Quote:
Originally posted by Kickin.da.speaker:
They had some free tests that I tried out a couple of months back, look for them, maybe they still have them, and it will give you an idea.
In my opinion, it's a scam. You can learn just as much with the manual. There's nothing that difficult about PT, I mean, you didn't take lessons to operate your VCR. Well this is just a fancy multi-track VCR.
And then, once you know every little detail about how to operate PT (that you can find in the manual), you'll have more to learn, such as tips, tricks.... but you can learn all that from users right here, from other users you know or you'll meet in studios....
Just my two cents.
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<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Well, I'll give you the alternative viewpoint. Disclaimer up front: I wrote the online course, and have been teaching music production and engineering for a long time. Just so you know where I'm coming from...
The Pro Tools 101 online course is most definitely not a scam. It provides thorough, structured basic training in Pro Tools operation for anyone who is new to working with digital audio workstations. You'll work through a variety of exercises, share experiences with other students, see real examples via streaming QuickTime movies, and do projects from scratch which will be graded by your instructor. It's a well-organized and effective experience that will get anyone who's starting out up to speed fairly quickly.
Is the course right for you? It depends. If you've been using Pro Tools for a while and are fairly comfortable making your way around, then you probably don't need PT101. The 200-level courses (not yet online, but available at various training centers) might make more sense. Or, you can certainly learn on your own and pick up tips from other users.
In theory, I guess you could learn as much by reading the manual as you could from a course. In reality, that's often not the case. The manual is short on real-world context, doesn't give you a whole lot of feedback, doesn't let you know what's particularly important, and doesn't give you a schedule and due dates to structure your learning. Yes, the information is all there, but if reading the manual is such an easy way to learn, then why isn't every Pro Tools user an expert? To say "There's nothing that difficult about PT..." is not entirely true, and conveniently ignores the position of a new user who can easily get overwhelmed by all of the features and options.
In the Music Production and Engineering Department at Berklee, we've had Pro Tools rigs operating for a long time, but only recently integrated this stuff into the curriculum. Of course, students have been using the gear on their own, and many have developed good proficiency. However, some of the students I've observed have huge holes in their knowledge, bad operating habits, and are off-base on some fairly important concepts. This is the flip side of learning on your own and getting advice from others who aren't necessarily experts. You often learn just what you need to know (or think you need to know) and some of the things you learn are out to lunch. I've seen some great advice on the DUC, but also comments that are simply incorrect. As a beginning learner, how do you separate the good from the bad?
There are many ways to learn, but don't put down the alternatives you didn't follow -- they might be just as good... or even better.
PS: the tests you've mentioned don't tell you a whole lot about the courses.