RECORDING SCHOOL

Why Studying in a Recording Studio Works Best

When entering a career in the field of music recording, there are several options. Two of the most prominent are a "standard" recording school (a brick-and-mortar institution) with established classrooms, labs, and teachers, compared to a mentorship training program, where you learn on-the-job at a working studio. Here's a look at why mentorships have the advantage in preparing you for a career in the field.

Equipment

At a working studio, every piece of gear has to "pull its weight." You can't afford to have stuff just because it's "cool," it has to serve an immediate and useful purpose. That kind of practical thinking teaches you to make every dollar count, and get the most out of the equipment you do have. When you are paying for the equipment, you'll work to get every last dime's worth out of it. You'll use each piece to its limit, and make it deliver!

People Skills

At a conventional school, the tendency is for students to record using other students as the players. They may also bring in friends to "experiment on. Most of these vocalists and musicians are grateful and well-behaved. After all, they're getting studio time for free -- of course they're thankful!

But the problem is that in the real world, you can't choose who you want to work with. You'll have challenging clients: people with negative attitudes and unrealistic expectations, who expect you to produce something that may be beyond their abilities to create.

At a working studio, you'll learn the essential skill of managing people. You'll learn to draw the best out of clients, while teaching them what the possibilities are. Handled correctly, the artists that come into your studio will see you as their guide, and will appreciate what you were able to do for their art.

Networking

Besides dealing with artists, you'll need to interact with equipment salespeople and manufacturers, technical support staff (something is always breaking down at every studio!), CD pressing plants, "hired guns" (musicians, vocalists and arrangers), and more. The relationships you form with these people will be critical to your success, and the greater your network, the more valuable you'll be to your clients.

Financial Concerns

Every successful studio is a business, and as such, it needs to be profitable. Just like kids don't generally understand money until they're out from under the umbrella of their parents, people in the recording field don't generally understand how a working studio truly runs until they're forced to work in one.

How much time can you allot for that "hip" guitar track? What does it take to get the optimal vocal performance in the minimum time? When a client comes in wanting to do a 5-song demo, how will you estimate the hours needed? How will you deal with time and budget over-runs?

Like most creative endeavors, recording music requires balancing the financial with the artistic concerns. In the end, you want to deliver the best possible product, while maintaining your ability to pay the bills.

The only way to do that is to be in a situation where you have to do it: in short, to hone all your chops in a real-world studio.

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"Drop out of school before your mind rots from exposure to our mundane educational system. Forget about the Senior Prom, go to the library and educate yourself if you've got any guts."

— Frank Zappa
Composer, Musician

"The road to happiness lies in two simple principles; find what interests you and that you can do well, and put your whole soul into it — every bit of energy and ambition and natural ability you have."

— John D. Rockefeller
Investor, Philanthropist