epotts06
Engineer
I wrote an article discussing weather I feel going to school is worth it anymore.
Many people are struggling with this choice and it may be helpful to some.
With so many people creating music today, I’m asked on a almost everyday, is going to audio school worth it? As a graduate of The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science, I definitely feel that education is important to your career, but does being educated mean you need to go to school?
So before I attempt to answer this question. I’d like to share my experience at CRAS.
CRAS was an awesome experience, from day one they put us in an INTENSE program. CRAS is not just some school where you can just pay money and you “earn” a degree when its all said and done. They are very strict. You must meet their attendance and G.P.A. policy. Plenty of people failed out of CRAS and if you think it will be walk in the park you are definitely wrong. CRAS IS FOR SERIOUS STUDENTS.
While at CRAS you will learn how to be a great assistant engineer. This is really what the school is all about. Of course you will learn signal flow, recording, mixing etc. But the two fundamentals of CRAS is how to land your internship and then becoming an assistant engineer.
After CRAS my career path was unique. I got a great gig right away that led to me become the head engineer at a small studio within 6 months of me being out in the industry. I also landed a big gig with a major label and was even offered a production deal during that time too. But that was just a blessing, most people coming out of school don’t see those type of advancements right away. So please do not assume your result will be similar.
A lot people come to CRAS or any of the other audio schools but they really don’t want to be an engineer, mixer, mastering engineer, live sound guy etc. All they want some kind of edge over competition or a certificate proving they know what their doing. Those type of people usually don’t make it pass 12 weeks. If you are not serious about working in a recording studio or in live sound Audio School is probably not for you.
So now that I’ve given you my experience, let me dispel some myths about audio schools in general.
School will not help you land your first gig.
In most cases people assume that coming out of school they will be able to get a job, however that is just not the case. Especially in audio where major recordings are shutting down left and right. Not to mention that a huge portion of recording studios require you to intern for free for at least 18 months with no pay before you ever step foot in the studio.
People do not value degrees from audio schools.
After getting my degree, I thought I would be easily get a job over applicants who didn’t have degrees but I was wrong. People are still managing to land internships as major recording studios with out any formal training. But you gotta be the best of the best.
It doesn’t matter what school you go to, once you graduate you will be an intern.
With so many schools popping up left and right another question within it self is what school should I go to? Of course I love CRAS but it doesn’t matter if you go to a university, community college, CRAS, or Full Sail. Anyone looking to get a job in audio will be an intern first, if you’re not willing to intern, audio school is not for you.
So what is the benefit of going to audio school?
Going to audio school will give you connections that you can not get anywhere else.
My buddy is currently working down in nashville with a major recording artist as we speak. He finally got his big break but cant handle the load. So who do you think he called to give some work to????? He offered to split the gig 50/50 with me because we built a great relationship over time.
Build relationships are definitely important if you want to work in a pro studio such as the record plant, east west, capital, paramount etc. Some of these studios only take students from CRAS. So having someone on your side like an intern coordinator, who has built a great rapport with studio managers is always a plus. I have landed plenty of gigs just based off the relationship the studio manager has with the school. In fact some studio managers are grads so that makes it even easier.
Another great benefit of going to an audio school is the FREE studio time.
If you are going to an audio school, you need to spend as much time as you can in the studio. Having the time to practice in a professional studio will improve your skills drastically. It will also give you an idea as to what gear you should buy. If you could find one dedicated artist while in school you could really put together a quality album for no money. Think of all the experience you would gain.
There are a lot of great resources out there to help you.
Today there are so many resources to help you in your career. You have Pensado’s Place, the Recording Revolution, and even My Audio Tutor With all these resources you can educate yourself without going to school. Education is key but no one said it has to be from a school. Buy some gear and do free work. That experience alone will help you improve your skills.
In closing, I still feel like going to school is the best way to land a job in audio. However if you just want to get a better understanding of audio then I would suggest reading more blogs, youtube, and practicing your craft. If you continue this path for two years and still have the desire to go to school then by all means go. Just make sure you know what your getting into. Its not for everyone!
-Ernie Potts writes at My Audio Tutor about recording tips, tricks and hacks. To get useful tips for improving your sound, Join His Free Newsletter
Many people are struggling with this choice and it may be helpful to some.
With so many people creating music today, I’m asked on a almost everyday, is going to audio school worth it? As a graduate of The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Science, I definitely feel that education is important to your career, but does being educated mean you need to go to school?
So before I attempt to answer this question. I’d like to share my experience at CRAS.
CRAS was an awesome experience, from day one they put us in an INTENSE program. CRAS is not just some school where you can just pay money and you “earn” a degree when its all said and done. They are very strict. You must meet their attendance and G.P.A. policy. Plenty of people failed out of CRAS and if you think it will be walk in the park you are definitely wrong. CRAS IS FOR SERIOUS STUDENTS.
While at CRAS you will learn how to be a great assistant engineer. This is really what the school is all about. Of course you will learn signal flow, recording, mixing etc. But the two fundamentals of CRAS is how to land your internship and then becoming an assistant engineer.
After CRAS my career path was unique. I got a great gig right away that led to me become the head engineer at a small studio within 6 months of me being out in the industry. I also landed a big gig with a major label and was even offered a production deal during that time too. But that was just a blessing, most people coming out of school don’t see those type of advancements right away. So please do not assume your result will be similar.
A lot people come to CRAS or any of the other audio schools but they really don’t want to be an engineer, mixer, mastering engineer, live sound guy etc. All they want some kind of edge over competition or a certificate proving they know what their doing. Those type of people usually don’t make it pass 12 weeks. If you are not serious about working in a recording studio or in live sound Audio School is probably not for you.
So now that I’ve given you my experience, let me dispel some myths about audio schools in general.
School will not help you land your first gig.
In most cases people assume that coming out of school they will be able to get a job, however that is just not the case. Especially in audio where major recordings are shutting down left and right. Not to mention that a huge portion of recording studios require you to intern for free for at least 18 months with no pay before you ever step foot in the studio.
People do not value degrees from audio schools.
After getting my degree, I thought I would be easily get a job over applicants who didn’t have degrees but I was wrong. People are still managing to land internships as major recording studios with out any formal training. But you gotta be the best of the best.
It doesn’t matter what school you go to, once you graduate you will be an intern.
With so many schools popping up left and right another question within it self is what school should I go to? Of course I love CRAS but it doesn’t matter if you go to a university, community college, CRAS, or Full Sail. Anyone looking to get a job in audio will be an intern first, if you’re not willing to intern, audio school is not for you.
So what is the benefit of going to audio school?
Going to audio school will give you connections that you can not get anywhere else.
My buddy is currently working down in nashville with a major recording artist as we speak. He finally got his big break but cant handle the load. So who do you think he called to give some work to????? He offered to split the gig 50/50 with me because we built a great relationship over time.
Build relationships are definitely important if you want to work in a pro studio such as the record plant, east west, capital, paramount etc. Some of these studios only take students from CRAS. So having someone on your side like an intern coordinator, who has built a great rapport with studio managers is always a plus. I have landed plenty of gigs just based off the relationship the studio manager has with the school. In fact some studio managers are grads so that makes it even easier.
Another great benefit of going to an audio school is the FREE studio time.
If you are going to an audio school, you need to spend as much time as you can in the studio. Having the time to practice in a professional studio will improve your skills drastically. It will also give you an idea as to what gear you should buy. If you could find one dedicated artist while in school you could really put together a quality album for no money. Think of all the experience you would gain.
There are a lot of great resources out there to help you.
Today there are so many resources to help you in your career. You have Pensado’s Place, the Recording Revolution, and even My Audio Tutor With all these resources you can educate yourself without going to school. Education is key but no one said it has to be from a school. Buy some gear and do free work. That experience alone will help you improve your skills.
In closing, I still feel like going to school is the best way to land a job in audio. However if you just want to get a better understanding of audio then I would suggest reading more blogs, youtube, and practicing your craft. If you continue this path for two years and still have the desire to go to school then by all means go. Just make sure you know what your getting into. Its not for everyone!
-Ernie Potts writes at My Audio Tutor about recording tips, tricks and hacks. To get useful tips for improving your sound, Join His Free Newsletter
