Where to study audio engineering?

You’ve always wanted to be a part of the music scene, but performing in front of people just isn’t what you’re about. However, making those artists who get up on stage sound better is the perfect way to express yourself. You’ve downloaded audio engineering software, and maybe even set up a sound studio in your basement.

But you want – need? – to take it to the next level. Online courses or YouTube videos have answered a few of your questions but you need someone to drop some real knowledge and answer your questions face-to-face. The question is: where do you go for that education?

Learning to make music is as much about your soul as it is about your brain. Sure, an accountant loves numbers, but 2 plus 2 is always going to equal four. A song can start one way and take a hundred different twists and turns. You can’t learn how to feel a sound from a textbook.

The question may be where to study audio engineering, but that “where” doesn’t necessarily mean a 4-year university, college, or trade school. Many industries require some kind of proof you know what you’re doing – usually in the form of a diploma. When it comes to music, if you’ve got the chops, it doesn’t matter where you got them.

Perhaps a better question is “how” to study audio engineering. There will always be an argument regarding this. On one side you’ll have those who insist an institution is the only way to go. Some top-notch audio engineers learned this way, wanting the structure, tradition, and the prestige of graduating from a certain university.

And there are certainly a great number of schools that offer degrees in audio engineering. Google it and see. However, what if those schools are a thousand miles away from where you are? We understand that you are absolutely all-in when it comes to becoming an audio engineer. But moving that far is quite a commitment straight out of the gate.

The flip side of that coin is learning while doing, a hands-on approach to engineering audio. A book didn’t tell Michelangelo how to paint, he studied under Domenico Ghirlandaio, a master of painting, perspective, and portraiture. Derek “MixedByAli” Ali didn’t learn audio engineering in a classroom, he was a disciple of Dr. Dre and worked closely with Kendrick Lamar from the start.

Of course, not many of us have the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of a multi-Grammy award winner. And how do you find your way into the graces of an audio engineer willing to put the time and effort into taking you under their wing?

It’s an age-old debate. But we think we’ve found a good compromise.

Why Not Both?

We believe we’ve taken the best of both worlds with The Recording Connection Audio Engineering and Music Production Program. Like a 4-year university, you’ll have textbooks (actually an eBook), midterms, and even a final. You’ll be receiving plenty of reference material and ancillary information throughout your time with us because we want to help you retain as much as possible.

But that’s where the similarities end. Instead of a classroom, you’re in a real-world recording studio. Instead of a teacher and a group of other students, you’ll receive one-on-one mentoring with an industry professional. Instead of attending when the school tells you to, you’ll work with your mentor to set up a schedule that works for both of you.

Because making music isn’t a 9-to-5 job. And you don’t necessarily need to learn it like you would for a cubicle position. In fact, there are many ways you can get the education you need to find yourself in a recording studio. We just think doing it from the start is the most beneficial.

With more than 120 studios located around the U.S. and Canada, you’re never too far away from one of our mentors. You won’t have to move across the country to get a quality education that you can get across town.

So instead of asking where you should study audio engineering, ask yourself how you want to learn, then apply to Recording Connection.