Producer-Schulen und Kurse - Das bringt die Weiterbildung!
In the past few years the market for training and further education opportunities in the audio engineering segment has grown enormously. But not every offer is suitable for everybody how is interested. While some prefer to work through a specific crash course on a specific topic as a video tutorial online, others even plan their entire professional career in the form of a multi-year course of study.
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The need for in-depth knowledge in the field of music production, sound design, etc. is obvious. Professionally implemented audio content is becoming more and more important in the constantly growing media world. This also increases the need for skilled workers. As a result, the demand for specialists is also growing, so that both a comprehensive (correspondence) course of study lasting several years and a specified short course of training are useful investments in the future. Entry is independent of age. Both school leavers who are in the process of finding their way around and people with professional experience who decide to retrain can get their job started with a solid basic education. Four different forms of learning crystallize here, each with their own advantages and disadvantages.
DVD/livestream courses: pros and cons
Livestream workshops or, alternatively, teaching content archived on DVD have the advantage that they are usually quite inexpensive and you can quickly get an overview of whether the topic is of deeper interest or not. This form is highly recommended for approaching a topic or for specifying a certain program, but rather unsuitable for complete training courses or even degrees, also due to the lack of tutors who accompany you in the long term if anything is unclear.
Distance learning: pros and cons
Distance learning courses are comparable to training or studying, except that there is no need to be present at the place of study at fixed times. The flexible scheduling accommodates those who are working and/or have family commitments. However, distance learning is only advisable if there is a lot of self-discipline and stamina, often over several years. The course fees are usually moderate because they require no or very little presence at the training facility and the training can be completed from home.
Education: pros and cons
An apprenticeship not only provides specialist knowledge, ideally it offers a state-recognized degree that increases job opportunities in order to later work as a sound engineer, sound designer, audio engineer, etc. You commit yourself to at least one year or more, optionally as part-time or full-time, which takes place in attendance at the training location. The cost factor of privately financed training must also be taken into account.
Studies: pros and cons
Going to an institute is a landmark decision for your professional career in order to get entry into the job market. Over several years you will deal intensively with the subject, either full-time or part-time, especially if a B.A. or Master‘s degree is to follow after the diploma. The tuition fees are comparatively high for this. Studying on a campus has the great advantage that you can learn together with other students (from each other). The direct exchange also has a positive effect on building networks and establishing contact with future clients and employers.
Training institutes at a glance
Apprenticeships and courses with a future
Abbey Road Institute
Advanced Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering is the name of the full-time course for interested music producers and sound engineers who want to study at the Abbey Road Institute. It is divided into the three main areas of music production, sound engineering and business. Students can graduate in one year at the only classroom location in Germany, Frankfurt/Main. The German-language curriculum covers acoustics, analog equipment, analog and electronic music production, DAW, arrangement techniques, mastering, microphones, mixing, musical craft, music theory, and publishing and marketing. Theoretical knowledge transfer is implemented in a practical way on large consoles, among other things. Practical hands-on lectures deepen the knowledge. The lecturers and guest lecturers have many years of experience, have already worked with very well-known artists and some of them have been awarded with Grammys. On the software side, Logic Pro, Pro Tools and Ableton Live are mainly used. The monthly tuition fee is 1495 Euros plus the registration fee of 450 euros.
Wave Akademie
For full-time training, the Wave Academy offers the two state-recognized professions of sound design and sound engineer. Both last two years. There are also two one-year courses as music producer and audio engineer. There are three written or practical exams per semester plus the final exam. The monthly tuition fees, which are self-financed, amount to 650 Euros, but various funding options are available. In the course content, prospective sound engineers are introduced to a LAWO mix console for recording, as well as mixing, restoration and mastering, mainly with the programs ProTools, Cubase and Wavelab. Sound designers are also trained with this software for film scoring, editing, noise development, animation and trailers. The music producer course is aimed at those interested in electronic music for hip-hop, RnB, electro or dance. The German-language face-to-face training courses in Berlin always take place Monday to Friday. An own computer workstation with necessary software is provided. Various software discounts and education versions are offered.
Deutsche Pop
The academy Deutsche Pop is a good place to start when entering the creative industry. In addition to practical training courses such as audio designer, audio engineer, audio producer, interactive audio designer, music designer, music producer, songwriter and sound engineer, there are also courses in electronic music production and music technology specialist, which lead to an academically recognized B.A. degree. The duration of the B.A. is carried out in cooperation with the University Of West London. The course can be completed either full-time or part-time, the duration of which is set at 2.5 years. There are twelve locations to choose from. Financing of the study course is possible starting from 199 Euro. In addition to traditional acoustic and sound technology know-how, it is also important to master the technical challenges of electronic music production. Furthermore, hardware and software are used in a practical manner. Sampling, remixing, composition and sound design are on the curriculum. The German-language lessons are taught by renowned lecturers from the music industry.
SAE Institute
As the world‘s largest media campus and with more than 40 years of experience, the SAE Institute trains new audio engineers with its course. With a combination of theoretical teaching components and 75% practical experience, the students at the nine German locations acquire all the important basics for future work in the sound/film studio, radio or as a live technician. Among other things, the teaching content includes electrical engineering, microphones, effects studies, acoustics, loudspeakers, as well as recording, mixing and production techniques on the hi-end consoles from Neve or SSL in their own practice studios. Electronic music production and DAW are also part of the course. The monthly fee for the 18-month course is 730 Euros. After attaining the audio engineering diploma, studies can be continued for a further one or two years until the state-recognized Bachelor/Master degree. By the way: Starting in the coming winter semester, the institute will also be opening up international courses.
Apprenticeships and courses with a future
HOFA-College
As the largest distance learning school for audio engineering & music production in the German-speaking world, HOFA College is positioning itself in the market. It offers the two-year audio engineering diploma, which consists of HOFA Basic, HOFA Pro and the short courses. The basics of sound engineering and music production are taught first, which are then deepened in HOFA Pro in the fields of recording, producing, mixing and mastering. Of the eleven short courses, five must be completed. The offer includes short courses on topics such as music business, vocals, film sound, drum programming, harmony theory and sound design. The HOFA College is also characterized by a fair price-performance ratio with a monthly fee of 137.90 Euros. The tasks and exams are done on your own computer. At the start of the course, you currently get all HOFA plug-ins worth over 1000 Euros. This correspondence course is recommended as a part-time course. The analysis of the study tasks is done by the HOFA tutors, who are available for questions and individual feedback throughout the course. In addition to the course content, you can take part in regular and free online studio workshops live from the HOFA studios with industry experts as lecturers. If the certified distance learning course is extended by one year after the diploma, an internationally recognized bachelor‘s degree in sound engineering and music production can be completed at a university.
VibrA
Anyone who has always wanted to learn the art of DJing in order to start a DJ career can learn the DJ craft at VibrA. Both beginners and advanced DJs can use DJ controllers, media players, club mixers and turntables at 13 locations to apply the knowledge of long-time professional DJs as instructors themselves. The German-language lessons are offered in individual training or as group coaching. In addition to technical skills such as beat matching and scratching, business topics and live performance are also highlighted. The use of effects, loops and acapellas are also included. Furthermore, producing your own tracks is increasingly important for DJs. In producing courses, the basics of electronic music production for House, Techno or EDM can be learned with the DAW Ableton Live, among others. On the hardware side, the knowledge can be put into practice on MIDI controllers, drum machines and synthesizers. Group lessons of 45 minutes are possible from 69 Euros per month, while individual lessons are offered for 30 minutes from 89 Euros per month. Aspiring DJs can arrange a free music training session.
BIMM Institute
The BIMM Institute, which is represented in Hamburg and Berlin, offers a three-year full-time degree programme in English in the fields of Music Production, Music Business, Music Performance and Songwriting, both leading to an internationally recognised Bachelor's degree. The content of face-to-face teaching (music production) includes audio basics, recording, mixing and mastering as well as sound design and synthesis. From the second year onwards, the student can take the courses individually. Practice is clearly in the foreground. Technically, software from Pro Tools, Logic and Ableton Live and an Audient 8024 HE console are used. Finances, artist management, publishing and rights are covered in the music business degree. In addition to imparting knowledge of technical skills, great importance is attached to establishing networks and contacts with future clients and employers from the industry. The experienced tutors from BIMM are also strongly networked and are themselves active as musicians, producers or label bosses. There is a tuition fee of 7950 euros per year. You can find current information on funding opportunities such as BAföG on the website.
Point Blank Music School
The Point Blank Music School offers an extensive range of English-language courses (including those with academic B.A. degrees) as well as advanced training courses at certificate level. In addition to the stationary campus locations in London, Los Angeles, China, Ibiza and Mumbai, courses can also be taken online worldwide. If you opt for the three-year online BA full-time course in music production & sound engineering at a price of 6,000 British pounds, you go through 18 modules, including music composition, sound design, the DAWs Logic or Ableton, mixing, mastering, audio for games and remix production. The price includes a comprehensive professional software package consisting of the Ableton Live Suite and Komplete from Native Instruments worth over US dollar 1,250. The practical part of the course is 55 percent, 25 percent is written, the rest is used for presentations and performance. Valuable advice and assistance from each module leader and constant contact are promised. Free demo videos and plug-ins are available for registered members to download.
Training and advanced training online
Sinee
The six-month online courses electronic music production from Sinee are designed with a strong focus on the DAW Ableton Live and electronic club music, especially techno. The courses are all in German and can be canceled on a monthly basis. Experienced club music and scene experts accompany the participants through the courses as lecturers. The content includes the tricks of beat production, sound design and synthesizers. Building on this, audio technology, mastering and remixing are dealt with. Another course includes composition. The time allocation and learning speed of the course participants can be determined individually. In addition to the self-control of the exercises, personal video feedback can be booked. Finally, after completing a thesis, there is a Sinee certificate. Big discounts on selected software are also offered. For as little as 99 euros per month, you can flexibly fine-tune yourself into a techno producer. With a Sinee+ membership, you can enjoy benefits such as new free monthly downloads with racks, samples, templates or presets.
Groove3
The online platform Groove3 offers professional further training in the field of music production, albeit only in English. The choice of topics is broad. Much more than electronic music is offered. From live music to audio editing, djing, mixing and mastering, you can also train yourself in songwriting, ear training, scoring and video sounding. In addition, tutorial courses are offered for almost every relevant DAW and a large number of well-known plug-ins. On average, a course comprises between 12 and 15 chapters, which together often last over 2 hours. To get access to over 2,100 hours of 1,190 instructional videos and over 100 digital books, an All Access Pass subscription for $ 15 monthly or $ 150 annually is recommended. Individually, courses usually cost between $25 and $40. The hands-on videos are led by expert musicians, producers or sound designers. They invite you to use the knowledge immediately in your own productions, provided you own the software, even if it‘s just a trial version. Ideal for anyone who wants to quickly learn a specific topic online.
ADSR Sounds
The sample specialists at ADSR Sounds offer various online courses on sound design, music production and DJing for further training. You can search for videos of well-known synthesizer/effect plug-ins for mixing and mastering, DAWs or hardware controller pads such as Push and Launchpad. The videos mainly focus on electronic music such as house, EDM, techno and hip-hop. The courses can either be purchased for permanent ownership or subscribed to for as little as 19 US dollars per month or 14 US dollars per year. In the case of a subscription, you get access to all the training courses on the platform and thus over 800 hours of material. The English-language courses, sometimes lasting up to 12 hours, are divided into different chapters and structured in a reasonable way. For those who do not have the time or leisure to work through a course lasting several hours, there are numerous individual video tutorials. From A for Ableton Live, Access Virus or arrangement to M for Machine, Massive and Mixing to Z for the Zebra synthesizer, the necessary knowledge is taught in understandable crash courses.
Audiocation
Audiocation offers a wide range of online courses, from sound design and drum programming to music production and the twelve-month audio engineer professional course. The audio engineer professional training is location-independent and includes the basics of audio engineering, room acoustics, miking, mixing, effects and instruments, editing, and the implementation of complete recording sessions. In addition, recordings for mix analysis must be submitted along with your own final project for successful certification. A detailed written feedback with constructive suggestions for improvement follows for each submitted task. Eight to ten hours of time are to be planned weekly with flexible time allocation so that the training can be done alongside work. The lecturers are all active in the audio industry and have many years of experience. The course fee is € 149 per month, state funding opportunities are available. On the software side, students receive discounted conditions for products from Steinberg, Ableton and Image-Line, among others.
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