Audio Engineering & Production Schools a waste of money?

PinkStrawberries

PinkStrawberries

Bluelighter
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Dec 11, 2008
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I wish I knew?
I'm looking into am Audio Engineering & Production school in my area and it seems pretty well rounded...

instructors are "well-known experts" and everything is hands-on using state of the art, industry equipment and software.

A part of me feels that with a little elbow greece I can learn all this stuff myself, and another part tells me I'm in over my head.

I've had people who are already well off music producers and "up there" in the industry tell me "music production schools are a waste of money because all you get is a cirtificate saying you did ___"

I've been putting out some classifieds looking for someone who is willing to teach me at least the audio software programs, (like Pro Tools ect), so I can at least go ahead and start producing music, or start producing better music so to speak, esp since my knowledge isn't lacking so much in the aspect of music theory itself, but in using the software techniques to make really cool stuff. Also, I see it as a way to get noticed by people who have ties to the industry and may be able to gimme the hook up one day, as well as meeting cool people who are into the same thing I am. Another benifit, after talkiing with some grads from the school, is there seems to be a good intern placement, and the school even helps you find a jobs related to your concentration while in school.

So what I'm searching for is some kinda reassurance that my 25,000 dollars isn't going to go to waste... (that's a LOT of money I could use to buy studio equipment... ) or is school worth it??
 
I did all of this song [click here to download: http://www.shutterlag.net/mp3/low.marks.high.hemlines.mp3] by hooking my guitar and piano into my computer and using the program Reason for the rest of the instruments. Most people are born with it so if it's your passion then go for it, but your having second thoughts. Maybe you should do everything you can with what you have now and think if that's what you really want.
 
where do you live? i have a few friends who are attending ex'pression college and they seem really happy. based on those students i think the audio engineer/sound tech program and graphic arts programs are both solid. another of my friends is studying at pyramind. i've been to a couple of the workshops over there and the place seems incredibly cool. everyone was very knowledgeable. it's super pricey though from what i remember. i also very recently looked into enrolling at sae institute to take their electronic music production course. this is the closest i have come to dropping cash on formal music production classes, and this one was $2400 for the 3-month part time (evening) option.

i found that all of the seemingly legit schools for this type of training offer access to a high-tech studio and equipment, hands-on lab activities, and formal job placement assistance upon completion of the program. it seems awesome if you have the money. i'd love to learn more about production in a structured environment, as i tend to lose motivation or get frustrated or pick up bad habits very easily when left to my own devices.

if i had more expendable income i would probably go the school route, as i have a ton of personal friends who are accomplished artists/musicians but i think i would benefit more from a proper classroom environment. as it stands, i decided to take the $800 i would have spent in coursework this month and buy some hardware instead. i think part of my beef with an all-software setup is that it feels more geeky than musical. hopefully this will give me the push that i need - if not, it's back to researching certificate programs.

i think swilow (former mod in here) learned production in a formal setting. he can probably give you a good perspective on whether or not it was worthwhile.
 
I'm not going to school specifically for audio production, I'm in a music business program but I am taking a course for music applications on the computer where we're learning to use Pro Tools and Logic and let me tell you, it's HARD. I'm also taking an audio production course that utilizes it as well. The actual recording of things, such as syncing up mics and MIDI to tracks isn't difficult but editing them and mixing/mastering them take LOTS of time and practice.

I know that tons of producers, studios and even artists themselves use this program, and it's a very smart and amazing program with what it can do, but it takes lots of time to learn and perfect it. I sit there baffled pretty much every day, even though I have the desire to learn.

So, I guess what I'm saying is make sure this is REALLY what you KNOW you want to do, otherwise you'll end up wasting a lot of time and money.

Also, even if you attend school to learn how to use these programs, it does you no good when you graduate unless you have a Pro Tools system/computer/mics/amps/monitors etc...which will run you another couple thousand dollars.
 
It's not a waste of time if you're seriously considering it as a career. Even if you aren't considering it as a career, it's a great way to sew the seeds of learning for yourself. I spent two years at college doing a full time btec course in rock and pop music (covering performance, recording, sequencing, music theory) and without it I wouldn't have known where to start. We only touched upon the basics of everything on this course, and most people who did the course aren't doing anything music related now because they didn't seem to have the capacity to further their self learning after college, and probably weren't *that* interested in it in the first place (they were probably putting off full time work). Being under 19 at the time it was a free course at a not-so-great college, so I'm not so sure that spending loads of money on the 'best' course is really necessary judging from my experience ...

I went to college with only a year of teaching myself to play drums and no other musical experience, and came out of the course with a load of contacts, basic knowledge of music theory, a knowledge of recording, sequencing and programming. Since then (a few years) the seeds of learning planted in my brain at college have continued to grow under my own steam, and I now have a fully operational recording / sequencing set-up at my house and am always in demand amongst musician friends for recording / producing. The total I've spent on engineering and production the last few years has been under £1000, and that's just gear, I've been lucky enough to have been given most of my software I use. Keeping in mind the course I did was free. $25,000 sounds like a lot of money to me - are you taking out a loan for this or is the money there ready to be spent?

If the money is there, I'd say go for it. If you're getting yourself into debt, then perhaps spending the money on gear and finding a cheaper course would be a better solution. If you're the sort of person that is capable of self learning, then perhaps all you need is a cheaper course to get a get footing with the basics, that is if such an option is available to you.
 
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