Pulse recording college

Hoover wrote: »

and what might the job prospects be after completion of either course.:)

realistically speaking, there are none.

I think what sets them apart is that they offer official Protools qualifications, which the other places don't. Whether this makes a huge difference to your subsequent employability, I can't say. I would imagine it counts for something though, seeing as how Protools is pretty much the industry standard.

Just out of curiousity, how many of the pro's here (either part time or full time) have Protool operator qualifications? How has this affected your employability? This seems to be the main difference between Pulse and other places.

studiorat wrote: »

I don't have any qualifications. Hasn't affected my employability at all, I'm still as unemployable as ever.

Ditto!

My question regarding the qualifications was more aimed at people relatively new to the game. Let's face it, when some of you started Protools didn't exist, nor were you competing with people with formal training seeing as there wasn't really an industry built up around training sound engineers like there is today. I don't mean that it was any easier or that there weren't other considerations, just different times.

I know that these sort of courses are only worth what you get out of them, and even then on their own they aren't going to be enough to give you your break, but nonetheless I can imagine that applying for a job in a studio with Protools, having done the Digidesign qualifications would put you at an advantage over other candidates. What say ye?

Seziertisch wrote: »

My question regarding the qualifications was more aimed at people relatively new to the game. Let's face it, when some of you started Protools didn't exist, nor were you competing with people with formal training seeing as there wasn't really an industry built up around training sound engineers like there is today. I don't mean that it was any easier or that there weren't other considerations, just different times.

I know that these sort of courses are only worth what you get out of them, and even then on their own they aren't going to be enough to give you your break, but nonetheless I can imagine that applying for a job in a studio with Protools, having done the Digidesign qualifications would put you at an advantage over other candidates. What say ye?

Theoretically yes - practically maybe not.

When it comes down to it PT is easy enough to make go. Having a qualification in it is more a marketing thing more than anything. It ain't no biggie, nor is it an indication how quick you are on it - speed is vital.

There ain't no Course on the things that makes you employable i.e. musicality, imagination, enthusiasm, inter-personal skills, professionalism, experience , personal hygiene (?)

They're your goals , not a City and Guilds Cert or whatever, per se.
As Niall in Salt implied, a course isn't even getting you in the door, it's merely leaving the door ajar.

It's up to you how hard you push it.

Interesting!

1. As far as getting work in sound engineering is concerned. It is not true to say that there are no jobs! Most people seem to associate the job with either working in a music recording studio or with bands. In fact most of the jobs are not strictly in these areas. Sound engineering doesn't have to be about music although it is the one we all want! Sound engineering is everywhere, TV, Radio, Multimedia, Games, Audio post, PA hire, Games, and loads of other places. Even retail..ask Paul Brewer! Getting into one of these areas can open the door to other areas and eventually you might reach the promised land!

Fair point , as you say there are many other, equally important and fulfilling Audio jobs - though obviously Music is the Holy Grail for most buckos I know...... and you will agree I'm sure, that the likelihood of long term employment is very slim in Music Recording?

I enjoyed my year of Retail in Music Maker a lot - I got a much better understanding of how that side works - it was also my first introduction to manufacturers directly.
As a way to pay for your education working in a Music Shop is brilliant - Dublin needs more committed retail staff especially to add value to your purchase in this Internet competitive time. Some music shops are great some are not - it's all down to staff.

2.What does it take to get there? Basically you need tunnel vision! ..there can be no alternative! and of course talent!

....and personal hygiene!

3. The guys who say you're wasting your time are often the ones who just weren't really willing to stick at it or just hadn't got the natural aptitude! That's not a critisism of them, it's just that although you might love music and think you'd make a great sound engineer doesn't mean you will. It's a very different thing to being a musician and most guys who do sound engineering courses are musicians or at least very much into music.

Agreed - the reality of the job is often far from the expectation. In fact an awful lot of musicians have no idea what an engineer does, even though they work with them every day!

4. Do you need a cert(S) Yes! Why? because of the fact that they exist!
So if you couldn't be bothered to get a qualification in sound engineering and the other guy did, then the only reason to employ you is if the other guy sounds like an obnoxious over-confident f***! And believe me there's plenty of them out there!

I remain to be convinced on this one at the moment, but I think it should be the case someday! I'm not referring to Pulse at all as I barely know anyone there, but my experience is that a lot of teachers I've come across don't know their Arse from their EQ - this is a sweeping generalization I know , but it is my experience.
Also from dealing with Recording Students in da Maker, it's them who often are obnoxious over-confident f***..... oh, and often wrong!

5. As you can may gather I teach this stuff and of course I'm a bit biased but I genuinely believe in what I'm doing! I like so many others wanted a career in music which then became sound and because I wanted it so much I got it with lots of hard work and study I might add!
As for your chosen course, well I obviously can't comment but there are some good and less expensive alternatives

I'll preface my this comment with - Pulse has a good rep, is there a long time and has good facilities, so this in no ways refers to them.

The danger with Audio Education as it stands, in my opinion, is that a lot of the time it's not good enough - either teacher wise or facility wise. Certainly a lot of the guys I've met wouldn't last 4 Bars of a song in the 'Real World' (again in my opinion) and seem spectacularly unequipped to teach a very complex subject with many, many strands.

In an ideal world students would have access to professional gear in professionally designed rooms. The importance of this is to establish what is 'Right' ... in a BBC sort of way, if you get my drift.
Once you're aware of how 'right' sounds then that is a constant in your head and is always your goal, even if it's not achievable in every situation.

A product of some sub standard courses (in my opinion, you know the drill!)
is that a new , lower quality replacement 'right' is taught.
This spills into the 'Real World' in two ways I see - One is that the students (and their parents) think they're ready for employment and are spectacularly disappointed when they find they're not.
The other is that, by sheer persistence, they end up making very average, dull records in below par facilities, but as everyone else is at it it's become the new 'normal' - hence it's rare that one hears a great sounding rock record here.... and will continue to be so until attitudes change.


To conclude - find out why a 'free' course is free. Does it have the teachers and facilities to give you, as a student, what you need to compete in a VERY competitive area ? - if so Brilliant!
If not, can you buy a course that might be a proper pain in the Bass End to pay for ... but will give you what you need? Then maybe that few grand doesn't sound expensive at all.

You'd be amazed at the amount of people who when they get a job in a studio find out they don't actually like the long hours and bad pay and would rather be working "on their own music".

Here! I'm one of them!!

Im going to do the same course in Pulse, and I decided to put in my input

Why are alot of people seemingly putting down the course in pulse? Its directly linked wiith windmill lane recording studios (cuz they own it), so you get experience in a world class recording studio.

I recorded twice in Temple Lane, w/ 2nd year trainees... never, again. They really hadnt a clue. Thats not to say all their students are like that, not at all, but, ive just had enough of their bad ones to ever go back. That , and theyre very very bad at responding to queiris and emails and the like.

Ye, jobs in the music industry may be few, its a small industry over here... but eh, hello? What ****in jobs arent few and far between at this point? Thats the reason im going to pulse, to get a proper QUALIFICATION (which does matter!!) in what I want to do, and im prepared to do any kind of sound engineering work in tv, radio, advertising an etc etc, watever i can get until I can get a job in a studio (or start my own). If Ive gotta move abroad, then I will, and I think thats a very important thing prospective sound enginering students have to think about.

NOTHINGS GOING TO FALL INTO YOUR LAP, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN, as my mother says.

Finally, pulse is run by professional engineers. They arent teachers or lecturers, they are all now working sound engineers. The guy who heads the audio courses own like 7 recording studios I heard, and he directly employs past pulse students when he can / wants. And in the 2nd, they send a number of students to england for 2 weeks, last year, out of 15 students, 9 were offered full time employment. (Nine people, nine jobs)

And yes its an expensive course, but the equipment they have in all their studios, im sure the ppl here saying "qualifications mean nothing, etc etc" youve probably only read about the equipment theyve got there.

Oh, and very lastly, someone here said something about speed? In pulse they time you to see how long its takes you to input a signal to a channel nd route it here nd there, nd mix this and that and what not. (Remember, im going to be a student so, I dnt know the techy jargon yet) :P