What to Expect
High quality recordings take more than a digital audio workstation and
a set of headphones. Recording engineering students learn from industry
leaders about the technology, musicianship and techniques required for every
hot track on the radio.
Students can expect a mix of lectures and labs. Students getting a bachelor
of music degree in sound recording will also take general arts classes to
round out their education.
After she began guitar lessons at the age of seven, Keri Klick knew she
wanted to pursue music as her career. Playing in a band wasn't for her.
"A career in audio gives you flexibility -- you can do live sound, recording,
sound system design, post-production for video -- and it allows you to
work with music on a regular basis."
Now she's a live sound engineer taking a double major in studio production
and arts management at SUNY Purchase, NY. "The hands-on instruction really
prepares students for a career outside of class."
Although she's the only girl in her class, Klick says she doesn't feel
awkward. "Nobody looks at me like I'm from another planet or anything. I think
that women tend to shy away from a career like this because it seems out of
reach, but it's a perfectly attainable goal and it can be an incredibly rewarding,
enjoyable career."
Stephanie Scheffler is an audio engineering student at the Institute of
Production and Recording in Minneapolis. She agrees with Klick. "Women in
the field are very rare, which is why when you show up on day one everyone
is so happy to see another girl there. So my advice is just to go for it."
These programs often have final projects that test your skills. Students
are challenged to produce, record, edit and master their own CDs.
Internships are also a great way to build skills, as Sarah MacDonald has
found out. As a student in an audio engineering and production program, she
got her foot in the door with an internship at a production company. She plans
to move on to assisting and then to engineering. It's hard work to make an
impression.
"Any time I spend in the studio or on my computer working on my projects
I consider studying, so on average I spend about three to seven hours a day
-- not including class time," she says. If she has studio time booked it might
be a 40-hour week for her.
"I love being able to work in huge studios from day one, and being taught
by industry professionals. The most exciting thing about it is knowing that
one day people could be listening to my creations on the radio," says Scheffler.
Recording engineering students don't usually get written homework. "The
majority of my work involves running sessions, tracking down musicians, and
mixing bands," says Klick.
MacDonald says to start saving. The long hours in the studio will make
it hard to work part time while you're in school. You may shell out for
a new computer and a digital audio workstation (DAW).
"I suggest getting free demos of the DAW and a used computer that will
still be powerful enough to run the software," says MacDonald. "Believe it
or not, there is a ton of scholarship money out there, and there are some
awards just for music students," says Klick. Many scholarships allow you to
buy equipment with the money.
How to Prepare
Make sure to take music class and anything with electronics and physics,
says MacDonald.
"The best way to learn in high school is to talk to people who are putting
performances together and ask if you could be a part of the productions, behind
the scenes as a tech," recommends Klick. She says to read as much as you
can to educate yourself about the industry.