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Hey guys, been snooping around the forums for a little while and have an important question for you.

I am considering going to Berklee college of music in a year or so and I am torn between double majoring in Performance and Music Production and Engineering, or Performance and Music Buisness and Management. I Would MUCH rather double in Performance and Music production because I find the Music Production aspect of music more interesting then the business side. My question to you is: Would it be a wise decision to depend upon getting a degree in music prod. and engineering from Berklee and be able to get a job at a recording studio once out of school? Is that a reliable job source? I know that the state of the major label recording industry is poor because of the advent of technology which allows for people to do it at home and not even bother with going to a major label.

Would a job at a recording studio in LA, NYC, or Boston, MA be a good thing to fall back on if the 'Performance' side of things doesn't quite work out? I need something that is full proof so I don't wind up on the street.

Thanks!
- Nick

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Davedog Thu, 02/08/2007 - 00:37

Awwww. pawwwww....

Thats pretty etheral there mr. aquaman............

But you could be right........Its okay to infiltrate the general public and still be a weirdo.

And yeah, those that tend to get their due from being overt are generally very FOCUSED ...not necessarily 'small-minded'.........

And then the psycho-babble kicked in and went out the back....

Nice art Mr Program.

anonymous Thu, 02/08/2007 - 11:30

no surprise there, you misinterpreted my statement. those who i was referring to as smalled minded for instance would be punk rockers who feel to be punk rock they need to wear a uniform or look a certain way. there's was nothing wrong with the way the sex pistols looked but they were extremely original. how is doing this kind of thing focused? it sure as hell doesn't "focus" on the music...

or this another natural anal retensive response to the use of words like "transparency" and other catch phrases you feel that make you a better engineer?

dementedchord Thu, 02/08/2007 - 14:57

it's a sign of the times... what have we wrought with all this technology??? the increased availability of equipment has lead to the belief that anyone can wield it... and because you can record yourself you should... and that "song" merely by virtue of it's being recorded is now valid as art...

makes me long for my rhodes/3340s...

Davedog Thu, 02/08/2007 - 15:41

aqualand666 wrote:

or this another natural anal retensive response to the use of words like "transparency" and other catch phrases you feel that make you a better engineer?

Gee....And I was under the impression that knowing how my gear works in my room and having an inkling about music made me a better engineer. Lets see......the LAST time I can remember using a catch phrase to record something with was.......................................................oh yeah.....Never.

I think I have the capacity to understand the most of whats being said.

Of course the content of such statements usually has to have some sort of reality to it. You know, make some sense.

So what was it you were trying to say there Mr waterboy? I'm sure it was important. And viable. And you know something, if you hadnt decided to make that little shot at the end of it, I probably would have agreed that I could have somehow missed your point. But now, I dont give a rats ass what you think.

You're callous and insulting without any reason. So now I'm going to let you in on a secret.

Very soon you wont be able to sign on to this site because you have no manners and you have failed to take resonibilities for your actions against others. I really could care less what you think of me, but you've threatened others on these boards, you've cursed people for no reason and basically made an ass of your self.

Its time for you to go.

anonymous Thu, 02/08/2007 - 16:33

dude, all i am saying is that if you weren't so concerned with going after the things i say simply because i say them; it would allow you more concentration on the issues at hand. this rather than a socially concious barrage of opinions that restrict us from advancing upon an idea and letting it manifest into goodness.

questions can never hurt, opinions can never hurt, but i will continue to ask you what the point of your social awareness is. and i might continue to believe that you will compensate for what you lack in using this mannerism. its the only reason that i can think of for you to keep threatining to boot me off the forum.

it takes two to argue

Davedog Thu, 02/08/2007 - 17:01

I'm not threatening you, I'm promising you that it will happen....and very soon. There is no problem with questions. There is no problem with reparte'. There is no problem with putting forth ideas and opinions.... Its the extraneous crappola ....such as suggesting that I'm threatening you to make up for some lack in my social awareness. I dont really recall discussing my level of social awareness with you or anyone else in these pages. Its this kind of blatant sideways swipe that you do and continue to do to everyone who tries to have conversation with you.

So for the good of the community, you have to go. But take heart. Theres some place out there where you can spew your misinformed and pointless tripe to whomever will listen. Its just your offensive nature that has gotten you at cross ways here. I'm not the only one who has suggested this. I'm simply the person who will make it happen.

Ta-Ta and watch that screen door on your way out.

anonymous Sun, 02/18/2007 - 11:20

MyShrimpDied wrote: Hey guys, been snooping around the forums for a little while and have an important question for you.

I am considering going to Berklee college of music in a year or so and I am torn between double majoring in Performance and Music Production and Engineering, or Performance and Music Buisness and Management. I Would MUCH rather double in Performance and Music production because I find the Music Production aspect of music more interesting then the business side. My question to you is: Would it be a wise decision to depend upon getting a degree in music prod. and engineering from Berklee and be able to get a job at a recording studio once out of school? Is that a reliable job source? I know that the state of the major label recording industry is poor because of the advent of technology which allows for people to do it at home and not even bother with going to a major label.

Would a job at a recording studio in LA, NYC, or Boston, MA be a good thing to fall back on if the 'Performance' side of things doesn't quite work out? I need something that is full proof so I don't wind up on the street.

Thanks!
- Nick

Unless you are a jazz player, Berklee is not the place for you--Boston is primarily a rock city, and there is some amount of stigma attached to Berklee by the (large by any standard) local "scene." Of course much of it is unwarranted, but there is a grain of truth in everything--if you ain't got it going in, you ain't gonna get it there.

That said, there is no, repeat, no money in a major-label contract anymore, the days of cocaine and groupies are gone, may they rest in peace. The money (what little there is of it) these days is in getting yourself on a reliable (oxymoron?!) larger indie with distro, touring the hell out of yourself, and SELLING MERCH. This works/has worked for a number of bands from various places up to and including our old buddies the dropkick murphys.
A few bands that I know here did make the mistake of signing to a major, only to be left out in the cold with promo and tour support, and were paired with bands of a different (and totally off)genre--Imagine a punk band on a christian rock tour!! Majors just don't have the time for bands that don't appeal to 13 year old girls anymore, so unless you're beautiful and look 16, and write mindless drivel, give up that dream.

With all that behind us now, I would say that going to Berklee for production will give you a lot of theory on the various ways that sound can be manipulated, but will teach you nothing about working in an analog studio, as their medium has been 100% protools for quite some time now. Not cutting on protools, it is what it is, but most of the larger studios, at least in my neck of the woods still record to 2" 24 track, and use protools for editing, so you will still have to start from square one with an internship, which you can get without the cost of Berklee.
Your money might be better spent getting a Mac with protools and spending 4 years working with it while interning in an analog studio, maintaining an apartment in Lower Allston, practicing at the sound museum, and playing in the numerous venues in this great city.
There is no substitute for experience, I have seen it so many times, some nice kids out of Berklee, ("We're gonna make it BIG, dude!") having to learn to walk again, not realizing that the joke is that they take themselves seriously.

Not to be a bitter old war-horse discouraging a bright-eyed young dreamer, but the reality is that if you're in this business for anything other than the love of music, you're in it for the wrong reason. There is no such thing as "fool proof," almost everyone has a "day gig."

Look me up when if you come here, I'll buy a beer at the Model.

Oh, and don't bore us, get to the chorus.

anonymous Mon, 03/26/2007 - 15:47

MyShrimpDied wrote: Hey guys, been snooping around the forums for a little while and have an important question for you.

I am considering going to Berklee college of music in a year or so and I am torn between double majoring in Performance and Music Production and Engineering, or Performance and Music Buisness and Management.

I need something that is full proof so I don't wind up on the street.

Thanks!
- Nick

If you are still reading this, I would steer clear of music school. We're in a day and age where starving musicians really starve.

I agree completely with the prior suggestion to do a business major. You will be able to use that more all around after graduating. From what my recently graduated business friends tell me though, even in the business world, engineering degrees are more sought after, so if you REALLY don't want to be on the street, that's probably your safest (though more unrelated) bet.

Either way, if you want to still do music, you still can in your free time. You can DIY learn at first - buy books, read, etc. Once you know the basics, you can volunteer at a local studio (ya, volunteer!). As long as you're not completely clueless, they'd be crazy to send away the free labor, and you could learn enough that if you still want to do music once you graduate, you can.

Who knows where this industry will be in another 4-5 years by the time you'll have your Bachelor. It sure has changed a lot since 2001-2002. If a person goes to school for music, I think they're going to be rolling the dice pretty hard on their future, for better or worst.

BrettFTH Thu, 04/05/2007 - 01:52

I think one of the biggest things to remember is that to be honest out of most musicians there are only so many who are interested in audio engineering or people who are solely interested in engineering for that matter. There will always be a market for recording until the day that everyone can figure out how to even plug a mic in and can position it "so it sounds good" and a magic EASY button to make it sound as good as the next mix, we will always be needed. Not everyone loves this stuff as much as we do and not everyone is willing to put in the time to learn or even have a desire to. I say go for it, I am. Maybe we'll run into eachother interning somewhere hahaha. Best of luck.

~Brett

anonymous Wed, 05/16/2007 - 00:37

This is What i think we should do

Well if the times are changing and we see it coming then we have to change with it. Folks we all know that its not the building its not the speakers, its not the mixer, its the man behind the technology that sets him apart from the rest. I have never worked in a big huge studio i was the guy trying to get clients in there for 40 bucks an hour and gave him block rates. as if 40 wasn't cheap enough. To make a long story short i didn't make it and it wasn't how cheap i was but how disorganized i ran my operation. Too many chiefs and not enough indians when you do business with friends. but with all the experience i have learned over the years, has now let me freelance without having to be confinded to one place. This theory back then was crazy but now travel where the money is if you have the right connections. Even though all these people are learning and doing there own music, they still need professionals to finish the job.

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