Music Production/Engineereing: School v. Self-Teaching

[CaseyCor]

I've been looking into further education options after I graduate this year, and want to go into Production and Engineering. I've been looking at this school http://flashpointacademy.com/ for awhile, and have a individual meeting set up with them this coming week. I'm not sure how I'm going to afford it ($25,000 a year, and I'd have to move up to Chicago).

But, a lot of people in the industry I've talked to, including people who are in school/recently graduated from similar programs, have told me to just spend the money on nice equipment and do it myself. They've told me that the money and time they've spent on school could have been better used, and by having equipment at home, teaching yourself, and taking internships, you can learn the same if not more, and get your name into the industry earlier.

I am one to learn on my own very quickly, so this is appealing to me. But, this would be not going to college, so I wouldn't actually have a degree of sorts. I understand the major difference between having a High School Diploma and a College Degree can make as far as income, so I am conflicted here. I want to get the most for my money, and not waste time taking uneccesary classes when I could be furthuring my career in the actual industry, but that means I would not have an "official" college level education, which can severely impact my image in the buisiness world.

Obviously, there is a conflict here. And on top of all of this, I really don't have the money to pay for school. I'm waiting on a responce from the government right now, informing me how much money I'm entitled to, but I'm sure it won't be enough. I really don't want to be in debt my whole life.

The problem with Flashpoint is that they are not accredited yet, because they are a new school, therefore finding money from grants and things of that nature is impossible. My guidence concellor has suggested going to the local Heartland for my General Education classes for a year in hopes that Flashpoint will be Accredited by then, but I'd rather not waste more time than I have to. I know the record business is fast pased, and one has to be quite ambitious to make a name in it. I think the best idea is to get involved ASAP, and start developing a Portfolio, in order to have a large and quality filled Portfolio.

Sorry for the long winded post, this is just a really important topic to me right now. I trust you guys here a RT, and I am sure some of you can provide me with some sound advice, as well as some well needed laughs right now. I appreciate the time spent to read all of this, and the subsequent help provided by anyone who posts. Over the last few years, this place has been a great help to me, for both information and entertainment, and I feel I have made some connections with some great people here. I'd like to use this opportunity to thank everyone I've talked to over the last few years for the help and the good advice. You've all be invaluable to me (yes, even you ToeTags ), especially those who helped me through the rougher times while I was in the hospial. Thank you everyone

-CaseyCor

 

[glpg80]

i wanted to go to SAE institute after high school to do production work in their program - but decided not to.

as far as hands on - i think its best to have a mix of both. technical training and hands on experience. just because you have one doesnt mean you cannot have the other?

although i dont have any experience or training in the field -im just looking at it from the same window i was once in.

 

[guitarnate2000]

for what it's worth bro

I started out with a tascam 4 track in 1989, moved to amsterdam in 1992 and bought an atari 1010st and start recording/producing midi drum tracks, my band menace was one of the first bands in Amsterdam to record a full length cd via a computer, graduated to cakewalk, then cubase, and now logic pro 9.

I am currently recording three cd's with three bands and I have a bud that comes over from time to time that actually has a recording degree from mediatech here in houston and he is always shocked at the quality of my productions vs his.

bottom line. the only way to learn is sink or swim. you can learn the basic at a recording school, but you will not develop the ear for a good recording until you just get in, roll up the sleeves, and do it yourself.

I would encourage you to enroll in all of the online recording forums, you will get the same education there and for free! pm me and I'll shoot you a bunch of links..

check out http://www.nate-schmidt.com and listen to what i have produced without a 20,000 recording degree... spend your dough on hardware and software.

 

[Dallas Marlow]

Assuming you want to be an engineer/producer it doesn't matter if you do or don't goto school, you will have to be someones bitch some where... that's just how the music industry works. I goto UM right now and talk to grads all the time, and pretty much any of the people who are just recently out of college started out at an internship or as an assistant and worked their way up, and keep in mind 90% of the time in the music business you do NOT GET PAID, landing a 15$ an hour internship is almost unheard of, all though sometimes it does happen. Most of the stories I hear from people getting into this kind of stuff are just people who start out running for coffee and food, and taking out the trash, cleaning, whatever needs to be done, and then at some point they meet someone and that person needs a XXXX or invites them to sit in on a session and listen or hang out with the artists etc. and thats when you begin to learn and grow. Eventually after you get past the bitch level and make it up to some kind of assistant engineer and begin getting time, you'll start making some money and years and years later you can end up as the head engineer, maybe. That is assuming you join a big establishment.

Now the other thing to consider if your really into the engineering side of things is to goto a place like our Music Engineering program, here you learn how to actually engineer programs, build mics, understand the electronics behind everything, and I asked a friend of mine why he choose to do that over trying to be at a studio, and he said because most of the people who graduate from here end up working for places like Shure, designing mic's and the like and start at $50k a year, and avoid all the bitch work.

And the 3rd option is to basically start and build your own business from scratch, but you better be damn sure your good enough to do it, and know how to get stuff done right, but it is VERY hard to do. Most "local" bands can't afford huge budget demos and you work very hard for a very low rate, a good friend of mine that does this has to subsidize his work with a day job, because he simply can't make enough just recording bands. Not to mention it has become very competitive because every tom dick and harry has a home recording studio, not to mention a lot of people just record stuff them selves in the box...

So I'd suggest examining what it is you REALLY THINK you want to do, because were young we don't really know what the hell it is we actually want to do till later in life unless your really really lucky... and then try and form a plan of action. You've got to remember all the loans and debt is worth it, because its an investment in your self, and for my money there is nothing better than investing in your self.

Dallas

 

[Subclavian]

my buddy went to Full Sail.

He told me he learned a ton, but more importantly he got the social networking side of things, which opened up several doors for him that he otherwise wouldn't have had the opportunity to have had it not been for his experiences there. When instructors have worked for Grammy winning projects letters of recommendation from them really help out.

As far as self-teaching, if you are dedicated yes, you will become very knowledgeable but you'll have a harder time working your way up the ladder.

Like somebody said in an earlier post...until you roll up your sleeves and do it yourself. It's not gonna matter if you have a billion dollar degree or if your home schooled. You need to put the work into it and dedicate yourself and separate yourself (a commodity) from everybody else.


Either way, expect to be somebody's bitch until you develop a resume. He got a job at Walt Disney (salary, health insurance, benefits) right off the bat and began working at local churches, production companies, recording, and moonlighted as a sound engineer at clubs in the evenings. As word spread he started making a name for himself and more opportunities have presented themselves.

Yes, that education is very expensive. $25k a year is a huge expense into a very volatile job market. I'd love to have $25k worth of gear instead of the student loans ya know?

Good luck to you and I certainly hope you keep us posted as your career progresses

sub

 

[glassjaw7]

I would honestly buy yourself a PT HD setup and learn as much as you can on your own and using online classes/forums.

 

[carl roa]

My advice for recording and engineering is learn it "on your own" ... no one will ever ever teach you how to listen. You either have god given ears or you don't. I would tell you to take some money and invest in some gear so you can start working onthe engineering/producing/recording. There is a wealth of technical info available for free from various sources ... learn the basics. Learn about EQ's, compression, DAWs, mics ... etc ... you do not need to pay for that. Start trying to do some recordings for local bands and artists. Try and get an internship at a studio ... work for free. (better than paying $25k per year)

After a year or so ... re-access your progress and the industry. See how you like it ... see how it's going.

As an option, you could register at a community college to start getting some general academic courses out of the way. English 101, etc ... and that won't cost you a fortune. You might even get a grant ... and it could cost $0. So you can get some college credits under your belt, as you continue to work your engineering on your own. Then in a year or so ... if you decide to go to college full time for engineering or for something else, you can transfer your credits.

Back to the music ... also realize the turmoil the music industry is in right now. It is more difficult than ever to get work. Most artists have limited budgets ... and these days, everyone is an engineer who owns a computer!

Spend the money on some decent gear ...and get started on your own. Perhaps find an online course to get started ... keep your expenses down for now.

The one main benefit of going to school might be the networking possibilities ... but if you can intern at a studio ... you can start networking that way.

Lastly ... to be fair ... you are speaking to someone who spent 6 years as an undergrad music student! 2 years at Berklee and 4 years at UM ... LOL. Of course ... that was a while ago.

Best of luck. - Carl

 

[CaseyCor]

OK, so I've heard nothing but learning it on my own. Seems like the route to go for sure.

But what do I do to suppliment it? I need to have some sort of college education, but I want to focus on being a Record Producer.

Hit up Community College while running my own small studio, and do interships in the summer perhaps? Learn on my own in my free time and record local bands/myself. But when do I work to pay for all this shit? Balancing trying to gain experience and build a portfolio in the recording world and going to school at the same time will take up all of my time as it is. I'm sure I won't be able to make enough money to live selling my services to local acts.

 

[carl roa]

OK, so I've heard nothing but learning it on my own. Seems like the route to go for sure.

But what do I do to suppliment it? I need to have some sort of college education, but I want to focus on being a Record Producer.

Hit up Community College while running my own small studio, and do interships in the summer perhaps? Learn on my own in my free time and record local bands/myself. But when do I work to pay for all this shit? Balancing trying to gain experience and build a portfolio in the recording world and going to school at the same time will take up all of my time as it is. I'm sure I won't be able to make enough money to live selling my services to local acts.

You will never get a clear answer here ... you need to figure this out on your own. Or with help from your family. Everyone's situation is different. Much like everything else in music, there is no one way. If you want to do it, you will find a way. Come up with a plan ... do your best to make things happen. And when that fails, pick yourself up from the floor and start again. If you really want to do it, or should I say ... If you "have to" do it, you will. I would not recommend the music "industry" to anyone, unless they HAD to do it.

I hope this helps you understand. Best - Carl

 

[Strat+Marshall]

OK, so I've heard nothing but learning it on my own. Seems like the route to go for sure.

But what do I do to suppliment it? I need to have some sort of college education, but I want to focus on being a Record Producer.

Hit up Community College while running my own small studio, and do interships in the summer perhaps? Learn on my own in my free time and record local bands/myself. But when do I work to pay for all this shit? Balancing trying to gain experience and build a portfolio in the recording world and going to school at the same time will take up all of my time as it is. I'm sure I won't be able to make enough money to live selling my services to local acts.

If you really don't have any decent source of income and you think that having some sort of degree is important you might be better off getting into a 2 year technical type program that will easily get you into a decent job that you can live with. It would cost less than an expensive recording school and you could probably get a good bit of it paid for. This is probably not what you wanted to hear but you have to spend money to make money and that would give you what you need to buy equipment and maybe even a house or something to use as a studio.

Just my $.02, more than one way to skin a cat.

 

[lolzgreg]

Do it yourself. Prepare to dedicate 75% of your brain functioning to it, as well