These schools are far from cheap. The program I enrolled in cost over $10,000 for a full-time, one-year course.  Some comparable institutions charged up to double that. As with most post-secondary education, that is a lot of money. What exactly are you getting for your five-figure tuition fee?

Things to look for…

Up to date equipment:

You have to be learning on equipment that is relevant to the modern workplace. Yeah, knowing how to switch tape heads on that 2″ Studer tape machine they have there is cool and all, but chances are you aren’t going really utilize that knowledge in 2010 (diehard tape users, please spare me the hatemail). Are you using the latest versions of DAW software and industry standard plugins? Why learn on antiquated systems, when people are using the latest and greatest everywhere? It doesn’t make sense, yet I find that a lot of these schools are training on tools that are many years out of date.

Maintenance:

Many recording schools skimp on maintenance budgets. Large format consoles have broken channels, patch bays and more. Computers are slow or out of date. This is not a good learning environment. Look for a clean school with nice amenities.  This indicates a school that is taking their revenue and putting it back into proper operation and education.

Quality Instructors

Common sense says that you want to learn from someone who has practical knowledge and experience. This was where I found a huge flaw in my school. I recall asking a question about a compressor, asking about the details of the different parameters. Only ONE teacher in the whole facility was even able to give me a semi-logical explanation of one of the most fundamental tools of the trade; the rest just stuttered around the question or gave me blank stares. In fact, from my understanding, 1/3 of them were fresh graduates from the program. Call me a cynic, but sometimes the saying “those who can’t do, teach” can ring true….

Entry Credentials:

My entry exam to the program was maybe the most ironic part of the whole process. Imagine me, a music student with moderate recording experience being faced with the question “What does www stand for?” on the entry exam for my $10,000+ recording school. Why even bother trying to act like there are standards here? I knew right then and there that this was a high-turnover business looking for anyone’s money. I have heard similar stories about other institutions across the continent.

The plus side: You Get What You Put In

A major benefit of time spent at a recording school is the hands-on experience. They are generally equipped with large tracking rooms and large format consoles. If you want to make the most of your time, make sure you are right in the middle of any sessions recording the bands and musicians that will inevitably be coming through the school’s studios. Make sure you put in the hours to become really familiar with the equipment, experiment with microphone placement, and learn what the different pieces of gear do. This is probably the most usable knowledge you will take from your program. If your instructors are any good, you will walk away with some great theory knowledge as well, but in my opinion is this nothing you cannot learn from a recording text purchased from amazon.

Your Alternative: Hands On Approach

Use that $15,000 tuition fee to buy yourself a recording setup. That is a big chunk of change — enough to get you well on your way to professional recordings. Buy a quality recording interface, microphone, compressor, DAW and applicable software. For example, you could buy Cubase/Logic, a Nuemann u87, Apogee Duet, UA1176 Compressor, and a full toolbox plugins… and still have money left over. Now you have everything you need to gain practical knowledge. Spend that year or two you would have spent in school recording yourself and others — and do not expect to get money for your time. This is all about learning. Read books on recording to flesh out your theoretical knowledge, and learn how to understand and control what you are hearing.

In conclusion

Full disclosure: This is obviously a biased article. I am merely sharing my experiences and thoughts, and that of some others I have spoken with on the subject. Though I remain skeptical of the validity of the average recording school, I urge you to keep an open mind. Whether it is worth the money and time is up to you to decide.

Did you attend a recording program? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.