Music Tech.. What's Next?

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>Hi all,</p>

<p>I've been thinking about something and I can't seem to find an answer anywhere else, soo hopefully someone can help me here! Basically, how well off will I be with only an undergrad degree in music tech? Are most music tech majors able to easily get jobs after college? Or is graduate school/"continuing education" really important? Is it even worth going to grad school?? My mom seems to think that I won't really get anywhere, when I graduate, as a tech major. I know it's what I want to major in, but I want to know from the get-go what I'm going to have to do in the long run to get a good job with this degree.</p>

<p>I'd loove feedback ASAP.. i'm stressed out!! =)</p>

2

<p>When we visited Duquesne several years ago, we were told that 100% of their music tech grads were offered jobs. The field is wide open.</p>

3

<p>We heard similar stats at Peabody for their recording arts degree, but that's a tricky admit.</p>

4

<p>Unfortunately, a lot of jobs will consist of operating a board. Operators compete with non-degreed people who received on the job training.</p>

5

<p>I start wondering when I hear a school say something like "100% of our grads were offered work." They would obviously like to say "all of our grads are either working in the industry or pursuing advanced degrees," but they apparently cannot.</p>

<p>A lot of entry-level positions in music tech are in radio or TV stations and involve low pay, long hours at inconvenient times and a lot of pressure. As you might expect, there is a fair amount of turnover and hence plenty of job offers to be made to newly-minted degree holders. This is one way of paying your dues in the industry, but it can also result in disillusionment.</p>

<p>I would want the schools to tell me what their grads were doing five or ten years down the line.</p>

6

<p>Wow.. how worth is it to even do this major? I mean it seems like it's going to be pretty unpredictable. But if colleges offer the major, that means that there are places out there that are looking for people with this degree.. right??</p>

7

<p>Poor assumption. It just means that students are willing to pay for the degree.</p>

8

<p>So.. in order for me to work in, say, a recording studio, I'll have to get experience first? Working in tv stations and things like that?</p>

<p>Basically, if my main goal is to work at a recording studio, should I really get this degree??</p>

9

<p>There are a lot of education choices. Many are two year degrees.
<a href="http://www.aes.org/education/geoinst.cfm?GeoID=1%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.aes.org/education/geoinst.cfm?GeoID=1&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

10

<p>Thanks for the link!</p>

<p>Bottom line though.. and I think I'm really hoping for a straight forward answer, which I'm almost sure there isn't.. what's the best or recommended path I should choose to work in a recording studio? I know there are many ways, I just want to know the most highly recommended one(s).. =/ I hope I'm not repeating myself! You all have given good and helpful feedback..</p>

11

<p>I wouldn't say you have to start in a TV or radio job to get into a recording job, I just said that there are a lot of entry-level jobs available in those areas. If recording is what you want to do, teach yourself the basics by getting your hands on some gear and recording whatever you can. Perhaps your high school or a local community college has some classes that you can take. If you have a PC not more than a few years old, then a couple of decent (but not great) microphones and an audio interface box are not all that expensive to add these days. There is some pretty sophisticated audio editing software available either completely free or free to try for a set period. You can get any number of books on the subject, and your local library may even have a few.</p>

<p>The main thing is to figure out what you really want to do. The problem is, you may not know what that is until you have had more experience, both in school and on the job. If you want to design equipment or studios, then you are probably looking at a master's degree in engineering at the very least. If you want to run your own studio, then you probably are looking for a curriculum that includes some business classes and classes on media law in addition to music and music tech. If you want to run a mixer and maintain equipment the rest of your life, then you probably don't need a four-year degree to do it. However, a lot of people start out thinking they want that job and then change their minds after doing it for a year or two. Their chances of finding a good job in another field are much better if they have at least a bachelor's degree of any sort.</p>

<p>The best advice I can pass along is to major in a subject that interests you while in your undergraduate years and make sure that you take classes that involve a fair amount of writing and oral presentations. If you apply yourself and get good grades in just about any subject, you are proving that you know how to learn. Most employears realize that entry level employees are going to acquire specific skills on the job and they are looking for people who can express themselves well in speech and in writing, who relate well to other people and who learn quickly. It is very rare for anyone to stay in one career their entire life these days, so the best thing you can do is to pick up skills in a number of areas. Whether that gets done through studies in music tech, a performance program at a conservatory, a liberal arts curriculum, a technical school or something completely different mostly depends on your aptitudes and preferences.</p>

<p>One of the best recording engineers I know has a BA in physics and master's and doctorates in science education. He was a transmitter engineer at a couple of radio stations, a drummer in a jazz band, then worked for ABC and CBS TV in New York City for a while, wrote a couple of science textbooks, taught college for a while and eventually opened his own studio. His clients include people like Wynton Marsalis and Dave Brubeck, the Emerson String Quartet, Universal Studios and Lucent Technologies.</p>

12

<p>"Bottom line though.. and I think I'm really hoping for a straight forward answer, which I'm almost sure there isn't.. what's the best or recommended path I should choose to work in a recording studio? I know there are many ways, I just want to know the most highly recommended one(s).. =/ I hope I'm not repeating myself! You all have given good and helpful feedback.."</p>

<p>To work in a studio? Well... the answer to that is the same as anything else in the music industry; three elements have to be there:</p>

<ol>
<li>Networking--you've gotta have the people skills and work to get to know the right people</li>
<li>Technical ability--regardless of experience or education, what you can do is what matters</li>
<li>Luck--'nuff said</li>
</ol>

<p>Notice that school means nothing in terms of working in a studio.
Also, what do you want to be? An engineer? A producer?
I'm assuming you want to be an engineer. In that case, start getting experience (i.e., running sound at church), buy a small rig and start recording people. Build up your experience.
One of the best recording programs in the country is the well-known Recording Arts Certificate of Citrus College in Glendora, CA (just outside LA). It is directed by Tim Jacquette, a world-reknowned audio engineer of over 30 years in engineering with credits including over 25 films, Paula Abdul, L.A. and Babyface, The Whispers, Tony Bennett, Maranatha Records, Andrae Crouch's Grammy award winning album--“Mercy”, Larry Norman, Dallas Holm, Debbie Boone, Michelle Pillar and Crystal Lewis, The Archers, Andrae Crouch, Gwen Stefani and The Black-Eyed Peas as well as work for Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel, and HBO. Citrus College places better than 40% of its recording arts graduates in major studios in the LA area (as opposed to just "finding them work.")
Ultimately, though, there is no "one way" into this business. I would simply suggest you start working as an engineer on your own scale. BassDad had some excellent advice I would certainly recommend you follow. Perhaps you could put a small part of the money you might otherwise put into an expensive education into buying some basic gear. (The rest could go into a certificate program such as Citrus'.) Ultimately, I would NOT recommend a BA (or BM) program if you truly think you want to do sound engineering, as it would be a waste of both your time AND money, AND it also may put you behind others who decided to go directly into the field with minimal (or no) training and now have a far better network of relationships than you do--this could be a HUGE disadvantage that would GREATLY outweigh any advantage you might hope for from a BA (your BA is useless in the music industry as a general rule).
I am not sure of your knowledge and experience in studio recording (a lot of people come in with the desire but very little real-world experience), so if you already know what I am about to say, please realize I do not know your background!
If you should decide to set up a bit of a project studio so you can begin mixing, I have a few suggestions briefly outlined and explained below:</p>

<p>Audio Interface (Critical): go with a ProTools-compatible MAudio or DigiDesign interface WITH A FIREWIRE cable (NOT USB!!!)--ProTools is the industry standard and USB causes latency (really annoying delay); (This should cost you AT LEAST $200, but don't spend more than probably 40% of your total budget on it); also, a MIDI Interface on the audio interface is a nice plus!
Your audio interface should come with Pro Tools included in the package!</p>

<p>MIDI Interface (Optional): get one if you can afford it, but it's not necessary at first (around $30-100...no more than 5-10% of your budget)</p>

<p>Large Diapgragm Condenser Microphone--LDC Utility Mic (Critical): This is a microphone you can use on anything (they usually sound especially nice on vocals, piano, etc.); it should retail for at least $200. If you are very strapped for cash go with a Rode NT-1 ($200 list); if you have a bit more, go with a Rode NT-2 ($350); if you have the money to spend, I would HIGHLY recommend the Audio Technica AT4050 (list $600) as that microphone is one you will likely keep for years to come (the Rodes are basically cost-effective budget imitations of industry standard microphones--meaning you will throw them away once you are able to afford the real thing!)</p>

<p>Dynamic Microphone (Recommended): You should have at least 1 or 2 dynamic microphones</p>

<p>In addition, you will need mic cables, stands, and pop filters. You should buy these with any money left over. Obviously, cables are the most essential, next come stands and finally pop filters are of the least crucial importance.</p>

<p>Anyway, hope that helps!</p>