OK. That's a situation that doesn't really happen here thanks to universal healthcare.
Then I'm back to thinking sell some stuff and/or borrow from somebody close to you. When you're solo you can do more crazy stuff and starve, but that is not an option when you have a family.

 

@ Robbie,

I'm sorry for you to know all your troubles in your life, and a certain precariousness that visibly follows you for some time now, but despite these setbacks you must to know that within the School that you'll attend you'll find all the facilities for pursuing your cursus...



You'll have access to 2 types of Apple Computers : both 'iMac' & 'Mac Pro', as well as MIDI Keyboards (in case you can't afford one at your Home).

Moreover, your Course will be focused on the practice of the following Audio Softwares : 'Logic Pro', 'Pro Tools, 'Sibelius.




In case that you're a PC User at this time (waiting your 'desired' iMac), you can nevertheless find 'Pro Tools' and 'Sibelius' for WIN PC (in their 'not so legitimate versions', if you know what I mean ! ), then by this way you can to take a step forward, thus already start to practising (if not already done !) with them, or simply take a few of advance in hopes of getting your Diploma with more ease... *yes*
As long that you know more or less how a specific Software works (and what you can get with it !), the crossover between OS isn't so drastic, only some specificites proper to each one ('Keyboard Shortcuts',... ). The most important remaining, of course, to trying to 'master' as much as possible the Software itself... *yes*

 

a bit off topic but Pro Tools can go to hell along with MACS...

 

Damn this thread got depressing lol... It seems there's been a lot of this going around. A buddy of mine (with a wife and 2 kids) recently had to sell his gibbie les paul to pay the bills. Then his car died, so he had to sell his 1970's taylor acoustic to pay for that. Poor guy.

Sorry about the medical bills man, I was a clerk in the claims department of a health insurance company for a few years. I know how huge those bills can be (cancer costs over a million dollars these days). Good luck, I hope things turn out well for you--I've found things tend to in the end. It is seldom how you thought things would happen, but it always seems that you'll end up where you need to be.

 

Forget the iMac, built a Hackintosh

 

It's quite daft of them to push people into buying all Apple and teach on Apple gear exclusively. So when you come out of that school you will never know anything about Cubase, Reaper, and hundreds of other useful programs that never got released for OSX. Nor will you know anything about how computer works, I suppose. You would be better off working as a gofer at some studio. That's how I began. I had a band and we were recording at this studio and I got in love with the production and mixing... and the owner hired me after some time doing shit for him. I learned a lot about hardware, consoles, fx, mics, recording, acoustics... everything. Then I took off after a few years and slowly started making my own studio and working as a computer technician for years and years since a real studio costs real money... thankfully I don't have kids nor I intend to and my wife thinks the same. She's actually into music herself but she has to work, too... I'm currently struggling to find work either as a computer technician, or mastering, or mixing, recording... and pretty much doing anything to get by. Hard times mate. I'm having all this equipment sitting and collecting dust... So in the mean time I got obsessed with doing my music again, but one needs to eat, too. ahh Yeah, depressing. But maybe something good will come out of all this. And I really enjoy this forum because most of the people seem OK. That gives me hope for the future.

Yeah, you can always buy a second hand older Intel Core Duo laptop and make a Hackintosh. It's not as hard as it sounds at all. There's even a list of compatible laptops that work 100% with OSX but I can't remember where... maybe www.hackintosh.com ? Yap.

 

School if a waste of time in my honest especially when it comes to music where they RAPE you on tuition. I'm sure that if you're motivated you can learn all you need to know on your own. It's sad though that we have a lot of this going on right here on these forums. It's depressing because too many people have it too damn hard.

 

I agree, Cataly5t. I also think schools like that are a rip off and not really worth it. Unless. Unless you want a job at some TV or radio station, or a really well known studio maybe [which is almost impossible to get]. If I would look for somebody to help me work in the studio I would rather look for a person who has a lot of practice, not just a signed paper, though. Many small studio [or "micro" like me ] owners would do that. And unless [2], maybe he's not capable of learning by himself [lots of people aren't in my experience] and is looking for a shortcut to all the knowledge that he wants. Regarding this last one, audio is a vast science. ;) It's always interesting and you always learn something new. So what I'm saying is that you can get a shortcut to "core knowledge" by going to audio school like that, but they can never teach you everything, or even half of it or something. There's so much to know and learn. It's a very vast knowledge. Hell, I even know how to solder and make DIY hardware, repair computers, amps, synths, consoles etc. for example. I went to electrical school, but they just gave me the core knowledge and most of the stuff I learned by trial and error by myself and with some help from Internet forums and various books. Then you have audio synthesis which is a science in itself and i think it's absolutely necessary these days if you want to be an audio engineer, mixing and mastering both of which are not just science but a lot of psychology and discipline, self-control and controlling the others. You have to be a control freak, but such control freak that nobody notices they're being controlled. Then you have acoustics which is a science on its own [am I repeating myself? ], and recording which is, you guessed it, a science on its own, too.

However, I think it's the best vocation in the world, but you really have to be smart and absolutely love it to make it in audio world.

I forgot to say that it's rather desirable to be a musician yourself, too. I can even sing and play keyboards quite alright. It can come handy when you're recording someone and you need a back vocals or keyboard parts...

An audio engineer should know a looot of things... and they cannot teach you all of that at any audio schools I know. Unless [3 ] you spend a million bucks at SAE and take all of the courses they have.

Cheers!

p.s. Speaking of schools, I've been subscribed to various newsletters from various schools for about 13 or more years. The best of them IMO David Mellor's www.record-producer.com seems closed now and it's now called www.audiomasterclass.com and they don't send me any useful e-mails any more, unfortunately. Record-producer was a really great website FULL of GREAT audio tips. Now I think I can recommend this guy: Graham Cochrane at therecordingrevolution.com He sends me interesting newsletters with interesting tips and ideas, but not at the level Record-producer website did... shame. They probably figured out they're sending too many great tips on recording and nobody wanted to pay for the classes/courses.

 

PREAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACH MY MAN PREACH

 

"So when you come out of that school you will never know anything about Cubase, Reaper, and hundreds of other useful programs that never got released for OSX."

Do you live in 90s' Des Moines or what? Ok, Mac is missing some videogames, but Cubase, Reaper and most music softwares are available on Mac.

 

thanks for all the positive feed back guys seems like the hackin crackin is the way to go until i can afford a real Mac. and i a Live person so im not to fond of using all this apple/logic crap. but ill be running my pc and mac side by side. ill end up doing most of my work in pc im sure lol.

 

Yeah I noticed my mistake, PMS. What was I thinking? Aha, now I remember what I was thinking: I was thinking "no Cubase or Reaper in the curriculum of the school so he'll learn only Logic-X". And then I thought about the plugins and programs that never got and never will be released for OSX and made a stupid mistake. I'm tired. I didn't sleep much tonight... and then mistakes happen and the grammar gets out of control etc. ;)

My apologies for the mistake.

Cheers!

 

after school im sure ill still be a primarily Ableton user

 

build a hachintosh with little money!

 

Fuck! Thanks for the Help to Robbie. I gave (the sum does not concern you), and I will continue to do so.
A cheapskate band. Besides making fun of his mouth, you're no good for nothing.

 

I watch Pensado's Place regularly (mostly the "Into the Liar" series), as probably a lot of you guys do.

For every episode on YouTube at least one person writes in the comments:
"I went to audio school XYZ and paid xx,xxx $, but learned more from these videos than in the school."

That makes you think a little bit...

But one thing schools are good for, for sure, is networking and contacts.

@ SineWave

Damn, they took that record producer site down?
They had really some excellent articles and tips on it.

 

Yap, Gulliver. I was so used to reading those E-mails and reading about tips and tricks of audio... it was so much fun. All good things go away eventually, and the bad ones always stay with you ffs...

 

ff sakes dude.. you been into audio for long? and you don't have a breast buy card?

they give you a 2 year deferral on paying for their stuff that costs as much as a friggin Imac...

I finally bought my 1st mac last month on my card, i had to wait until i was in a financial position to do so.

also the apple store will give a deferral.. unless i suppose you don't have/ never had credit...

sounds like you have more important things to think about before a risky and sketchy career as a music producer or whatever..


I decided to stay single coz i prefer to buy gear..and i love audiosex more... ;)

ps. Kurt Nobrain was gonna sell his ass to chickenhawks if he had to... to play punk music....



back at ya thisis theend... lol


Also be prepared to get some suggestions about becoming a midnight cowboy ....

 

i disagree Catalyst !
of cause you can learn the same stuff by self-education but at a school like the "SAE Institute" you
learn all essential things from the ground up with a fast learning progress.and of course
you get solid references.although prices for this schools are ridiculous

 

Frankly, Windows, whatever versions (XP, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten), it's still a real crap.

I have both. Win and Mac. A Mac Pro with all option. Price: € 4.699,95 with four times + 4 32GB DDR3 PC3-10600 • CL=9 • Quad Ranked • x4 based • Load = 128GB of Ram (+ € 3186). Total: € 7886

To summarize: Whether one or other, they all have their flaws. Cheers loser band