Quote:
Originally Posted by Anderson
SAE and NEVE
Well, I lived in the the same street as the SAE in Brussels for 2 years (Gachard), and believe me, I still wonder what the hell it is they are learning there. Talked a bit with some students when passing by, met some during gigs or just by coincidence, and their knowledge seems really minimalist. "Yeah, we learn about compression and limiting and how to use this and that". Sure. Great. You do that.
As manager of SAE Brussels (and Sound Engineer & Producer for over 20 years now), I must say I'm very proud of the level of knowledge reached by our diploma level graduates. Not only have they learned what the traditional engineer had to know in the 70s and 80s, but they also know MIDI, digital sound, software & computer configuration, 5.1 mixing… You all get my point : It's never been so hard to be a multi-purpose sound engineer than in this new century. And yes, we teach them how to use a compressor. I don't know of any serious audio program in the world that does not - -or should not - include this, and all the other processing techniques as well. It is true however, even though they have a four-week lecture period on studio design and acoustics within the diploma level of our audio engineering program, that it is not our intention to train them as studio designers at that stage. That's a knowledge they can develop further down the line of our university bachelor and master degrees. So I can somewhat understand your frustration, having talked to those students in front of the school.
I've personally noticed that a motivated student spends his time at the school working IN the studios, and has to be dragged out of there (as Paul White, editor of Sound on Sound, humorously put it in his June 2004 editorial on audiovisual student motivation) "leaving bloodied fingernail tracks in the carpet". The motivated student does not spend his time hanging around outside the front door. If I were to make a decent opinion for myself of any school, I'd rather walk in and have a word with the staff and some students on the job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Anderson
SAE and NEVE
SAE may have been a good school 10 years ago, but now it's dfegad and a Rip-off. I feel there are lots of daddy's boy there as well. The lazy kind...
We must all be honest about this : there have always been, are, and will be students that are not motivated enough to succeed, be it in medical school, law school, and yes... audiovisual schools. And this has nothing to do with the public or private status of the school, or with having a rich dad or poor dad, as some of you have suggested. Ask the teachers you know, in your family, anywhere. They will all confirm that.
To make sure everyone stands a chance, each applicant is thoroughly interviewed prior to enrollment at SAE Brussels. We make it VERY clear for them that the audio industry is a tough world, where motivation is of utmost importance throughout the learning stage… and as a matter of fact, throughout a good part of their career ! A career that must be driven exclusively by passion. No glitter. The bare facts.
Now I must say that my entire staff and I do many times more to remotivate students than what I've seen done throughout my entire education (in public schools btw), and later on, when I taught in several other audiovisual schools which I shall not name.
Having read all the threads, I noticed that some ex-SAE students argue that none of the practical exercises you had to do were relevant to the real world. Well pardon my French but I'll be damned !!! Almost from day one, we have students edit speech and music, then they move on to mixing 8 track then 24 track projects ; sound design, record, edit and mix to picture ; record, mix and master a wide variety of music styles (in state of the art recording suites, in 2.0 and 5.1) ; record, edit and master classical ensembles ; assist live FOH and monitor engineers in some of Belgium's top venues ; etc., etc. ... And to think that for all these years, I thought I was having them do what audio engineers do every day of the week for a living. I must be crazy !
Well I'm not alone then. In Belgium, ALL of our SAE graduates are active in the audio industry, and a fair number of non graduates also. So it seems that the decision makers in the recording studios, post-production houses, radios and TV stations, are also pretty confident in our graduates' knowledge, to a point where they're also willing to hire what some would call "less qualified". If you add the fact that SAE is validated by Middlesex University (one of the best universities in the UK) throughout Europe, you have another fairly large number of people who know what teaching is all about, that recognize the quality of our work. Now those are definitely NOT crazy people.
For all of you that have been skeptic the very instant they read "As manager of SAE Brussels", we have a very open door policy. Visiting our schools is as easy as picking up the phone to make an appointment, or even pushing the front door, if you happen to live in the same street and pass by for two years. Don't be shy. We'd be glad to show you around and explain more thoroughly "what it is we do in there".
And finally, to get back to the original subject of this thread - SAE acquiring Neve - I'd rather have a person that has always been a true passionate gear freak like Tom Misner running Neve than most of the business men and suits that sometimes end up at the helm of audio companies, with no clue as to what it is they're making and selling. That, and Peter Gabriel overlooking SSL, are the two most positive things that could happen to this sector of the audio industry.
I say this rocks !
Philippe Chambin.