Author Topic: Producing through School or Bedroom?  (Read 14150 times)

Marrow Machines

  • Mid
  • ***
  • Posts: 788
  • Honor: 101
  • Electronic Music
    • marrow-machines
    • MarrowMachines
    • View Profile
Re: Producing through School or Bedroom?
« Reply #15 on: February 27, 2016, 05:52:34 pm »
Once again, just ignore half of what Nadav says - Don't feed the troll.

I'm actually going to an art school for music - just not for EDM stuff. The program I'm enrolled in focuses mostly on production and composition for film and TV, and lets you choose scoring or engineering and sound design. It's an incredible program and the school has a ton of resources for students, but if you just wanna make beats or get signed to Spinnin' I'd consider this overkill.

Outside of having the accelerated learning curve from going through a guided course and associating with other musicians, the big benefit to attending a music program is the ability to network: with teachers (who work in the industry), people who come visit the school, and other students who might become successful during or after their time at school. That's the real dirty secret, honestly. A bunch of kids don't even graduate, because they get hired or get enough contacts to strike out on their own. A Bachelor's of Fine Arts is mostly useless as a degree.

No amount of schooling is going to turn you from a shitty artist to a good one - it's a matter of how much work you put in and how many contacts you make that can help you out. If you can manage all of that without going to a school, I'd consider that preferable. Schools like these are dangerous even when they're legitimate, because they make promises about what you'll achieve without informing you of what you'll realistically have to do to achieve it. So I'd look at one of those shorter programs or individual classes. I've heard good things about the ICON collective, and you could check out Point Blank London or Dubspot. You'll be getting the kind of specialized education you want without blowing tens of thousands of dollars to get a degree you won't even need.

I love you. Best advice.
Josh Huval: Honestly, the guys who are making good art are spending their time making it.

Nadav

  • Guest
Re: Producing through School or Bedroom?
« Reply #16 on: February 27, 2016, 06:45:09 pm »
Mussar, your hilarious formula goes like this:

1. Somebody says something you agree with
2. Call that person a troll and tell people to ignore him
3. Restate what that person said, point for point

Cracks me up.

Anyway, thanks for supporting my ideas, glad you liked them.

Lydian

  • Mid
  • ***
  • Posts: 512
  • Honor: 107
  • Hi! I'm Danny! Let's talk production! :)
    • View Profile
Re: Producing through School or Bedroom?
« Reply #17 on: February 27, 2016, 08:01:15 pm »
I love you nadav
A young 14 year old me with a really bad haircut. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eMbftWV75w

Mussar

  • Administrator
  • Mid
  • *****
  • Posts: 631
  • Honor: 252
    • mussarmusic
    • mussarmusic
    • View Profile
    • My Site
Re: Producing through School or Bedroom?
« Reply #18 on: February 28, 2016, 03:15:05 am »
Don't feed the troll.

Whoops, forgot to take my own advice.

Anyways, just to add another point I think is important - make sure whatever route you go, write a plan at least 6 months (or 1-2 semesters) in advance. You should know what you're doing from today until August, and by then you should know what you're doing until this time next year. If you're being autodidactic, write out your own learning objectives and break them down into a personal syllabus. If you're attending one of the EDM schools or some sort of music production/engineering program or major, try to get your entire degree planned out before your second semester's over and just update/change it as you go along.

I know my answers are really not giving a specific route, but I think that's something you should discover for yourself and not try to take people's opinions as dogma (even mine!). I had a bunch of friends tell me not to go to school for music production if I wanted to be a DJ, but since I decided to check out my school's music program anyways I found another career path that I hadn't even considered before. At the same time, there have been kids in my classes who definitely should not have come to the school. 

It's all gonna be about what you think you need, and how you think you can best get it. Do a lot of research on both sides, and see what happens!
« Last Edit: February 28, 2016, 03:17:42 am by Mussar »