10th September 2008
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#1 | | Gear nut
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 110
Thread Starter | is SAE worth it? better schools in ATL?
hi, ive been recording my band for about 4 years now, and im 24 and ready go back to school. i really dont want to go for a 4 years degree, and what i really want to do is audio engineering. i love it, and am obsessed with it, and i think its something that i excel at. my question is: is SAE worth it if i ultimately want to get a job in the audio field? even if its for a radio station or running live concert sound. i just want to make a step up in life from my pizza shop job, so i can actually save up some money and build a studio. i live in atlanta, so i was thinking about the art institute of atlanta, but what would ayone recomend as far as some kind of degree goes. is an associates degree good enough? thanks in advance guys
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13th September 2008
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#2 | | Gear interested
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 8
 | SAE is great
I went to S.A.E in stockholm, sweden and I think that that was the best money I ever spent.  | |
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13th September 2008
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#3 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Dec 2005 Location: the Netherlands
Posts: 259
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__________________
Never look into the mouth of a given horse  | |
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14th September 2008
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#4 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jan 2004 Location: Highlands of Scotland
Posts: 2,250
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1. There are literally thousands of 'graduates' of various types of audio schools for every single place of work.
2. Studying a proper subject like electronics or electrical engineering will allow you to follow other careers and will be recognised in the workplace by employers in general.
3. Many potential employers regard private colleges providing an education in non-standard subjects such as media studies and music technology to be a disqualification.
4. As a freelance engineer, you will often be required to have your own PT-HD or similar rig. Such a mobile set-up will cost about the same as a beginners course at a private college. If money is short, well, you make your choice!
5. Most of these colleges do not teach a formal knowledge of electronics and music and, trust me, you will definitely need both in the long run.
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20th September 2008
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#5 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Sep 2008 Location: Fort Wayne, IN.
Posts: 737
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan Talbot  Their recent print ad speaks volumes: the eager white suburban boy with a laptop in his bedroom, and the attractive clueless girl holding a guitar, with a vacuous expression aimed at a cheap microphone. |
LOL
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20th September 2008
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#6 | | Gear interested
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 20
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i am very newbie , very very newbie , and i am starting i rehearsal studio soon for business , i am going to star learning everything i want to dj/produce , so where to get all these info , i found the forum here massive , put wont SAE do the job , ifnt recommend alternative things please
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23rd September 2008
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#7 | | Gear maniac
Joined: Jul 2007 Location: Spring Hill, TN
Posts: 185
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Although I'm admittedly biased, I'd recommend Belmont University in Nashville. It's not that cheap but they've got access to some incredible gear - they own Ocean Way Nashville - and, when you graduate, you have a degree (BBA or BS depending on how you go about it) that you could actually use to do something in the future if the music industry doesn't pan out for you.
If you are set on SAE, I'd at least look at moving to Nashville temporarily instead of staying in Atlanta because you'll be surrounded by hundreds of studios and have a better chance of getting one of those all too important internships...
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2nd October 2008
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#8 | | Gear interested
Joined: Oct 2008 Location: Mumbai, India
Posts: 23
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Whoahoa 
i didnt sae had a following elsewhere.. 
i am in sae mumbai, india. 
and i think the money you spend on fees would rather be spent on equipment and teach yourself how to do it,
but nothing like formal education, your basics are clear. 
__________________ _regards peace_ | |
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2nd October 2008
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#9 | | Gear interested
Joined: Oct 2008 Location: Mumbai, India
Posts: 23
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan Talbot Their recent print ad speaks volumes: the eager white suburban boy with a laptop in his bedroom, and the attractive clueless girl holding a guitar, with a vacuous expression aimed at a cheap microphone. | LOL | |
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12th October 2008
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#10 | | Gear Guru
Joined: Aug 2005 Location: underground railroad
Posts: 15,051
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i'd do a cost analysis:
student loans versus potential income.
hmmmmmmm, let's see...
potential income = zero
ok, my answer is "no, it's not worth it".
if audio engineering is your TRUE PASSION,
then please see if you can make yourself a career - without going into debt...
that means endless ambition, smart business, smart networking, and constant focus,
along with a TON of luck, RIDICULOUS COMPETITION, LOADS of BS,
...and in the end - probably not much money.
but if you're doing it because you really love it, there's something to be said for that -
after all, you only have one life, and you don't want to have too many regrets.
...just make sure you marry someone with money -
because you'll be living in a shoe box with 80 room mates, or homeless, if you don't 
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__________________ Sqye (Sky)::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Gearslutz Song
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::Music 4 Film+TV+Web:::::: Wired Planet::::::Buddha Studio Cat i7 + RME UFX + Linkwitz Orions + Tyler Acoustics Linbrooks + Buzz Audio ARC + GT-67 + Sonar + Komplete + Omnisphere-Trilian-Stylus + Symphobia + Mo-Tone Custom Tele | |
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17th October 2008
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#11 | | Gear nut
Joined: Jan 2008 Location: Waltham, MA
Posts: 147
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I'm in school and I'm learning a TON.
But nothing that I couldn't have learned on my own by placing myself in a studio environment or doing independent learning. The only real bonus is that I'm now wise to different career paths that could provide a day job for me while I record music on the side... because that's how 95% of full-time recordists have to start out. In the end, it is NOT worth the money.
Get out there and learn. Not just about how to be an engineer, but WHAT IT MEANS to be an engineer. The lifestyle is way different once you're involved in it. You can go to recording school for 8 friggon years if you want to... but it really doesn't mean anything if you can't find clients. No person or studio will find clients FOR you (unless your capable of churning out hit records).
I don't doubt your commitment, I simply doubt that you understand what your commitment really means (not just in regards to music and clients, but in regards to paying for schooling).
I've heard good things about Middle Tennessee State. Small school with good facilities. you don't have to worry so much about the studio being constantly booked. Almost guaranteed to be cheaper than SAE or an Art Institute. I really don't recommend putting yourself into a $50k hole (or more).
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18th January 2009
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#12 | | Gear interested
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 1
| valtrex and zovirax
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18th January 2009
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#13 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Jun 2005 Location: germany
Posts: 1,731
| Quote:
Originally Posted by Thomaszzzx |
money much better spent than S.A.E.!
actually Sqye & The Byre gave you great advice....better follow that!
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19th January 2009
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#14 | | Gear interested
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 10
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Find the best studio you can that will take you as a cheap (or free) worker. Spend every minute there and forget about a social life and nice things. Work VERY VERY hard. Then after two or three years if you are not starting to make a living or you honestly can't see a light at the end of the tunnel, get out before your dream kills you.
The music industry is like a lottery now, you have a one in a million chance of making it. I'm talking about working on gold/platinum records or working with GOOD bands/artists and making a real living.
Good luck and keep dreaming.
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19th January 2009
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#15 | | Lives for gear
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 1,620
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People on these boards trash SAE all of the time. Generally any recording college gets trashed. I went. I loved it, I learned ALOT very quickly. I use what I learned there everyday. You will likely be surrounded by some great people and some losers too.
you won't regret it. SAE is not the only player, there are others to look at too. Take a tour and meet the teachers. The gear matters but the teachers are where it is at.
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20th January 2009
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#16 | | Gear interested
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 18
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Im at the Livepool one at the moment. I would say it is worth it kind of.
Once you have done the year course, you will defiantly know wether its what you want to do. We had tones of people dropping out as it just wasnt what they expected.
As said, go have a tour and see what you think. But dont expect to get a job straight after it. Think of it as something to add to youre cv which MIGHT help show youre interest to potential employers
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24th February 2009
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#18 | | Gear addict
Joined: Jul 2007 Location: UK
Posts: 410
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I would say that a degree in electronics/electronic engineering or something to do with electronic systems and devices would stand you much better.
Or particularly, a degree in acoustics and psychoacoustics would set you up perfectly if you want to be an engineer.
I've done a course that touched on all of these, and while certain bits of knowledge I picked up have been useful, the degree itself has done nothing for my career in the long run.
The best I got from it was time to develop myself, and friendships with other like-minded people.
I also used this time to get work as a venue live sound engineer, in addition to use the university's facilities to record music at every given chance.
You could take advantage of your student life, which allows you cheaper living, to work for next to nothing in a studio and build up a portfolio.. Which is what people are looking for.. And character.
In short.. I think that courses have the potential to teach you a lot.. But the rest is up to you.. The real world in this world doesn't rely on a piece of paper. It relies on experience, which comes from enthusiasm, and a lot of blagging.
The hands on courses teaching you deeper than the million other courses like the ones at SAE, as I mentioned above, would suit people better in the real world I think.
Knowing electronics and or acoustics back to front gives you a huge advantage in this world of a guzzillion graduates.
__________________
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