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Howdy. Ok, straight to the point. Heres my problem. Im looking into a career in Music Production - working in studios making music for stars and releasing my own material too.
But i live in the worst place ever. Nuneaton - just off Coventry!

I need to get to a college that has audio production courses - something that will get me into university in 2 years (like a BTEC or HND or something)

None of the colleges around my area do anything like this, there is Tile Hill College, but i need A-Levels to get on thier course (i think its more of a professional's course)

I'm 17 and ive wasted 2 years of my life bumming around - i need to get out of it.

So basically my question is this - is it feasable that a lower class 17 yr old ethusiastic about music, passionate about it even - is it feasable for him to move to a place like London or Brighton maybe?

I really really want to do this. But setting up a home (flat?) and living by myself seems very very impossible.

Even catching the train down there seems impossible due to the costs - and then how much is the cost of the course going to hit me?

i dont have a penny to my name - how can i do it? How do other people get into audio production?

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Ive looked into the SAE institue in London - but the prices are phenominal - to me they seem Extortionate! 10K to take a 18 month course!

Yes, i agree, it probably is the best quality - but what 17 year old can boast having 10K in his pocket!

It makes me want to cry! heh. it sucks that there isn't even a place i can go in coventry (which is closer) - not that i can find one anyway.

Can someone help me out? Get me some information? someone with experience? An agency or something?

I really have no clue what to do or where to turn. Ok, ive dumbed your minds so i'll go now. :-)

puhlease! :-|

-andy.

Comments

Opus2000 Sun, 03/03/2002 - 08:57

Hey Andy
Well...getting into the scene can be tough..you have to pay your dues so to speak..one just cant expect in three months or two years to be an amazing engineer/songwriter or producer...hell, it took me several years before I started getting any recognition for my tech skills...
You are also only 17 years old..you havent wasted any of your life yet..in fact that's when I started becoming serious about music myself..I'm now 30..lots of schooling and lots of shmoozing..making contacts, putting myself in awkward positions..climbing out of debt..etc etc
Yes, I went to Berklee College of Music in the end..and yes it was expensive but it's worth it in the long run.
The best thing you can do for yourself is start getting involved somehow with audio..do you know how a mixer works? Do you understand signal flow? Mic techniques? how certain instruments are supposed to sound?
Get yourself some recording equipment if you dont allready..only way to be in with the crowd is to know what the others are talking about..one of the key factors to getting anywhere in this biz is being able to speak the lingo..if you cant follow a conversation then you will not have anyone remember you that well...trust me
Call studios up and see if they need interns..you will start by cleaning up, coiling cables, making coffee...etc etc..after awhile they'll start showing you things and start letting you do certain tasks by yourself..then the next thing you know you're behind the board...
it takes time and one has to have some patience yet be presistent at the same time..
I cant tell you to leave your hometown to get a gig ..thats up to you!
I guess what it boils down to is this...get some experience somehow..make a decision as to what part of the industry you want to be in..make a niche for yourself..learn learn learn...
Opus

anonymous Sun, 03/03/2002 - 10:44

Yep, im going to start lookin at studio apprenticeships. But i had assumed i would need some form of audio qualification to even get into a studio.

I want to work at it, i dont want it handed to me on a silver platter ;)

Yep. i know how a mixer works, i know quite a lot of theory, putting it into pratice is another thing - i dont really own hardware, and not much software either. Ive had experience with Cubase, Logic and more recently Reason. But at the moment its all a hobby, i want to make a career in music.

I guess i will start by getting into a studio somewhere.