another school post!

[hipaquarius]

im in that stage of my life where im looking at colleges for engineering, and im starting to put a portfolio together, im curious to know if anyone has any idea what might look good in a portfolio? im going to try to apply for Berklee in Mass. but i think you have to play an instrument pretty good (i play the bass, but i think im far from what they are looking for!) in order to just get in, not to mention it costs an arm and a leg. So then im also looking at The Conservatory in AZ., ive heard alot of bad stuff about the 2 year schools, so im a little leary about attending any, but ive heard some pretty decent stuff about the Conservatory, so dose anyone have any ideas on schools?

As to the portfolio, ive run a home studio for about a year now,with some steady sessions. im familiar w/ Logic 8, i hope to expand that to protools (when i can afford it!)
ive hit up ALL the local studios intown none of them were really able to help me in any sort of apprenticeship
however, i do have a summer internship set up this summer in the sound dep. at AETN (local television studio)


so my finial question, i have about a year of high school left,
do you have any suggestions on schools, opourtinites or anything really that i could be doing to help me get my foot in the door???
and yes i know this is a "overcrowded industry" but i cant imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life


thanx
asher


P.S. id really like to be more of a mixing egineer,studio engineer, or even a fold back...

[The Byre]

Originally Posted by hipaquarius

and yes i know this is a "overcrowded industry" but i cant imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life

thanx
asher

P.S. id really like to be more of a mixing egineer,studio engineer, or even a fold back...

The rhetorical (joke) answer that that would be to develop a more vivid imagination!

As for the second statement about wanting to be a mix engineer, may I suggest walking the walk for a while. The job can be very, very boring. You are stuck in a darkened studio with nagging clients, working against the clock.

Most students who go on a work experience gig in a recording studio for any length of time, say at least six months, state that they are not prepared to work in a studio.

As for the crowded industry and the choice of school, in the UK at least 1,000 students graduate in one form or another from music recording courses each and every year. In the US that figure will be far larger. Just scaling up would give you a figure of 5,000. If we add all the bogus courses that are not accredited, then God knows how many that would be! 10,000, 20,000?

What ever the figure might be, it is many many times larger than the handful of engineers that the industry requires.

Now add to that the simple fact that recording music has become a consumer activity.

That means that all the demo work has more or less vanished.

It also means that all the high profile work has also vanished, because those clients with money, such as top acts, orchestras, producers and the like, all have their own recording set-ups. And these people 'hoover' up a great deal of the middle ground work as producers.

At least three quarters of all the musicians I get to meet have their own home-recording set-up. They have spent real money on their rigs and are reluctant to spend and more on studio time and a proper engineer. Sad but true.

The same thing has happened in every field of activity that can be replaced by simple and cheap equipment. It happened to photography from 1920 to 1960, it is happening to every field that has been invaded by the computer and the recording of music is one.

Yes, there will always be a role for good studios and expert engineers who just out-perform every home recording enthusiast. These people will know their way around all the leading DAWs to Ninja level and be profoundly musically literate.

If I were you (and I am not you, so I can't really understand where you are coming from) I would develop my musical skills with lessons and gigging and at the same time, study a real engineering subject, such as IT, electrical or electronic engineering or some other allied subject that you might be interested in.

This path would lead you to be very desirable for studios and live event companies and would also further your musical career. At the same time, you have a skill set that can be transferred to many, many other fields and is very well paid.

The one aspect of this 'What shall I do?' debate that nearly always gets forgotten, is the simple fact that every person I have ever met develops and changes as they get older. This means that you will need as broad an education as possible when you start out.

Recording music is a very narrow field and later, when your interests change (as did mine and as do the interests of every human being ever born) if you skill set is as narrow as that, you will find yourself high-and-dry and having to go back to school again.

[Art004]

Hey there Asher,
I am currently enrolled in Lebanon Valley College, and I have to say that I really dig it there. The equipment is nice (maybe not the best but go figure, a studio is expensive) but I also get a lot of in depth education. The professor that works with you the first two years is very concerned with the teaching process and has his doctorate in psychology and concentrated on student learning.

all of that aside, he is very focused on teaching the theory and signal process before slapping down the physics end of things. some two year programs do not have enough time to delve into this type of education and you basically learn how to push buttons and get sound (dont get me wrong, some of these people are brilliant and could easily kick my ass too) but some of these schools do not get into the theory of recording.

with this said, I recommend this school. It is a chunk of money and you do need to learn an instrument, but the bass teacher there is quite good, in fact, hes really good (his band is called Third Stream, search under jazz on iTunes to hear a bit), and there are some students who go in there not too great and come out way better.

well, without spilling my guts on this college, just PM me with questions. I think it is what you want to do, and it is a nice college and if your grades are good, scholarship is in the horizon, up to half of tuition. again, PM me and we can chat, there are a few good places around if you are interested in school. Some bash it, some swear by it, and right now, i wouldnt find a job nearby so college was a nice alternative, plus they have a good rep. and local studios take in Leb. Valley students for internships over other schools in the area.

good luck and I can help you out if you like, you seem interested and I would like to see things work out for ya.

-Aaron

[equallyscrewed]

Ive got a shorter answer..

What looks good on a CV? EXPERIENCE. doesnt matter what school you went to because who ever is reading your CV has proberly had their time wasted by loads of kids from the same school.

xcx