Recording engineer schools all have a common goal – to teach their students how to use their keen musical ear and combine it with state-of-the-art equipment. With a student’s sensitivity to music and the right tools, a simple beat could lead to a plethora of different symphonies. Audio recording has been around for a long time, giving life to movies, songs, and even live performances. By becoming a recording engineer, you become free to experiment on different sounds and music mixes beyond the boundaries of human imagination. If you are an aspiring recording engineer, find out the best recording engineer schools that you can enroll in and what to look for in each. Who knows, you might be in the studio with Ed Sheeran in a couple of years time.
What do students learn in recording engineering schools?
Audio engineering could be, by itself, a university degree. In the United States, the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music was the first university to offer a four year degree in Music Engineering Technology. Nowadays, however, even hobbyists can enroll in recording engineer schools and learn the basics of equipment handling. There are different aspects of music recording that recording engineer schools focus on and some of these include:
- Mixing console or the equipment with various switches that you can slide up and down or knobs that you can turn to create a different sound from a pre-recorded sound
- Tape recorder or tape deck which functions as the sound recorder
- Dynamic range compression or the balancing of loud and soft sounds especially for playback in contained areas such as the car
- Digital audio workstations which are modern software that could alter the different aspects of music through the use of a computer
The complexity of lessons depends on the length of study the recording engineer schools offer. A person who graduates from a four-year course from recording engineer schools is awarded a Bachelor’s Degree in Music, with the emphasis on audio recording.
Read more in the book “Music Production 2020: Everything You Need To Know About Producing Music, Studio Recording, Mixing, Mastering and Songwriting in 2020“
Who are the graduates of recording schools?
Graduates of recording engineer schools perform a variety of responsibilities in the music and film industry. There are different professional branches that graduates could become. An example would be a studio engineer, or the person you normally see behind the glass panel in a recording studio. There is also the mastering engineer, the person who creates the final mixes in tracks and other audio recordings. Foldback, or monitor engineers, are the ones responsible for artists hearing themselves during concerts and live events. There are quite a number of other professions that recording engineer schools will prepare you for and it is up to you which path you are going to take.
Recording engineer schools and your future
People often say that music feeds the soul. However, music alone is just half of the bargain in creating melodies and symphonies that will soothe weary souls. Audio engineers from recording engineer schools fill the other half, making sure that all the elements of music, when imbibed together, will create a track that reaches to the listener, making music essential to the lives of many. No wonder graduates of recording engineer schools see a bright future ahead of them!
Audio Engineer Interviews
FOH Engineer Garry Brown (Phish, Trey Anastasio Band, Oysterhead)
Behind the Live Sound of Coldplay with Daniel Green
Red Hot Chili Peppers – Dave Rat FOH Engineer