School For Mixing/Mastering/ Berklee Music/ and Investment?

Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 1:51 pm

Hello everyone. Here is the deal. I am in the military and they pay for my schooling, if the school is Accredited. I have found an accredited shool for Mixing and Mastering. Im looking to become a Mixing/Mastering engineer.
This will not be the only schooling I will recieve, its a starting point.

I work right now, so going to a real studio for hands on training is out of the question. Not to mention the closest school for hands on training is on the other side of my state. Michigan.

I have found a school that is accredited. Berklee Music
I am considering taking courses through them.
I will be taking, in the end, all their courses I can for the next year or so.

Here is the first course I am considering.
http://www.berkleemusic.com/school/course?course_item_id=8254&tab=4370243&program=music%5fproduction

It requires Pro Tools, which I dont have, so I am just gonna get the MBox Mini as a small investment for the course.
I asked if I could get away with using my other software, Cubase SX3, but you have to submit Pro Tools Session files to show your work. Evil or Very Mad

What else is gay is that I already have the Waves Bundle, which comes with the course.

I know its a long road and experience is the key. In the past year of doing music as a hobby I have learned a great deal and am not inexperienced in the mastering/mixing field. Always learning, never will stop.

Question 1. Has anyone here ever taken this course, or heard things about this school?

Question 2. Once done with all my schooling, I am able and willing to invest 75000 dollars for gear and to Properly Treat my rooms, rooms are good size, but not LARGE. Hopefully that is enough cash. If not, I could do more cash.
So what is a general price range for starting out. Quality, not overpriced, startup gear? The minimum startup amount of gear.
Like one or two Compressor/Limiter peices, Eq hardware, and all the other accosiated gear. Im not talking about having 4 different types of compressors/limiters to add a certain flavor.

I know that different kinds of gear, all add there own sonic characteristics. Im just looking for a starting point.

Thanks if youve read this far. I type fast, so this only took probably 4 minutes.

Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 2:43 pm

Dozer-

I have not taken any courses from Berklee, but I know (as you probably do) several people who have guitar, bass, and keys there. Good jazz school. Been around for a long time. I don't know anything about their recording courses, but I've bought some of the books (including the one for the course you are looking at) and they are pretty well written. I looked at the course you are considering pretty carefully when I was buying my DAW.

I've been involved in designing and teaching some computer based and distance delivered math courses, and I'm pretty impressed with the the instructional design of the Berklee courses. They have clearly hired some instructional design pros to do this - it wasn't done by some musicians with an html manual. You may not like PT, but that's one of the best things about the design. Everyone works from the same source material and then you simply swap PT session files (which are small) so you can see what each other has done.

To assess the quality of the course, you need to assess the quality of the instructor and the quality of the student interaction (which you will get in far more quantity than the feedback from the instructor). Look at the course demo carefully. If it is not from the same instructor that you would have, ask for access to his/her sessions with the students and the student interaction/discusssions in one of his/her classes.

Good luck!

Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:40 pm

Before you go head over heals, have you been accepted? It looks like maybe this is some sort of class you can take w/o being enrolled, but Berklee has fairly high standards for its students. Not at all saying you aren't qualified (don't even know you) but just want to make sure you've looked into that part of it. Wink

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1884 Location: NYC

Well school is school. it'll teach you what a mic is, what an eq is etc.... That's just the beginning. After school is where you learn the real nuts and bolts. How other professional engineers earn their living and watching and helping over a period of years is where you learn your chops. going right from school to trying to run your own shop is a good way to waste a lot of money. If I were you, I'd take that $7500 and move to a city where you can intern, then assist, then be a staff engineer. Then you can think about opening up your own shop. Otherwise you're going to be doomed. How are you going to compete in a competitive market place with no experience and enough money to either buy a computer or a few mic pres and a mic. That's the reality. Sure you can get a protools rig and battle it out with a billion other guys for $15/hour for the next 15 years. But I don't think that's a wise investment. Just my 2 cents.

Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 9:56 pm

Quote:

How are you going to compete in a competitive market place with no experience and enough money to either buy a computer or a few mic pres and a mic.

I think he said $75,000 Mr. Fossenkemper.
Shazaaam! I gotta join the war!

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1884 Location: NYC

Ballz wrote:

Quote:

How are you going to compete in a competitive market place with no experience and enough money to either buy a computer or a few mic pres and a mic.

I think he said $75,000 Mr. Fossenkemper.
Shazaaam! I gotta join the war!

My mistake, that should give him a few more years learning the trade.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1884 Location: NYC

Ballz, it's not a war, it's reality if you want to compete on a level that one can call a professional. Of coarse no one wants to hear that you actually have to WORK. So if he wants to listen or not, that's his choice. He asked for advice and I gave mine. those right out of school with $75g's that have done well can give theirs.

Posted: Mon Mar 19, 2007 10:23 pm

Michael Fossenkemper wrote:

Ballz, it's not a war, it's reality if you want to compete on a level that one can call a professional. Of coarse no one wants to hear that you actually have to WORK. So if he wants to listen or not, that's his choice. He asked for advice and I gave mine. those right out of school with $75g's that have done well can give theirs.

I'm not referring to a war in the competitive recording studio market. I mean the WAR. Dozer said he's a military man. That, and he has $75,000+ to spend on gear. Hence, my decision to join the war.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1884 Location: NYC

Ballz wrote:

Michael Fossenkemper wrote:

Ballz, it's not a war, it's reality if you want to compete on a level that one can call a professional. Of coarse no one wants to hear that you actually have to WORK. So if he wants to listen or not, that's his choice. He asked for advice and I gave mine. those right out of school with $75g's that have done well can give theirs.

I'm not referring to a war in the competitive recording studio market. I mean the WAR. Dozer said he's a military man. That, and he has $75,000+ to spend on gear. Hence, my decision to join the war.

Ahhhh, pretty clever. I get it now.

Well he should take that well earned and deserved money and spend it wisely.

Posted: Tue Mar 20, 2007 2:27 pm

Yes the school will except me. I was considering taking all there course, well most of them. Also on music theory. The military pays for the school.
Actually I get paid to go to the school. I combine Federal Tuition Assistance with the GI Bill. SO the school gets paid, and there is always extra cash left over.
\
Since I was deployed to Habbaniyah,Iraq for a year and a half as an Infantry soldier. Bravo Company 1-125th Infantry, I get Chapter 1607(higher GI Bill payments) and a GI Bill Kicker(Extra $200 a month). That all might be flying over yalls heads, military education talk and all.
Its great. I scratch my back and risk my life, they scratch mine and sit behind a desk, the Army that is. Yall should check out my video on my myspace page for a good laugh. Rated 5 starz on youtube Rolling Eyes

As far as investing. Heck I wouldn't do that till after school. Im also looking into schools or whatever that set you up to work with Professionals in the industry. Kind of like Intern. You know what I mean im sure.

The only investment I have to make right now is in a MBox Mini Laughing

So I will have ProTools. I already have an Emu 1820M, so I will probably just use the Mini for mobile applications.

Posted: Wed Mar 28, 2007 11:53 pm

berkleehas a "master"program for pro tools. the books are pretty good from there. its a bit pricey thought. but i would imagine anythinrfom berklee o be worth it. it is the harvard or mit of music instruction.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1884 Location: NYC

song4gabriel wrote:

berkleehas a "master"program for pro tools. the books are pretty good from there. its a bit pricey thought. but i would imagine anythinrfom berklee o be worth it. it is the harvard or mit of music instruction.

And what would Julliard be?

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 6:20 am

Michael Fossenkemper wrote:

song4gabriel wrote:

berkleehas a "master"program for pro tools. the books are pretty good from there. its a bit pricey thought. but i would imagine anythinrfom berklee o be worth it. it is the harvard or mit of music instruction.

And what would Julliard be?

Oxford?

Of course a New Yorker would probably say it was NYU - better than any crappy Boston school.

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1884 Location: NYC

BobRogers wrote:

Michael Fossenkemper wrote:

song4gabriel wrote:

berkleehas a "master"program for pro tools. the books are pretty good from there. its a bit pricey thought. but i would imagine anythinrfom berklee o be worth it. it is the harvard or mit of music instruction.

And what would Julliard be?

Oxford?

Of course a New Yorker would probably say it was NYU - better than any crappy Boston school.

Then what would NYU's music program be?

Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 7:37 am

Michael Fossenkemper wrote:

BobRogers wrote:

Michael Fossenkemper wrote:

song4gabriel wrote:

berkleehas a "master"program for pro tools. the books are pretty good from there. its a bit pricey thought. but i would imagine anythinrfom berklee o be worth it. it is the harvard or mit of music instruction.

And what would Julliard be?

Oxford?

Of course a New Yorker would probably say it was NYU - better than any crappy Boston school.

Then what would NYU's music program be?

The Sorbonne? Julliard? Dang this is confusing - the Harvard of bad metaphors.

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