O.K., after 30+ years in this here music business--and logging a lot of studio time on the musician side--I've decided to take the plunge and learn recording engineering (aka: what do all those FREAKIN' KNOBS DO????!??!). I was surprised to find a program at one of the local community colleges (www.schoolcraft.edu) that offers a Certificate and Associate Degree in Music Technology (I'm doing the Certificate). I started this past Fall with two classes. My "Beginning Studio Techniques" teacher is actually REALLY good. Very thorough--I intend to take all my studio classes with him (two beginning classes and two advanced). We've been learning a lot of theory so far. All the studio gear and workstations are up-to-date--the community college has made a commitment to the keeping up with the technology. We also work with several studios in the area.

I look at schools like Full Sail in Florida that's charging $45,000 for one year (and yeah, I get why they charge so much), but do they really make THAT much of a difference? Ultimately, isn't it about the quality of teaching, learning, interaction and the student's motivation and commitment? Is it REALLY about the name "Full Sail"??

I have worked in higher education for the past 15 years as an academic counselor (my other life beyond music) and to me it all boils down to one thing: you can get your degree from Harvard, Julliard or a degree from anywhere else (as long as the teaching is quality and ya learned something)--if you ain't got it in you to suceed, you won't. I'm figuring the same is true in the recording industry.

Thoughts? Especially from those of you who are DOIN' it (the recording engineer thang).

And if this has been discussed before--drop me the thread.

NuPwr319 said:

DON'T PAY THE TUITION!!! In my opinion, the best way to learn this stuff is to get an unpaid internship at a reputable recording studio. That way you learn on the newest real world stuff, get business/job contacts, and get FREE training to boot!

Better yet, use the money to buy your own recording equipment and buy some books on recording engineering. Hang out with some other musicians who know the stuff. Most of the successful guys I know did it this way. That's how I did it.

Good luck!

Good point artpal!

For that amount of money, you could OWN your own home studio. Not to mention all the free clinics and websites they have out there too, just to get started. And for some areas, you could pay an engineer to come to you for some private lessons.

But having that certificate could make a difference in getting your first job, no doubt.

You'll need to make music first yourself, then only could anybody trust you to make music for others. I doubt any of those tuition programs could help that much, it's years and years of practise what matters. Start reading on the subject, recording, experimenting. It's not going to be an easy task.

Well, here's the deal: I tend to learn from people who know how to TEACH. Believe me, I don't find many folks that are good at "breaking it down". I realize that this is going to take years of experience and a lot of reading; as I said, I'm a longtime musician and teacher, myself. But I've found someone that's good at teaching the basics and getting us started. And I don't mind paying a bit 'o tuition to do it. The whole program will end up costing me $3,000 for one year. My teacher also offers internships at his studio once we get past the two basic courses, and I've got a coupla engineers that have offered to give me some studio time.

I admire all you folks that can get it on your own with a lot of reading and stuff. I intend to do that, too!

Thanks for your input. Hopefully, I'll be able to ask intelligent techie questions, soon.