Can I get your thoughts on going to school to learn mixing?

  • Thread starter Thread starter cmorris975
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cmorris975

cmorris975

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Hi there,

So I am considering going to the local community college this summer to take a few courses to help me with my mixes. They offer two accelerated courses in sequence, digital audio theory and digital audio mixing. This will cost me $1800 for the courses and a student's copy of Pro Tools (I may be able to get financial aid, not sure how much). That is quite a sum of money for me, I could pay it but it would hurt. I have multiple sclerosis and because of that I feel ill a lot, I expect it to be quite difficult to make it to class and get through it some days (I have family in the area that should be able to drive me). I can't work a normal job, due to the previously mentioned MS, so I have lots of time to study and play around with mixing on my own and through books.

Do you think going through the with these classes might be worth it? Are there things I am likely to learn there, hands-on experience that could make it worth it? I am absolutely dedicated to producing my own (and possibly others') music in the best fashion possible, so I am thinking it might. Curious on your thoughts and thanks for your time! As a side note, I will get a Pro Tools certificate if I complete these two classes.


Chris
 
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Hi,
I have an HND and a 1st class honours degree in audio production and I can honestly say I think it's a waste of time.
My feeling is that I now have certificates to prove that I know all the stuff I already knew.

Of course there's something to be said for hands on experience and networking and what not, but I found the hands on side to be so watered down and infrequent that it wasn't really all that useful.
I understand that'll be different from college to college though.

Coupled with what you're saying about possibly having difficulty keeping to the class rota, I'd say DIY all the way.
There's nothing those guys can teach you that isn't on the web. It's just a case of finding decent sources.
I firmly believe that forums like this are an incredible assett if you're keen.

You know you're getting a balanced answer because there's always someone here to call bull$hit! :p


Do you have any experience at all? I found that the guys who didn't were very quickly left for dead in my courses.
If the course is tailored to absolute beginners and that's what you are then maybe it's worth considering, but I still think online and DIY is the way forward.
 
Thanks much for the reply. I do have experience, I have written and mixed about 50 songs over the last year and a half in my home studio. 29 of them are up on my Youtube channel with me performing them on guitar. They all are different styles but a lot of heavier music. I think the mixes are alright, and they get better with time but I really want to take them to the next level, professional quality. This is basically my life, I spend from 3 to 12 hours on it everyday, depending on how sick I feel. I seem to have endless passion for it.

My Youtube channel is "chrisplaysguitars", without the quotes if you are curious.
 
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These days I find my self concerned with how the bass and the bass tone fits into the mix. What tricks/techniques can I use to make all the instruments have definition in the mix? Is there a way to use frequency analyzers to check if there is too much, or not enough, low end? How can I make my songs sound decent on different systems (computer desktop speakers, ear phones and big car stereos) simultaneously. That, and I just don't want to leave any stone unturned in my quest for better mixes.
 
Definitely! Anything that you can do to increase your knowledge, and to also be around people with the same interests, is always a positive! Go for it!
 
Take the $1800 and invest in your studio.

I'm sure for a complete beginner, those classes might be of some value, but in IMHO...the subtleties you're looking to improve on will come more with experimentation and just hanging out on audio forums and asking questions and trying out new suggestions....rather than from a typical college course which may be more focused on the broader picture.

Here's an idea.....go to the college and instead of dropping the cash, ask the teachers if you can audit their courses for a few sessions...because you are not sure if they are for you.
Heck, if there are a lot of students in the classes, you might even be able to just blend in with the crowd for even longer....of course, you will get no credit for that, but it might save you the time and money in the long run.

Then decide if you want to take them formally.

Low end is without a doubt a tricky subject to master....but it's not THAT mysterious.
When I was trying to figure out what worked and what didn't....I would do like 20 mixes, making specific changes per mix, and making a note of them...then I would compare, and check back on my notes. After awhile it became more obvious what I needed to do, and I no longer needed that much experimentation.
Also....your monitoring environment can be crucial for low end. A bad room can fool you in both directions...too little, too much or the wrong LF range when you're turning knobs.
 
If you want to learn lurk in the MP3 Mixing Clinic and listen to/critique/comment on the posts by others there. After a little bit people will get to know you are fair dinkum and you can post MP3s of your mixes with a good chance that others will respond by listening and commenting/critiquing to your posts as well.
I'd suggest you use Soundclick, Soundcloud or similar until you get known and then you can post MP3s for download as folks'll be more inclined to trust you by then. Youtube can be a bit brutal with its processing, (as can most streamers etc).
 
Chris,
I checked you Utub stuff and it's hard to work out what's a recorded & mixed song and what's a gear demo.
If you seriously want to have people listen to your mixes you'll have to be specific about stuff.
Provide a link, provide some details of gear used, provide some info about your recording & mixing environments but most of all separate the stuff so it's clear what is what.
I listened to some metal thing but couldn't get any idea about whether it was to a backing track, a Rock band track etc etc. It was you sitting in fron of some amps and a TV I think hammering away on a guitar in the newish metal style but what do I comment on, what's yours etc etc etc etc?
 
You can't be taught mixing. You either have a talent or you don't.

You CAN be taught the use of a specific DAW faster than you can pick it up by reading manuals and practising...but nothing you couldn't do for yourself given time.

What can be very useful is formal teaching of lots of recording techniques--what sorts of mics to use and how to place them, finding your way around a mixer with Auxes and VCAs (doesn't matter whether the mixer is real or virtual), the ins and outs of things like compressors and limiters, etc. etc. Again, you CAN get all this from reading and playing--but a good course can do in a semester what might take years on your own. Similarly, electronic and digital theory, while not necessary for recording an mixing, can make a lot of things easier with a background understanding.

The big problem, as always, is knowing what courses are good and which are a total waste of time. The only one I KNOW I can recommend is the "Tonmeister" course at the University of Surrey in England--but I suspect that's a bit distant and expensive for you! :) This isn't to say there aren't other worthwhile courses though.
 
rayc said:
Chris,
I checked you Utub stuff and it's hard to work out what's a recorded & mixed song and what's a gear demo.
If you seriously want to have people listen to your mixes you'll have to be specific about stuff.
Provide a link, provide some details of gear used, provide some info about your recording & mixing environments but most of all separate the stuff so it's clear what is what.
I listened to some metal thing but couldn't get any idea about whether it was to a backing track, a Rock band track etc etc. It was you sitting in fron of some amps and a TV I think hammering away on a guitar in the newish metal style but what do I comment on, what's yours etc etc etc etc?
Click to expand...

I only used a backing track on the Slayer cover song. The other 28 videos are all me working with Ableton drum samples and then recording all the guitar/bass tracks myself. I only pointed to my stuff on Youtube to give an idea of my experience level, which I would best describe as "prolific amateur".

I think after hearing from you guys I am going to wait until I gain residency in Ohio, and then possibly take the classes so they will be cheaper. And I will check out the forums here and post stuff I am working on as the videos are done in my mind and I probably wouldn't mix them today like they are now as I have learned some things. Thank you all, I really appreciate you taking the time to post your thoughts on this!


Chris
 
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