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What are good audio production schools in Cali?

8bits8bits 146 Posts
edited April 2007 in Strut Central
For the last couple of months now i have been looking into SAE Institute of Technology in Los Angeles to get some school background in audio production. I was wondering if any of the soul strut cats know the pros and cons of this school or could recommend any other school i should look into. Thx

  Comments

  • HarveyCanalHarveyCanal "a distraction from my main thesis." 13,234 Posts
    If you are a woman, Mills College in Oakland has a great audio production program.
  • 8bits8bits 146 Posts
    Nope and somewhere around LA
  • OrangeYoghurtOrangeYoghurt 210 Posts
    For the last couple of months now i have been looking into SAE Institute of Technology in Los Angeles to get some school background in audio production. I was wondering if any of the soul strut cats know the pros and cons of this school or could recommend any other school i should look into. Thx

    They are expensive, and you wont ness. be a better musician afterwards.
    What you will certainly get good at is setting up Live-PA soundsystems,
    comapring speakers and making sensitivity diagrams for microphones.
    A friend of mine did this in Netherlands, He is now a fulltime
    Stage-PA-whatever. Hes teh guy you call to setup
    your soundsystem for best performance and sound during a show.
    His tracks still dont have that cool sound.
  • 8bits8bits 146 Posts
    Thxs for the info and i know it takes more than book smarts to make a beat i just want to be well rounded in the over all field
  • street_muzikstreet_muzik 3,919 Posts
    I've heard a lot on engineers talk shit about these schools although if you have the cash, why not learn something. I hear they churn out a boatload of young studio toilet cleaners and Starbucks runners.

    Best way is to come yo LA, buddy up with an engineer, become his indentured servant, learn, make connections, and hustle for work.

    Maybe the pros hate these places because work is sparce and they don't want these young punks stinking up the game.
  • 8bits8bits 146 Posts

    thx
  • bthavbthav 1,538 Posts
    if you are going the intern route, i would quickly learn some basic soldering skillz. thats an easy way to look useful in the studio. i usta hire interns at this studio and i never really looked for schooling, more on experience. straight outta full sail /sae kids were a definite pass.

    its also helps if you dont like hip hop.
  • 4YearGraduate4YearGraduate 2,945 Posts
    Figure out where your interest lies and do the research to educate yourself. You will learn alot in school but it will cost you 10X's the $$. Focus on the principals and fundamentals and go from there, know when to shut up and listen to the old dudes, start by taking shit apart, buy equipment and learn how it works, etc. I never went to school for any of this but know more about it than most people who did, only because I worked and studied very hard. It's possible, and endless information exists in books and on the net, and there is always an old crusty who needs another solder donkey. Hope this helps!
  • 8bits8bits 146 Posts
    Thxs for the info guys i agree with both of you thesone and bthva. I just want to make the right decision before i take out a student loan
  • BeatChemistBeatChemist 1,465 Posts
    there is always an old crusty who needs another solder donkey.

  • spelunkspelunk 3,400 Posts
    its also helps if you dont like hip hop.

    Yeah, as a general rule never tell an older engineer that you like hip-hop until after you get to know them and prove that you know your shit. A lot of them in my experience have had such bad experiences with producers who don't know what they're doing that they have some very negative stereotypes about hip-hop.

    I've done a fair amount of reading about engineering and production, but nothing is more helpful than hands-on experience, or even just sitting in on a session with a great engineer.

    And I second Thes' advice to shut up and listen when the older experts speak, because they really do know their shit. With a lot of them, when you ask a question like "what's a Neumann U49 like?' will be able to explain every part of the mic to you, and break down the precise physics and electronics behind why it self-compresses, and then go onto reccomend placement, usage, etc. It is scary how much they know about all this, in the same way that it's scary how much some people on this board know about records.
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