Practical audio training
SAE Institute, back in the days when it was still 'School of Audio Engineering', pioneered formal audio training and was the first audio school. The SAE concept is based around combining theory lectures and practical hands-on training. I.e. students learn why and how things work and then get to actually use and apply them. Students on SAE's Audio Engineering courses for example make several band recordings in our professional recording studios during their course.
The practical recording and mixing experience students gain during the programme is essential for getting a job afterwards. The audio industry has traditionally been focused on practical experience rather than academic credentials. It is commonly known that many successful sound engineers have taken the way of learning-by-doing following the path of intern, runner, assistant engineer.
Our graduates have the advantage of leaving the college with a guaranteed level of knowledge regarding audio production: signalflow, effects, mixdown, large format consoles, harddisk recording (especially ProTools), microphone placement, synchronisation, compression and EQ, MIDI sequencing and sampling, production techniques etc. During their course they record several bands and complete several music production and post-production projects. It is also a priority at SAE to get students used to realities of the audio production business: strict studio rules, timekeeping, communication with bands/clients, deadlines, organising sessions, care of equipment etc. - definitely no 'spoon-feeding'. We prepare students as much as possible for the real world. All these training objectives have been developed over years of experience, utilising input from industry professionals. The outcomes of our training courses are certified with stringent assessment criteria during our final examinations that confront the student with a realistic studio situation. Only students successfully passing these examinations are awarded with the SAE qualification.
Therefore when entering the industry SAE graduates need far less adaption and training than someone who doesn't have this level of knowledge and practical experience. This allows to shorten the traditional intern-path and reduces training time massively.
This kind of preparation and quality control is not possible with distance learning or purely theoretical audio courses. In fact, every industry professional or studio owner will confirm that hands-on experience is absolutely essential. The equipment provided at SAE is at a level and in a diversity which cannot be replaced with home studio means.
The continued success of SAE graduates in the industry confirms the SAE concept and provides much more re-assurance than education experiments with less of a track-record.
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