Moving To L.A, Cali for ICON Collective Production School!

[Rufio310]

So I looked into these producing schools like Icon or Dubstep.
My question is, What could they possiby teach you that you don't already know.
And if you didn't know you could look up tutorials and go on this forum and just ask right?
Maybe I'm missing something ?
Learn sound design on youtube with VST's
Learn to EQ, Mix with outside VST or EQ8, Compression ETC.
Or how to mix/mash up tracks
Wouldn't we all be able to just learn on our own?
I think you can get away with making music with not knowing or knowing a little muic theory. Most stuff is played in the minor scale or major.

Big name artists out there in the dubstep scene are prob self made wouldn't you think?

I'm just curious on what else can they teach you that you can't learn by looking it up on your own?

Unless they're teaching how to sound design like excision then I would totally go because those sounds are remarkable lol.

Does anyone go to any of these schools? What do they teach?
Is it worth investing in.

[Geey]

you need to get laid bro

[test_recordings]

Other than having a shit load of equipment to play with, you can learn everything from a book and experimenting

[DiegoSapiens]

not a producing school unless it´s a ultra pro one and you are a badman producer.
Just sit with someone who knows what he is doing and write down everything he does.
but as test have said exploring is the most important part, is how you develop your own personality producing

[mitchAUS]

I suppose the structured learning could help. I go to SAE doing audio engineering and all the Electronic Music Production students I have spoken to haven't regretted doing the course. However, it is expensive with a low potential for return.

[outbound]

I did my course on music tech (not specifically production but they did touch a lil on that)

My view is that if I hadn't have gone I wold still have picked up what I did through myself however the experience of getting into the studios regularly having access to the amount of equipment that they did was great and I had a lot of fun

[mitchAUS]

the experience of getting into the studios regularly having access to the amount of equipment that they did was great and I had a lot of fun

Can't agree with you more.

[mitchAUS]

My 2 cents.

I go to SAE in Australia doing a Bachelor of Audio production. It covers more than producing such as live sound, foley, post production, tracking etc. The studio experience is valuable and units cover business, copy write law, marketing along side the audio based units. Perhaps most importantly, the course is structured academically i.e. a lot of reports, essays and exams.

I'm not paying $50 000+ because I think having a degree will definitely give me more job opportunities in audio. A degree shows discipline. The fact a person sticks at something for 24 units is a good demonstration of character. I've spoken about this to the General Manager at Goodmanfielder Baking and his words were something alines of, 'these days it doesn't matter what you study after school, businesses just want to see degrees'.

I don't think this translates with these courses run by dubspot, icon etc. It's a specialist program and doesn't really transcend into other opportunities.

[wub]

I go to SAE in Australia doing a Bachelor of Audio production. It covers more than producing such as live sound, foley, post production, tracking etc. The studio experience is valuable and units cover business, copy write law, marketing along side the audio based units. Perhaps most importantly, the course is structured academically i.e. a lot of reports, essays and exams.

I'd consider this a proper degree course though, with an actual recognised qualification at the end. It's a different league entirely to 9months of Brostep 101, IMO.

[SunkLo]

Yeah if I had extra money and just wanted to get up to speed quickly so I could get a job in the industry, I'd probably take something similar. It being a proper Bachelor's degree is worth something and the quality would probably be a lot more stringent than the quick and dirty courses with no real certification at the end.

[mitchAUS]

Yeah if I had extra money

I should probably note that in Australia the government gives loans for higher education that you pay back through tax at a minimal rate, only when your earning above a certain threshold. So you don't even notice paying it back.

[SunkLo]

Yeah I'd be all over that then, jesus christ. Maybe I should move to Aus, find a gorgeous woman and marry her for citizenship.

[wub]

Isn't Australia quite an expensive country to live in though, from what I've heard?

Yeah, just checked Pintprice.com. Australia a pint of beer of £4.30. In Spain, it's £1.69.

No contest

[mitchAUS]

Haha yeah... half the places in my area try and sting you £7 a pint! Fuck it, I'm coming to Spain!

[fragments]

personally if I were going to take out loans/pay to go to a school, I'd go to an actual studio recording/tech program, not a learn how to make "EDM" school. That's just me though.

[mthrfnk]

A lot provide one-on-one/small group teaching and technical/theory background lessons which a lot of people benefit from compared to just reading and practising.

The structured nature of most courses is also a point to consider. It's like saying "why do kids go to school, they could just read Wikipedia"... because being taught in a structured way with colloboration/help/feedback being readily available is a much better way to learn for a lot of people.

[fragments]

A lot provide one-on-one/small group teaching and technical/theory background lessons which a lot of people benefit from compared to just reading and practising.

The structured nature of most courses is also a point to consider. It's like saying "why do kids go to school, they could just read Wikipedia"... because being taught in a structured way with colloboration/help/feedback being readily available is a much better way to learn for a lot of people.

All excellent points and I don't disagree. I just can't imagine spending the money in hopes of becoming a world known producer living off of making dance tracks, especially if the focus of the program is just making dance tracks (more or less). With a broader reaching program, at least you'd have a more employable skill set I'd imagine.

[mthrfnk]

A lot provide one-on-one/small group teaching and technical/theory background lessons which a lot of people benefit from compared to just reading and practising.

The structured nature of most courses is also a point to consider. It's like saying "why do kids go to school, they could just read Wikipedia"... because being taught in a structured way with colloboration/help/feedback being readily available is a much better way to learn for a lot of people.

All excellent points and I don't disagree. I just can't imagine spending the money in hopes of becoming a world known producer living off of making dance tracks, especially if the focus of the program is just making dance tracks (more or less). With a broader reaching program, at least you'd have a more employable skill set I'd imagine.

I agree tbh, it's not like other degrees where you're provided with a broader outlook at the end whereby you could potentially go down one of many career routes.

With something like this I'd imagine your limited to the areas of production or engineering, which whilst not bad - is certainly niche, meaning you'll have to be good by the end of the course if you want to have some benefit off the back of it. Specifically with production, unless you really put the effort in you could be wasting your time.

Personally I'd love to try something like this, like a one or two year course just because it would allow me the time to really sit down and "focus on the music" in a well structured way whilst at the same time bringing up my other skills by learning from professionals.

[SunkLo]

Yeah it's all about becoming an engineer first and foremost. There will always be people willing to pay you to make their music a reality. Not many people will pay you to make your own music a reality.

Not to mention you can watch any given "How to make EDM" tutorial on youtube and understand all there is to know really. The core curriculum of dance production is pretty shallow. Intro, drop, breakdown, build up (kick rolls and white noise risers!) drop, outro, vocal sample pitched up and played repetitively over and over. To really make anything exceptional you have to be quite creative. They can't teach you that anymore than they can teach you the talent and hard work that are also required.

[fragments]

Excellent points mthrfnk and SunkLo

If you want someone to teach you dedication and hardwork go into the military or public service, lol. Knowing what I know and giving infinite money, I would let my kid go to a proper recording/tech program, but no way in hell would I pay for them to go to a place that more or less focuses on the students learning how to make a niche genre of music that the market will likely drop out of by the time they get anywhere.

I mean, I suppose you could go to Dubspot or ICON and then get a job working in a post-production studio doing sound tracks for car commercials or something...but how many jobs like that are there? I can't imagine there never being a need for studio and live sound engineers.

Personally I'm assuming a lot about Dubspot, ICON, etc but if they aren't teaching you how to do live sound and and record bands etc I think you are just missing out.