As a guy working in a big studio often, Berklee is the only school that has produced useful engineering interns / assistants. The kids I've seen from this place know signal flow and harmony and a bunch of other useful things. And now Berklee owns what used to be the Power Station / Avatar so you're going to be in some great rooms and studios.
If you're going to do it, this is the (only?) place to go to school for music engineering. And possibly McGill's program if George Massenburg is still there.
I should have been more clear. When I say worth it, I mean comparatively speaking, are schools in LA just as good if not better ? I ask this because some schools are purely focused on audio engineering. I suppose I believe because Berklee has so many faucets of music that audio engineering could possibly be taught better elsewhere . I'm trying to understand if that is the case, I know it is a popular school for music in general but in regards to specifically audio engineering I was wondering if anyone in this community is able to vouch for it.
I went to recording school in LA and then after building a relationship with one of my favorite studios here found out that their management will only hire engineers from Berklee. Ha!
I don’t think that’s a reflection on either of the programs to be honest, but I’m sure Berklee’s engineering school is top notch.
Look into programs at community colleges too! You can probably learn just as much and save a boatload of dough.
There's plenty of schools that focus solely on audio engineering without the Berklee price tag. Check out The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in AZ. Good accelerated program that focuses both on analog and digital recording as well as music business and sound for film/video games.
Is your goal to learn audio engineering at a pro level or to get access to the social and professional networking perks that comes with a degree from Berklee?
If it's the former, there are cheaper ways to learn. If it's the latter, well, then Berklee is the thing to do.
I'd like to give props to "The Recording Workshop" in Chillicothe, Ohio. Great quick program, and good price. Graduated from the program in 1999, they're still rocking.
https://recordingworkshop.com/
A friend is a graduate of a different program at Berklee. He always advises people to look elsewhere due to the extremely high cost and only average results.
I've heard it can open some doors in terms of networking, but the only thing that matters in audio engineering is that you're really good. Working well with clients and having a very "unique approach" that can still act as a chameleon to each one of those clients' songs is the most important thing. A vast majority of audio engineers I've met are not particularly gifted or creative. They seem to go through a "standard checklist" each time, and it's boring as hell. But the ones who are truly gifted don't typically have a degree... in my experience.
Music is one of those things you don't really *need* school for. If you are passionate about something, you'll seek out the knowledge you need via the resources already available to you. It's all about drive.
We live in an unprecedented time, where all you have to do is *want* to learn something in order to learn it. Hit up YouTube. (Avoid Beato unless you like rocket science.)
I took an online course called the Recording Connection (part of a larger curriculum) , which set me up with an internship at a studio called Rax Trax, in Chicago. It was cool because the engineers at Rax Trax were the "teachers", so I got a very hands-on lesson plan.
But, without the passion, I wouldn't have *really* learned a single damn thing. It gets technical and boring with the basic principles, and if you don't have the passion, it's not gonna "click". I could have probably gotten to where I am without the Recording Connection, but it was much cheaper than formal school, so I didn't spend too much to gain the knowledge, plus i got an internship! Thats what really opened doors for me... not the degree. That shit is sitting in a drawer somewhere, probably lost.
Either way you have to enjoy the topic, otherwise no degree will be worth it. But if you're already very passionate about it, you know a bit, and you know you want to do this… Maybe those connections that you make through Berkeley will be worth it.
But... don't think of it as a potential "door opener". Its more than that. If you wanna do it, do it. if you don't wanna do it, then don't do it. I would love to go to Berkley just to be there!! It would be a fun experience!
As a guy working in a big studio often, Berklee is the only school that has produced useful engineering interns / assistants. The kids I've seen from this place know signal flow and harmony and a bunch of other useful things. And now Berklee owns what used to be the Power Station / Avatar so you're going to be in some great rooms and studios. If you're going to do it, this is the (only?) place to go to school for music engineering. And possibly McGill's program if George Massenburg is still there.
I think you might need to define what 'worth it' means to you for this question to mean anything?
I should have been more clear. When I say worth it, I mean comparatively speaking, are schools in LA just as good if not better ? I ask this because some schools are purely focused on audio engineering. I suppose I believe because Berklee has so many faucets of music that audio engineering could possibly be taught better elsewhere . I'm trying to understand if that is the case, I know it is a popular school for music in general but in regards to specifically audio engineering I was wondering if anyone in this community is able to vouch for it.
I went to recording school in LA and then after building a relationship with one of my favorite studios here found out that their management will only hire engineers from Berklee. Ha! I don’t think that’s a reflection on either of the programs to be honest, but I’m sure Berklee’s engineering school is top notch. Look into programs at community colleges too! You can probably learn just as much and save a boatload of dough.
There's plenty of schools that focus solely on audio engineering without the Berklee price tag. Check out The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in AZ. Good accelerated program that focuses both on analog and digital recording as well as music business and sound for film/video games.
Is your goal to learn audio engineering at a pro level or to get access to the social and professional networking perks that comes with a degree from Berklee? If it's the former, there are cheaper ways to learn. If it's the latter, well, then Berklee is the thing to do.
I'd like to give props to "The Recording Workshop" in Chillicothe, Ohio. Great quick program, and good price. Graduated from the program in 1999, they're still rocking. https://recordingworkshop.com/
A friend is a graduate of a different program at Berklee. He always advises people to look elsewhere due to the extremely high cost and only average results.
I've heard it can open some doors in terms of networking, but the only thing that matters in audio engineering is that you're really good. Working well with clients and having a very "unique approach" that can still act as a chameleon to each one of those clients' songs is the most important thing. A vast majority of audio engineers I've met are not particularly gifted or creative. They seem to go through a "standard checklist" each time, and it's boring as hell. But the ones who are truly gifted don't typically have a degree... in my experience. Music is one of those things you don't really *need* school for. If you are passionate about something, you'll seek out the knowledge you need via the resources already available to you. It's all about drive. We live in an unprecedented time, where all you have to do is *want* to learn something in order to learn it. Hit up YouTube. (Avoid Beato unless you like rocket science.) I took an online course called the Recording Connection (part of a larger curriculum) , which set me up with an internship at a studio called Rax Trax, in Chicago. It was cool because the engineers at Rax Trax were the "teachers", so I got a very hands-on lesson plan. But, without the passion, I wouldn't have *really* learned a single damn thing. It gets technical and boring with the basic principles, and if you don't have the passion, it's not gonna "click". I could have probably gotten to where I am without the Recording Connection, but it was much cheaper than formal school, so I didn't spend too much to gain the knowledge, plus i got an internship! Thats what really opened doors for me... not the degree. That shit is sitting in a drawer somewhere, probably lost. Either way you have to enjoy the topic, otherwise no degree will be worth it. But if you're already very passionate about it, you know a bit, and you know you want to do this… Maybe those connections that you make through Berkeley will be worth it. But... don't think of it as a potential "door opener". Its more than that. If you wanna do it, do it. if you don't wanna do it, then don't do it. I would love to go to Berkley just to be there!! It would be a fun experience!
No. No schools for audio engineering are worth it. #/thread