$500 will get you a mic and cheap interface do you have a computer? I would hang out here and learn.... we share here ;)

Online recording school? Are you supposed to imagine how good it sounds in their studio? Do they assume that you are using the same gear they are? How do you ask the instructor questions? How does he show you what you are doing wrong? How can the instructor hear what you are missing? If that's not enough how about this picture:

Or this one:

I don't know. Does the fact that the pictures look like they were cut out with a dull exacto blade tell you anything?

I'm sure they feel they are a legitimate service. I'm sure that the information that they give you may even be correct and useful but how are you supposed to put any of that to use if you are not there with an instructor? Good learning requires two way interaction.

At any rate, I would go to a reputable studio near by and ask them if you can dust, sweep and make coffee for them. (don't spill anything...ever.) If they won't take you on, that should tell you something about recording as a job.

After you've done that, check with your local community college or night school agendas and see if they have any crash courses. It usually isn't more than a few hundred dollars for a 5 night course.

If that fails, buy a book or two. Probably two.

This one: [[url=http://[/URL]="http://bobbyowsinsk…"] [/]="http://bobbyowsinsk…"] [/]

And maybe this one:  

Yes, I do have a computer, it is a macbook pro with a apogee ONE interface and I have a MXL 2008 mic. I would like to pursue a career in audio engineering and that website offers a certificate that might help me get into the industry.

hueseph: I have contacted the only local recording studio and they are not open to taking on interns of any kind. As for community colleges, they only offer a few audio related courses all of which are editing classes like how to use Audacity. What I am looking for is real life experience of a class of some sort in mic placement and mixing.

btw - I have read The Recording Engineers Handbook and many others.

Okay, that's not nearly the point. Look at the pictures. A macbook and a usb interface with a $100 mic does not constitute a studio. There are so many other factors. What about a real console? How about an acoustically balanced room and reference monitors? Even then you can read about those things and get as much info as you will ever learn online. Invest in books.

The recording industry is slowly dwindling and only a very few studios are able to maintain clientele. This is because home recording is huge. Granted, I know of at least a couple of basement studios that are doing well but these people have invested large sums of money and they're not hiring. Post production facilities are doing a bit better but everyone and their dog wants in on that gig. Expect a lot of competition.

I don't mean to be cruel but someone has to burst that bubble. Unless you are particularly talented, finding a job in the recording industry is going to be tough. Even if you are talented, it'll be tough. That's not to say it can't be done but it's not the same world it was even ten years ago.

Aaron Alexander, post: 354081 wrote: hueseph: I have contacted the only local recording studio and they are not open to taking on interns of any kind. As for community colleges, they only offer a few audio related courses all of which are editing classes like how to use Audacity. What I am looking for is real life experience of a class of some sort in mic placement and mixing.

btw - I have read The Recording Engineers Handbook and many others.

This is only good if you live in Vancouver, BC but check out [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.nextleve…"]Next Level[/]="http://www.nextleve…"]Next Level[/].

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to reply! I'm now convinced that that website is net the best way to go. I will certainly buy some more books.

I do realize that the recording industry is not at its best and I'm not expecting to make a lot of money. I am going to college right now possibly in the field of electrical engineering so I will have a degree to fall back on. Even if I do this in my spare time and for free, I'd be happy.

I know I'm not especially talented, but I think I could cater to the musician that is just starting out and give them a decent recording that could further their career.

Thanks so much,
-Aaron

hueseph, post: 354083 wrote: This is only good if you live in Vancouver, BC but check out [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.nextleve…"]Next Level[/]="http://www.nextleve…"]Next Level[/].

Unfortunately I live in Kansas, USA.

I certainly don't want to turn you away from recording. By all means, do it. Experience is a great teacher. Not the best teacher but likely the one you will listen to in the end. Experiment. Learn the rules and bend them. There's that "perfect pitch" program you see in music mags. It's not going to give you perfect pitch but it will give you a good program for ear training, hearing intervals and relative pitch. This comes in real handy when you're eqing.

Mic placement gets better with practice. So, just do it. Head knowledge gets you nowhere. Applying what you know is everything.

I agree with Huesph, its freaking hard to live off of recording. I don't, I got a day job. In my mind its the only way to go. All of the money my studio makes goes back into the studio....well expect when the sewer line just barely on my property line plugs solid and needs a emergency repair...but I digress....

You have some tools, start recording. Learn from practice what works for you and your tools. Then read about what works for other people, try there ideas out. Make them your own and keep moving. I won't kid you good gear makes recording more repeatable and easier to get a good sound quickly, but.....

but ....but its the inspiration and the music that will matter in the end,the tools mean nothing if the song sucks.

You have to love what your doing, if you do, your recording will improve. Its that simple.

Another but, get a degree in something else you can stand, and get a day job. You really have no chance to retire well from the current recording world.

Link555, post: 354099 wrote: I agree with Huesph, its freaking hard to live off of recording. I don't, I got a day job.

Link555 - Is your day job a part or full time job?

@Both - If you don't mind my asking, how did each of you get your start? and where are you now? i.e.- are you employed at a studio or doing freelance work

My day job is about 44 hours a week 5am to 4pm 4 days a week. As for audio I run my own little basement studio, and rarely do a bigger session at someone else's place. Mostly doing remote mixing these days. I average about one album per month, which is just fine by me. Anymore and I would have no time for the important things in life. I spent a great deal on money and bought a decent monitoring chain and quality mics. I have made my own pre-amps and compressors. My goal is design all of my gear in my studio, hopefully it will happen before I am 80 ;)

Aaron Alexander, post: 354080 wrote: Yes, I do have a computer, it is a macbook pro with a apogee ONE interface and I have a MXL 2008 mic. I would like to pursue a career in audio engineering and that website offers a certificate that might help me get into the industry.

Sorry, but the industry doesn't care about degrees and certificates.

Most of the newly created jobs are in cable TV networks. Most jobs are from word of mouth.

In the Seattle region most of the studios that cater to musicians have shut their doors.

If you don't have corporate clients, you don't survive.

Information cost money, plain and simple. Qualified information on specific topics by those involved in that field may even cost more money.

If the course is good, bad, happy or sad can not be reconciled on forums from simply points of view. The school of hard knocks isn't always the fastest teacher nor the best.

That said, I spent several hundred American dollars last year on...information. It's old hat but books are still a great source of information.

In the end, you have to make your own choices. Nothing is doing good as a business and most here will tell you it's worse then they can tell you.

That's what we do in life, speak about the negative sides of our experiences since they tend to make more of an impact.

Gear won't make you, information won't make you but the combination of the two is the best path to follow.

The question is always the same, for me.

How bad do you want it?

I would call Big Boy Pete up and have a conversation with him, tell him your plans.

That's how you make your decision. Be pro-active in the process.

So the bottom line is, what are the chances you'll learn $500 worth of information you didn't already know. The information may well be of value, but I agree that the "Certificate" is useless to most working studios. The studios you've contacted about internships are probably already running lean to survive.

Did anybody else read this [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.audioins…"]comparison page[/]="http://www.audioins…"]comparison page[/]? Interesting....

The industry has a lot of curb appeal, it looks inviting from a distance. And naturally a lot of young people think it would be a fun way to make a fabulous living and hob-knob with the world's greatest musicians. And I'm sure that's just how it has worked out for a small handful of A-list producers and engineers. (who will get every A-list project that comes along until they expire) They've been successful because they had a gift, an opportunity, and the drive it takes to be successful at anything. You need ALL three.

talent + opportunity (minus the drive to succeed) = flash in the pan selling tires, insurance, etc. a couple years later

gift + perseverance (minus opportunity) = great hobbyist with a day-job, or frustrated professional who lives with his girlfriend

perseverance + opportunity (minus musical or technical talent) = band manager and associate hanger-on

The thing is, you need to have an aptitude for this kind of work. So I take exception to their claim, "We can teach you everything you need to know to make great sounding recordings in just twelve weeks. No bull!".

It's just not true. If someone doesn't have an innate sense of rhythm, you can't teach them to play drums in 12 weeks, 12 months, or 12 years. You might teach them some mechanics, but if they've got no rhythm - they'll never be a good drummer.

The only criteria I see for admittance is, do you have $500? Although I have to hand it to them for having a 15-day money-back policy. If you hated it, or the material was beneath the ability you already have, you could bail out.

I don't know about any of the other schools on their list, but I know you have to test-in / audition to get into Berklee. So is it better to hire a AIA 'graduate' or a Berklee drop-out?

Best of luck, if you decide to pursue it, I hope you love it.

So you are in Kansas? OK, maybe the traditional studio biz is a bit slow, how about production work in a church? Some of the best-equipped studios around are in these new "mega churches", and I know that there several of those in your area. You don't have to be a "bible thumper", just someone with a true desire to learn and work with a team...And don't stop going for that EE degree!

Save your money and you'll learn a lot more on websites like this. Record music an submit it to forums, you'll learn far more that way than any schools and most books. I don't make a living from it but I make enough money to buy my toys :)

dvdhawk, post: 354133 wrote: Did anybody else read this [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.audioins…"]comparison page[/]="http://www.audioins…"]comparison page[/]? Interesting....

Yep, and that page especially is where the men are separated from the boys, the rubber hits the road, If anyone can read that and not feel the eyes of a Marketing Copy Writer over their shoulders, then you need to make this purchase.

Sometimes the best lessons we learn in life are called "History" lessons ;) And it is a small price to pay [500$] to develop the process that will elevate your thinking beyond the hype that saturates our eyeballs. :)

dvdhawk, post: 354133 wrote: So the bottom line is, what are the chances you'll learn $500 worth of information you didn't already know. The information may well be of value, but I agree that the "Certificate" is useless to most working studios. The studios you've contacted about internships are probably already running lean to survive.

Did anybody else read this [[url=http://[/URL]="http://www.audioins…"]comparison page[/]="http://www.audioins…"]comparison page[/]? Interesting....

The industry has a lot of curb appeal, it looks inviting from a distance. And naturally a lot of young people think it would be a fun way to make a fabulous living and hob-knob with the world's greatest musicians. And I'm sure that's just how it has worked out for a small handful of A-list producers and engineers. (who will get every A-list project that comes along until they expire) They've been successful because they had a gift, an opportunity, and the drive it takes to be successful at anything. You need ALL three.

talent + opportunity (minus the drive to succeed) = flash in the pan selling tires, insurance, etc. a couple years later

gift + perseverance (minus opportunity) = great hobbyist with a day-job, or frustrated professional who lives with his girlfriend

perseverance + opportunity (minus musical or technical talent) = band manager and associate hanger-on

The thing is, you need to have an aptitude for this kind of work. So I take exception to their claim, "We can teach you everything you need to know to make great sounding recordings in just twelve weeks. No bull!".

It's just not true. If someone doesn't have an innate sense of rhythm, you can't teach them to play drums in 12 weeks, 12 months, or 12 years. You might teach them some mechanics, but if they've got no rhythm - they'll never be a good drummer.

The only criteria I see for admittance is, do you have $500? Although I have to hand it to them for having a 15-day money-back policy. If you hated it, or the material was beneath the ability you already have, you could bail out.

I don't know about any of the other schools on their list, but I know you have to test-in / audition to get into Berklee. So is it better to hire a AIA 'graduate' or a Berklee drop-out?

Best of luck, if you decide to pursue it, I hope you love it.

That's great advice, actually that knowledge is worth $500! An aptittude and interest in this field is important for sure and you have to do good work, but don't underestimate buisness and people skills in this trade. Don't kid yourself, this is a service industry. You can't just sell them on that you're going to make them sound good. You have to sell them on that it will be a fun and exciting experience to record with you. You have to earn there trust and respect. I did a demo for a band that ended up going to a larger center to make a CD. I asked them why they didn't go to another studio which I thought put out a better product . The answer was "yeah maybe, but we like Jack" Musicians will put up with a less than perfect CD if they have fun and trust the person.

If you're going to spend $500 on education, I'd spend $100 on some recording books, and the rest on a buisness or marketing course. If you don't have people skills you aren't going to make if very far no matter how well you record music

I think I'd spend the $500 on recording equipment and have some fun with it!
Making music (if that's the intention here) and recording said sound is an art form...art forms aren't taught, art is felt, heard, seen...schools can give you insight to the technical concepts and ideas of art but they can't teach you how to create it and be successful at it!
Is the OP looking for a job?, looking for an education in a technical field, or is he/she just like so many wanna be's these days...trying to chat a rap and sample a beat and stick it together and somehow magically get on MTV?....I mean come on!....
This is life lesson's here.....real music schools are for the really talented kids who have real talent that became apparent in the first 10-18 years of their lives....some will go on to create art and music, some won't....these recording schools continue to crop up looking to make money just like cooking schools and modeling schools for lost struggling young people with a dream or looking for a life....$500 seems like a cheap education and as always you get what you pay for....talent and ability are your key factors...even with good education you need to determine if you have the abilities to be a doctor, lawyer, performer/musician, engineer...that's why we have SAT's for kids in high school....your abilities and strengths...if your smart you become proficient and focus at what you are good at.....education is only the start...it takes a lot more than just $500 worth of books or a building with electronics in it...

Another quote from the AIA website: "MOST RECORDING ENGINEERS EARN LESS THAN $40,000 PER YEAR! And most students that come out of the large recording schools can't even find a job at all."

Well, that's really all that needs to be said. It's a competitive field, and unless you have a plan to keep yourself working and a solid plan-B, you might want to rethink your career.

Don't come looking in the carpentry field either...construction is so competitive I am surprised anyone can make a decent living at it.

dvdhawk, post: 354216 wrote: Another quote from the AIA website: "MOST RECORDING ENGINEERS EARN LESS THAN $40,000 PER YEAR! And most students that come out of the large recording schools can't even find a job at all."

Well, that's really all that needs to be said. It's a competitive field, and unless you have a plan to keep yourself working and a solid plan-B, you might want to rethink your career.

I'm pretty sure a BSEE can earn twice that amount....

BTW...what happened to the cloud window around the quoted reply?
I thought that looked pretty cool!!
Now it's just italicized

moonbaby - I have been running the sound board at my church for the last two and a half years :) and since I changed churches I'm currently not doing that but I hope to start soon. I NEVER will give up on getting a degree... I see getting a 4 year degree a part of pursuing this.

djmukilteo - I do realize that there is more to this than just a job. I love music and the reason I want to be an audio engineer is because: I love real music and have a passion for recording it so that the musical experience the musician has made can be experienced, understood, and enjoyed by anyone at any time, anywhere.

UPDATE: I have been searching around and have found a Recording Arts school that is starting up in my city: Welcome to MindFire Academy
And I am going to be taking a tour of their facilities this week. :)