definitely OT, but i think you guys might be able to give me some good advice on this topic. i’m thinking of going to this school in the fall (sae.edu), i think it would be awesome as a basis for production, but also good experience for djing as well, as i would be working hands on with pro software and hardware, as well as learning fundamental knowledge about all things audio. the main questions i have are:
how much will this prepare me for work in the audio engineering field? (what is it missing, if anything, and how will employers see this degree/certifications?)
are there various positions that i’d be suited for with this type of degree?
i went to the sae ages ago, when they only had a school in australia and one in berlin…it was a good experience and i had the ability to use equipment that i wouldn´t have touched, if i haven´t been in that place. doing a mixdown on a neve console is an expieience i wouldn´t like to miss..even if i might never have the chance to do it again…you can learn a lot at the sae schools, even more since they blew up all over the world and now offering all kinds of stuff they can teach you. dunno about the being employed after the sae but usually it´s about connections in the studio biz and mostly you will start with cooking coffee for the engineer…with a sae degree you might be better prepared for the moment when you get your chance…!
after the sae i joined the music biz for years..not actually in the studio but more in the marketing and distribution department. i have been dj´ing and collecting records for several years and also started producing my own beats and music…until this day!
I don’t know how it’s gonna be in atl. but the one in Paris & Barcelona have a lot of great gear too… You can see them on the pics of the schools, they even show it to you the first day of classes, but after that you don’t use them as much as you want or even could…
The Neve for example, you’re gonna do one project on it, and just this project at the end of all… you can’t even enter in the room
Maybe not very important, but good to know about that imo…
I dont know if your completely sold on the idea of staying in ATL, but there is a school in Orlando that blows SAE out of the water in my opinion. Check out Full Sail.
That place is simply amazing. Quite expensive and very intensive(your class/lab schedule changes every week), and the school is open 24/7. So you could have classes at 2am sometimes. Very hard to keep a normal job and attend, but walking out of there, you will no doubt be focused and trained in all the latest fads and gear. Plus you get a background in all areas of the entertainment industry, not just recording arts.
My brother went there and is now making 6 figures doing what he loves.
not set on staying in ATL, and i have heard of full sail, but yeah, it’s mad stacks. that is pretty sweet though, although they don’t even allow you to have a job while you’re in the school, so that + the price kind of sucks. but damn i might just have to start saving..
at first i was’nt going to respond to this thread but then i thought i have some real world knowledge to offer so here goes. sae is a great school but look at all of your options first. if you truly want to learn about the recording and enginering fields sae will give you all the tools and knowledge,. but so can some other places that may be less expensive. consideer an actual college. here in nashville we have several schools that offer recording enginering programs along with business and music degrees. be aware though that having that degree or certificate doesn’t gurantee a job in this business it is pretty competitive and sometimes it is being in the right place at the right time. my best friend here in nashville is an sae grad. he is a bada$$ dj, producer , engineer. when i need advice about music or sound production he’s the guy i go to. i was at one point thinking of going to school at sae,my friend advised me to wait and gave me some books to read one being Modern recording techniques 5th edition by david miles huber(used by sae as a text book) along with reading publications like tape op,mix and electronic musician.in a fairly quick amount of time i learned quite a bit. what sae and these schools offer that a book can’t is the chance to put your knowledge to use on real industry standard equipment. just weigh your options and talk to some people and good luck with whatever your choice may be.
i really appreciate your input. it’s crazy how many people on here have either gone or know someone who has gone to this school. i guess at first i figured not many people at all would know what i’m talking about. i understand and totally agree about a lot of success in this industry is all about being in the right place at the right time, and the connections you make with people (who you know). i did participate in a year of a “real” college (GSU), but they had no real solid music production course. i think that SAE gives you more practical experience, while traditional colleges would be more of “textbook” learning. i find the former to be more valuable IMO (this is not to say SAE does not offer or require learning from a textbook, as you obviously stated it does). i also agree that what may be right for one person, may not be right for the other, options must be weighed in everyone’s situation as they are all unique. SAE is cheaper regarding money compared to 3 more years of a traditional college, however those 3 years would spit you out with a bachelors, while SAE only produces an associates. i don’t think this is my primary concern though, as it’s the experience that i think puts it above the traditional schools. and by experience, it’s not that i think i’ll be hands on with the neve every day, but the fact that i’d at least get to interact with industry-standard hardware and software, it’s just something you can’t quite find in the traditional schools. i value practical knowledge over the empirical, and i think that’s what SAE will give me.
i did post this question here because i do want feedback from anyone who has experience with this school, i think you can think all you want about something, but until you really have a first or second hand account, you’re basing it off of a website and your own imagination/hopes. i’ve also contacted a cousin of mine who is heavy into audio engineering and asked his opinion on it. trying to get a well rounded view of it before i get too far in. thanks for everyone’s input!
Dannyboy, the guy who I tend to work with exclusively finished his degree and now works at a post production company.
Basically all he had to say was, it was nice getting some understanding and some basics.
But the basics taught were fairly oldschool. Not updated over the years.
He basically had to start from scratch again when he started at the post production comp.
Full Sail blows SAE out of the water ? It’s really 6 of one and half a dozen of the other . As long as you learn and comprehend signal flow you’ll get a whole lot out of either program . I think if you look into some of the surrounding colleges where SAE or Full Sail are located you may find some of the teachers at those schools teach there . You may find you can get an actual degree while learning engineering and not just a certificate of completion .
