Thinking about a formal training...need input

[ZenBear08]

So I was checking out an online school called Dubspot. The tuition isn't to bad. Anyone heard of this school? Any feedback if this is a legit idea?
Thanks

[fragments]

The big thing I would consider is that the likelyhood of you getting an immediate financial return on that investment is really slim. If you have the cash and just want to do it for yourself, go for it. An aquintance of mine is doing courses at Berkley Online in the US from New Zealand and he speaks so highly of it Im thinking of taking a couple courses long distance myself.

Also, Id probably talk to them first about how much time a week you need to really get something out of it. Id be talking to them about what to expect etc.

[topmo3]

their free lessons are pretty neat so go for it i say

[titchbit]

I personally don't think there's that much you can get from a professional compared to all of the free resources on the internet that is worth thousands of dollars. If it cost a few hundred for several lessons maybe I would go for it but is it really worth thousands??? I think you can learn most things they will teach you for free. It might take a bit longer and you might need to put in more effort, but you can get almost as much for free as you can get from them.

Are you a beginner or have you been doing this for a while?

[fragments]

I personally don't think there's that much you can get from a professional compared to all of the free resources on the internet that is worth thousands of dollars. If it cost a few hundred for several lessons maybe I would go for it but is it really worth thousands??? I think you can learn most things they will teach you for free. It might take a bit longer and you might need to put in more effort, but you can get almost as much for free as you can get from them.

Are you a beginner or have you been doing this for a while?

Yea the money to what you get ratio seems off on these courses quite often IMO. That is why Ive been so cautious about trying one.

[legend4ry]

I've known people who took courses at Point Blank, which is like Dubspot but in London.

They ALL speak highly of it, don't work in the industry neither. I guess its just like being an artist and taking life drawing classes for a year, if you can afford it then spend money on your hobby - whether that is new gear, classes to help you improve or whatever, do it?

Just don't put yourself in debt from it.

[Huts]

I'd say go for it, I'd definitely do something like that if I could. If you look at it as an opportunity to work closely with some like minded people in an awesome atmosphere with the chance to get some experience you couldn't get from your bedroom I'd say it's a worthwhile investment. I feel like those schools are more about who you meet and get to work with rather than what information you pull from the school.

[forbidden]

i would say do it if you're one of those people that can only learn by being shown in the real world (hands-on learner). regardless, as others have stated youtube is probably going to be a much more vast and in-depth tutorial base if what you're after is information, not to mention the fact it's free. i would watch every one of their video tuts on youtube, and if you can't start slapping something together after that, and have tried many other tuts and perhaps reading manuals or something, maybe consider taking one of the classes. it's really just going to be an enhanced youtube tutorial with a live feedback/conversation of some kind and perhaps some kind of homework assignments..nothing that can't be self-taught with a bit of discipline.

if you are hurting for money i'd say no, but if you have thousands of dollars to throw around sure why not. every time i watch their videos with students in them i really want to go to new york and just live there going to school at dubspot. but lets be real, you're not going to get a degree, and dubspot isn't going to be an extremely beneficial addition to your resume..

good luck with whatever you decide. this forum is also a great source of information, check out all the stickies in the production forum if you haven't.

[Sharmaji]

I've lectured at Dubspot here in NYC, have a bunch of friends who teach there, and increasingly have mix or production clients who have gone through there. It's a solid resource.

You get out of it what you put into it; the folks teaching really know their stuff and are great at explaining it. Do the work and you'll learn alot.

I wouldn't call it "formal training." It's not a conservatory.

[fragments]

Everyone bigups youtube for having all these great tutorials all the time. Maybe Im just not searching for the right stuff. Half the time the problem isnt poor information, but that the tutorials are poorly done. A lot of these people have taught themselves and they cant explain why they do something just that they do it. Or they over explain simple things and under explain complex things. They dont organize their thoughts well etc etc etc. Not knocking them really, but it can be hard to learn from a video with problems like this.

Yes, there is a ton of info on the internet for people to get started. But its scattered in forum posts and poorly executed video tutorials. "The Mega Threads" stickied here take some serious dedication to wade through to find the gold nuggest scattered every page of posts or so.

In my mind you are paying someone to professionally present the information in a digestable way not for the information itself.

I know there is more free info out there on writing and mixing music than there ever has been before. And despiste some unfortunate side effects, I am mostly for the distrubution of information to the masses. This is all great, I just feel there is still plenty of space for some an organization like Dubspot.

As was stated, having the right attitude and expectations is really key.

[ZenBear08]

This is all really great advice. I really wanted to get a perspective on the validity of the school. Im still tossing around the idea of taking the program or not. I have been doing tuts on lynda.com for the software (Abelton) and youtube for EDM tuts. I think that would be enough however I want to be able to wrap my head around the foundation entirely so my creativity will flow smoother. Getting the money together will be a challenge. Im getting into this with no expectations, just pure enthusiasm and creative outlet. Whatever happens as an outcome is just a bonus.

I will have to think more on the subject. Thanks for all the feedback broskies.

[NinjaEdit]

A textbook might also help you get the fundamentals.

[cyclopian]

A textbook might also help you get the fundamentals.

Agree'd, this book really helped me wrap my head about some important basics when I was first getting into production. (I recommend actually buying the book, but you can find a PDF of it online quite easily)

http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Manua ... 0240521072