I would say that a combination of all four options would be ideal.

Of couse, not everyone is able to do all four whether because of financial or time constraints - or both.

I feel like there is nobody in this field who has ever reached the point of not needing to learn more, so our education continues until we retire or die.

Books and magazines help tremendously, as well as forums such as this. If you have the opportunity to visit large pro studios and sit in on different kinds of sessions, it can also be a great learning experience.

If you can even just take a Saturday now and then to volunteer to help out with sessions, it can help a lot. Finding a good mentor could be one of the best ways to accomplishing your goals. Earn their trust and gain their respect, and they will be more than willing to help you succeed.

or,

5. Hire a consultant to train you for "X" hours per week on your hardware/software in your own studio while you work on your projects (applying #2 above).

As Dave Jerden once told me..."get behind the desk everyday"

Develop a machine that transports you into the head of your favourite recording engineer. Take mental notes as you watch him twiddle knobs through his eyes and hear what he hears.

Make sure your machine will remove you on a moment's notice if he appears to be heading for the bathroom.

I think that would work as well as anything else, but my ecperiences in this manner are a bit 'thin'

Cheers mates
K

shezan wrote:
1. Institute.....a qualification
2. Self Training by buying home setup
3. On Job Training like Career Connections offers....a qualification
4. Online Course from Audio Master Class UK...a qualification

All of the above and anything else you can come up with ...

I started out when I was a teenager in the 60's, recording myself and friends with a Sony rtr recorder that you could record on one track and then bounce it to the second track, while adding a second part.
Recording has been a passion of mine all my life ... I remember when I was very little, asking my Mom how they got the echo sound on an Elvis record ... I have always been facinated with echos and reverb ..

I think that being as good of a musician as possible is always a plus when it comes to being a recordiist. If you understand music and how the different elements come together you will have an insight to what needs to be done to make a great mix and what things should sound like when you're tracking them...

Exposure to the very best gear and recording enviornements possible, is always an eye opener... You don't know what you're missing until you expierence it. Before I had the chance to work with great gear in great rooms, the main question I always had was "How do they get that sound?" Once I had the chance to work with a great console, speakers, outboard gear and mics in a real room I learned that much of that does indeed come from the gear and the studio ... it was like "Hey! There's a reason these guys spend all that money on this stuff!" Like, gee, do ya think? DUH!

I can't vouch for a place like "Career Connections", I don't know anything about them. However, I do believe that observing a good engineer is the best training you can have.

I remember when I was very little, asking my Mom how they got the echo sound on an Elvis record ...

Now that's and engineer! I never thought about stuff like that when I was a kid! Cool story Kurt. 8)