]

Originally Posted by JamieMB

Hey I hear ya on the LA thing, I've been offered a few jobs in LA and 1 in santa monica so far but I've been rejected on the visa because I have no degree (I'm from ontario canada) ...this is partly why I want education but also I want to get formal training. Has anybody been to OIART in london ontario canada? The course outline looks pretty good..nice variety of theory and real world practice.

Jamie

Hi Jamie

I did mine from Trebas Institute Of Recording Arts, Toronto, Canada, finishing in 1987. Don't know how they are faring now but it had a good faculty and when you are a student you need to be a sponge to get the best out of where you are. I was and am happy with my decision to go there.

Good faculty(read people from the industry) and many hours of hands on i skey to the whole thing. For e.g they should be teaching on big consoles as well as ITB.

Hope you find your Sweet Spot :-)

Cheers

[ndogg]

Have you looked at Fanshawe College's program in Longon, Ontario? I heard they are looking at MAJOR upgrades, and they can definitely teach the basics. They also have good connections. I think who you know is more important than what you know to get into audio.

[theron d]

I would suggest getting a degree in Electrical Engineering. Very flexible degree that can open a lot of avenues for you....

Theron D

[EleKtriKaz]

I went to The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Arizona.

It was a good program for me. Not too expensive. Not too long. And I found the program well designed.

I really haven't checked out any other programs, so I don't know what they offer.

I think with schools the bottom line is the person. If you're motivated, intelligent and apply yourself, then a lot can be gained from one of these programs.

The program I went through served me well. When I got my shot, I was ready.

Good luck.

[Harley-OIART]

Serious vote for OIART

And as biased as it would obviously seem... that suggestion is whole un-biased. Myself, and others, checked out alot of programs before I chose OIART.

-Fanshawe
-Trebas
-FullSail
-Harris Institute
-Recording Arts Canada
-Metalworks
-University Based Programs (Ryerson for Example)

I thoroughly investigated and toured all these places (except for Fullsail, I didn't need to fly to southern US to determine that wasn't the place for me.) I have nothing against any of the other programs, infact I hope they all turn out top notch students to keep this industry growing on its toes.

I did really good things about the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences in Arizona (Tempe).

That being said, I truly couldn't have asked for more out of OIART, and have been greatful of my desicion to attend through and through. The place is a cut above.

-Scott Harloff

[edwinhurwitz]

I went to Berklee in the early 80s and if it's anything like that now, I wouldn't recommend it. I learned more about recording when I got a job at a studio and more about playing the bass after I graduated from taking lessons with a good teacher and getting out into the real world. I would imagine it's come a long way since then, though.


I hear Johns Hopkins has a great program which consists of a double major in EE and classical music. You come out knowing how to record and why to record. Not for the faint of heart, though.


Edwin

[stevep]

A Friend of mine went to SAE and now he is working there , and he has access to the studios to do projects

Great deal for him








steve

[The Byre]

Originally Posted by theron d

I would suggest getting a degree in Electrical Engineering. Very flexible degree that can open a lot of avenues for you....

Theron D

If you want to get a proper education and a degree, that is possibly the only way to go nowadays. The Wysuckie College for the Totally Dumb (SAE, Full Sail and sadly many others) churn out 'graduates' by the thousands World wide and just about every college that is short of a few Bucks, starts an audio course.

I am not saying that Wysuckie is necessarily a bad place to go and you will learn nothing, but all the Wysuckies of this World are not regarded as a serious education by the industry.

A for V is somewhat different, as there is a real danger that you might actually find a job. But sound design is also a fraught field and I would suggest just doing some intern work at an A for V house, telling them about your experience so far, and combine it with some formal education and possible courses in PT and other platforms.

Aren't there some proper film schools in LA? I am sure that they would provide a good grounding in Sound Design - and would be an ideal place to meet people and network.

[danasti]

Originally Posted by JamieMB

Hey I hear ya on the LA thing, I've been offered a few jobs in LA and 1 in santa monica so far but I've been rejected on the visa because I have no degree (I'm from ontario canada) ...this is partly why I want education but also I want to get formal training. Has anybody been to OIART in london ontario canada? The course outline looks pretty good..nice variety of theory and real world practice.

Jamie

Yeah - I hear ya! Bummer on the visa but at least you know what you have to do and where you have to go.

That's awesome that you have been offered work though. It's also good that you have put yourself out there and asked for it! Can any of the companies you got offers from help with the visa? Some of the bigger shops will someone in their HR department with experience in that.

[ProFool]

Can you recommend a good audio engineering school?

WWW.GEARSLUTZ.COM :-)

[MX582]

im also looking for a good audio engineering school.. ive already applied to berklee and im thinking about applying to full sail just incase berklee doesnt work out. i took the music production workshop last summer at berklee and i didnt really learn anything i didnt already know..even though it was mostly basic stuff.. im only 17 and i know my way around a studio but the reason i want to go to a good school is (apart from my parents saying you have to get some kind of a degree) the connections i can make there.. theres not much of a music scene where i live (houston) except for rap (which i cant stand). but anyways even if i dont learn anything that i dont already know if i go there..im sure it will be a fun experiance and hopefully get me working in a good studio.

[El Fatso]

after going to full sail id say just go to community college. i enjoyed full sail and definately learned a lot. and i'll agree with the post earlier that it is all on the person not the school. you need to make the school worth while.
i dont think you need to learn on an ssl to be qualified to work in any sort of studio. just understand signal flow inside and out and when you get into a studio you will be able to pick things up quickly

[six_wax]

If you're already doing video game audio, and just want to get equipped to move towards film work, sound design or post... Just read some books & manuals, do some research, and go somewhere you can get an internship that will teach you the rest...

I went to Berklee, it was spectacular for me on a bunch of levels, but it doesn't sound like you really need school (any school) to move towards your goals. You ought to be able to bootstrap yourself enough to at least get an internship based on what you're already doing...

[TravisK]

I work at Madison Media Institute.
Besides our normal course work we are A Digidesigh Certified Training Location and an Apple CTL

www.madisonmedia.com

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by stevep

A Friend of mine went to SAE and now he is working there , and he has access to the studios to do projects

Great deal for him








steve

Is your pal now an instructor?

If yes - then WOW - just think about that.... a student learns a bit from teachers, then now he is a teacher - with NO significant amount of REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE.



and I don't count an internship somewhere as significant real world experience.....

[mixerguy]

Can you recommend a good audio engineering school?

Originally Posted by ProFool

WWW.GEARSLUTZ.COM :-)

ha - yeah right - a huge number of hobby-ists giving advice.

sorry - i don’t mean to be disrespectful - but how many people on gearslutz have actually made a record? i mean one that can be purchased at a big record store? How many people on gearslutz have actually used and compared hardware, consoles, and really know how to place a microphone?

What percentage of people here are full time recording engineers, making a decent living from it?

Never mind the concept of reading about engineering and sound and music mixing... you gotta DO IT.

flame away. I’ve got my fireproof suit on.

[Dan]

hey mixerguy, did you get the MBA? (master of bitterness administration) from the school of Hard Knox in Ft. Knox TN? Couldn't resist.

[mixerguy]

Originally Posted by Dan

hey mixerguy, did you get the MBA? (master of bitterness administration) from the school of Hard Knox in Ft. Knox TN? Couldn't resist.

heya Dan

awesome! i love it. My MBA ...

[stevep]

Originally Posted by mixerguy

Is your pal now an instructor?

If yes - then WOW - just think about that.... a student learns a bit from teachers, then now he is a teacher - with NO significant amount of REAL WORLD EXPERIENCE.



and I don't count an internship somewhere as significant real world experience.....

Yea this is scarry.......

My friend actually built and ran a analogue studio for a few years before he went to school


Still if i was going to book time with an AE i would rather have one with years of real world experience


I am just thinking..... anyone who wants to learn how to record and work in a real studio should do that learning in a real studio

I think the outrageous tuition these schools charge is way to much ,...........




I used to have a recording class at my old studio for a crazy low price , where people would come in to learn the recording process and be able to record a few songs


I am thinking of starting a class at my new studio..............


protools will not be the focus !

I will be focusing on the recording process , tracking and mixing





steve

[stevep]

mixerguy .What percentage of people here are full time recording engineers, making a decent living from it?

Never mind the concept of reading about engineering and sound and music mixing... you gotta DO IT.

Agreed


And Do IT for many years,.....

a decent living ........ I gave up on that loong ago ,

But i could have bought several houses with the $$ i have dumped into the recording business over the last 25 years




I think..........

It would be way better for someone looking for a school to save there$$$ and work at a real room for a year and see what happens






steve

[Firefox]

before anyone spends a DIME on any big, expensive long term recording school, they need to get to Los Angeles (or any other place that courses are periodically offered) and attend a long weekend or a week of instruction via HOMERECORDINGBOOTCAMP.COM

no joke. for real. a guy i know did it and LOVED IT. (and I happen to know Ronan - who is, by all reports - an excellent teacher and an excellent guy)

The guy I know who took a course said he learned much more than any book could ever teach him..... in a short intense enjoyable few days.

http://www.homerecordingbootcamp.com/

[kingneeraj]

Berklee treated me very very well.. and i managed to get my first job (@ Hit Factory) right after i graduated...