pro school

[roark]

what do y'all think about the pro tools certification classes for someone who wants to some day make a living being an audio engineer/music producer. waste of money or not?

[rmeuchel]

I just went to a class from www.protoolstraining.com. It was an excellent class. I learned the best and most efficient ways to do things. Now I will be saving tons of time and frustration and be able to do my job better/faster. Keep in mind that Pro Tools Certification will make you become an expert at functionally using the Pro Tools system. It will NOT teach you microphone techniques and things that you will learn at an actual recording school. Also, it could help you get a job or be a good thing to add to your resume by saying that you're certified. However, the certification alone will not get you a gurananteed real engineering job. You'll most likely either have to intern/assist at a local studio or start your own studio. I hope that helps. Or let me know if you're interested in training. I'm starting to train people now. No official certification but I could teach you the same skills for cheaper. I hope that helps. Good luck! Russ

[Produce_Dept]

Ive been trying to decide the same thing. I am working in a few local studios right now, but wanted to step it up by going to the Conservatory. Now that the start date is so close (i am supposed to start in June) Im wondering if I should just spend the cash on some equipment. Education doesnt hurt your job opportunities, I just wonder how much it really help them these days? Its a hard question. If you are already established with a few decent studios, maybe just a good ProTools course like the above mentioned would be good for efficiency. There is a guy who just got out of full sail trying to get a job at the studio as an intern, but no luck so far. We just dont need him. (Or THEY dont=)

Produce Dept

[rmeuchel]

I also went to the Recording Institute of Detroit back in 1997 but that was only 6 hours every Sunday for 8 months. I went there while I was going for a full 4-year degree at the same time. It was more tailored to people who worked full-time and still wanted to learn recording skills. It was definitely worthwhile. There are some things that you absolutely just need to know, but when it all comes down to it, it's whether your recording and mixing skills are great and if your clients are happy. Now that I have down the basic skills, I'm trying to learn more focused things like advanced routing and when to use certain effects, ear training etc. I'm considering buying some tutorial on Pro Tools plug-ins with before/after examples as well as this program called "Golden Ears" which is ear training for recording engineers... The one-week Pro Tools class I went to last week was amazing. Pro Tools 6 blows away Pro Tools 5 in so many ways!
Hope that helps!
Russ

[roark]

thanks for all the help. although it would be very helpful to become pro tools savy, i would also like to learn all about mic placement and all the other recording theory. an impressive resume wouldn't hurt either. i'm curious to know what are some good schools that have a good and reputible audio engineering program.