Want to study Sound Editing & Design. Suggestions?

[Alex.Mitchell]

Hey Redusers!

I know that this is mostly a cinematography forum, but I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions of where to look if I wanted to take a course in Sound Editing and Design. I was looking at Maine Media but thought that it would be a good idea to broaden my scope a little so that I know that I'm making the right decision. Thanks for the help!

 

[Tim Duran]

If you live in LA area, UCLA Extension has several sound classes this coming semister. I've taken many of their classes. These are not teens taking these classes. Most have years of training in the industry and want to add to their marketability. I highly recommend UCLA extension. NOTE: you get best results when you come prepared and read a book on the subject first. Many of these classes have no reading assignments, relying on you to take notes and ask questions. All instructors have been in the industry for some time, all with decent to great credits. Good luck

 

[Kwan Khan]

www.Lynda.com

 

[Marc Wielage]

I know that this is mostly a cinematography forum, but I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions of where to look if I wanted to take a course in Sound Editing and Design.

Most of the major sound editing and sound effects people I know are all working in Pro Tools. Based on that, my advice would be to get your Pro Tools certification in all the Post areas (210P, 220P, 320P).

One LA-area school I'd recommend is Video Symphony:

http://www.videosymphony.com/working.php?pg=software_digidesign&gclid=CIyNvP-LvaMCFQYGbAodKwy9dQ

but you can check on Avid's main site to find a Pro School in your area:

http://www.avid.com/US/support/training/find-partner

If you want to learn this stuff at a university level, all the major film schools (UCLA, USC, etc.) have classes in this area.

 

[Lucas Wilson]

Hey Redusers!

I know that this is mostly a cinematography forum, but I was wondering if anyone here had any suggestions of where to look if I wanted to take a course in Sound Editing and Design. I was looking at Maine Media but thought that it would be a good idea to broaden my scope a little so that I know that I'm making the right decision. Thanks for the help!

My alma mater - Berklee College of Music in Boston - has one of the best programs in the world for it. I was a dual major in Music Synthesis & Music Production/Engineering in the late 80s. It was an incredible program then... and to this day, I can sit down at a mixer or a synthesizer having never seen it and know pretty much how to work it within a few minutes. It gave me an incredible base of knowledge...

Best,

Lucas

Lucas Wilson
------------
Director, Business Development
ASSIMILATE, inc.
LA, CA, USA
(Berklee College of Music, Class of '92)

 

[Robbie Warnack]

Theres a few community colleges that have a sound design / editing courses.

Most community colleges that have a film program or broadcast production program offer sound design / editing course as an elective.

 

[Jon Lillie]

Theres a few community colleges that have a sound design / editing courses.

Most community colleges that have a film program or broadcast production program offer sound design / editing course as an elective.

But not all, be sure to research the community college before enrolling to make sure they actually have audio classes that will serve your needs.

My community college has 4 audio classes, and after taking all 4, I haven't really learned any more. But this is just my experience, yours may differ.

 

[Michael Romano]

I took the Associates in Science for Recording Arts at Full Sail in Orlando. Not cheap but very informative. They also subsidized the ProTools certification costs as part of the 210P, 220P, 320P classes.

You're able to get in with sound theory, electronics repair, high end recording suites and tap experienced instructors.

Keep in mind though: Much of the program (when I was there at least) is based towards music production and as thus, there are a lot of **Insert Wannabe Rap Producer Here** type people you'll have to share class space with. I found good luck with the Rock music guys even though my main goal was audio post production.

A nice perk is that you can return for life to take (Or retake) any courses in your degree path.

Through their placement I was able to secure internships at Chicago Recording Company (10+ High End Suites) and Vagabond Audio, an excellent 2 suite boutique shop where I actually learned a whole lot about the PEOPLE side of the technical entertainment business.

It was a great experience for me at that point in my career but I think if I were to try and break in at my age, I'd might simply get an internship at an audio post facility. Don't forget, every paragraph of text in the program can also be found in the library or online if you can just figure out the right questions to ask.

Another great avenue is to try and attach yourself to an independent guy who does post for indies. He might have you doing bitch work but you'll learn a lot about how its done.

Best luck!

 

[Chris Ratledge]

I took the Associates in Science for Recording Arts at Full Sail in Orlando. Not cheap but very informative. ....

It was a great experience for me at that point in my career but I think if I were to try and break in at my age, I'd might simply get an internship at an audio post facility. Don't forget, every paragraph of text in the program can also be found in the library or online if you can just figure out the right questions to ask.

I was wondering how many posts it would take for Full Sail to come up. Just curious when did you attend?

While not entirely applicable to this topic's question, The Film program will set you back about $70k dollars now, not including your living expenses. I'm not sure if they still offer an "associates" in recording arts or not, but I'm sure it's still ridiculously priced.

(I was a little disappoointed that FRONTLINE didn't have anything from Full Sail in their recent report on for-profit colleges, instead of going after the big guys like the Apollo Group and Corrinthian. Guess Full Sail isn't on the radar, still, I'd like to see THEIR default rate info and total outstanding loans)​

A nice perk is that you can return for life to take (Or retake) any courses in your degree path.

Ah, but the fine print states that's true ONLY if the course hasn't changed in a significant fashion, been merged into/split off from another course, has become technologically ancient therefore no longer curriculum, or any other reason at the sole discretion of the institution.

Another great avenue is to try and attach yourself to an independent guy who does post for indies. He might have you doing bitch work but you'll learn a lot about how its done.

Being someone's working bitch as you have suggested, is a much better way to learn, considering hindsight is 20/20. Better to be his/her bitch for a while, instead of Sallie Mae's for the next 20+ years.

 

[Martijn Lembeck]

You could also check out the SAE Institute in the states. www.sae.edu

I did the Audio Engineering diploma in 2000 in The Netherlands. Back then it was a fairly technical education, but very practical and I learned alot about sound and working with sound.

After that I have worked as a recording/mixing engineer in music studio's and video post houses, doing sound design, mixing for cd and dvd and even doing ENG sound.

Good luck..

 

[Rob Delafonte]

I recently had to put together the mix for a friend's short. I'm not a sound guy, but figured I could put something together that was at least okay... anyway it was a pretty big eye opener. I thought I'd be able to put together a half-decent audio track, but I feel completely insecure about my mixing abilities now. The worst part is, I don't know if it was the equipment used to record the audio, the mic-op/recordist, or if I just really don't know how to mix properly.

I was kind of hoping to get a pro to mix a quick scene using the same files and see if it turns out way better or pretty much exactly the same as what I have (as that would mean that I mixed it as good as possible given the source material.) If the pro's mix was way better, I too would consider taking a course... SO, if there are any takers out there, please don't hesitate to PM me.

 

[Steve Sherrick]

I
I was kind of hoping to get a pro to mix a quick scene using the same files and see if it turns out way better or pretty much exactly the same as what I have (as that would mean that I mixed it as good as possible given the source material.) If the pro's mix was way better, I too would consider taking a course... SO, if there are any takers out there, please don't hesitate to PM me.

Most definitely it will sound different. Not saying it will be better or worse (you may be a great mixer), but the reality is they will have more tools available to them, and presumably more experience, therefore the approach might be different. I did sound editing/mixing for a few years and I remember taking one of my mixes to a studio where it was remixed by a guy with far more experience than me and it was an eye opener. It was like he was working with different source audio than I was.

Depending on the situation, sometimes you can get by without a professional mix, but for anything critical bringing it to a good facility with talented mixers will always provide a better product.

 

[Marc Wielage]

I recently had to put together the mix for a friend's short. I'm not a sound guy, but figured I could put something together that was at least okay... The worst part is, I don't know if it was the equipment used to record the audio, the mic-op/recordist, or if I just really don't know how to mix properly.

I mean no disrespect, but I think you answered your own question.

Mixing is very, very hard work. In many ways, it's just as hard a discipline to learn as cinematography or color correction or editing or anything else. You can't expect to just walk right up and figure it out.

So much depends on the room you're mixing in, the tools you have available, the speakers you're using, the nature of the tracks, etc. ... It's hard to make generalizations. You can start by reading about how sound is mixed and recorded, or taking a few classes on the subject at a university. Here's some introductory texts I'd recommend:

Producing Great Sound for Digital Video
by Jay Rose
published by CMP Books [ISBN 1578202086]

Audio Postproduction for Digital Video
by Jay Rose
Published by CMP Books [ISBN 1578201160]

Sound for Film and Television
by Tomlinson Holman
Published by Focal Press [ISBN 0240804538]

Sound for Digital Video
by Tomlinson Holman
published by Focal Press [ISBN 0240807200]

Sound for Picture
by Tom Kenny
Published by Artistpro [ISBN 0872887243]

The Foley Grail: The Art of Performing Sound for Film, Games, and Animation
by Vanessa Theme Ament
published by Focal Press [ISBN 0240811259]

Sound-On-Film: Interviews with Creators of Film Sound
by Vincent LoBrutto
published by Praeger [ISBN 0275944433]

Sync Sound for DAT, DV, and DVD
by Wolf Seeberg
www.wolfvid.com

24P For Sound and Video Assist
by Wolf Seeberg
www.wolfvid.com

Audio Bootcamp Field Guide
by Ty Ford
http://web.mac.com/tyreeford

Guide to the Nagra 4.2 and Production Sound Recording
by Fred Ginsburg
published by Equipment Emporium [ISBN #0971394105]

Roll Sound: A Practical Guide for Location Audio
by John Fielden
published by CreateSpace [ISBN 1450549837]

Location Audio Simplified
by Dean Miles
http://www.locationaudiosimplified.com/

The Practical Art of Motion Picture Sound
by David L. Yewdall
Published by Focal Press [ISBN 0240802888]

Dialogue Editing for Motion Pictures: A Guide to the Invisible Art
by John Purcell
published by Focal Press [ISBN 0240809181]

Each of these has tons of information on the subject, specific techniques, solutions for problems, the history of the technological developments, and the theory behind good practices.Be warned that, like all books on technology, these tend to go out of date very quickly. Be sure to get the latest editions, if newer ones are available.

There's also a good bibliography at this link:

http://www.filmsound.org/bibliography/littlist.htm

--Marc W.