Recording Connection Audio Institute
Locations: United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia
Degrees: Certificate of Completion
Programs: Audio Engineering, Music Producing, Digital Music Producing, Song Writing, Live Audio
Tuition Range: $7,750 - $10,750
Visit Website
The Recording Connection is one of the few mentor apprentice programs available in the media arts. This form of education allows the student to learn in private, one-on-one sessions from a working, professional audio engineer or music producer. The advantages of this form of education are several fold: students can learn at their own pace; students can learn what interests them most; and most importantly, students learn hands-on, career knowledge rather than text book information.
Mentor Apprentice learning also allows students to learn more in less time. The average course at the Recording Connection lasts for six months due to this accelerated learning process. However, if you are the type of student who likes to sit in the back of the classroom and not participate in discussions, this form of education might not be right for you. Instead, it is geared for self-starters for it is the motivated student who will thrive in this environment.
The Recording Connection Audio Engineering Program and Music Producing program are both based around a structured course curriculum that is bolstered by weekly sessions in the mentor’s actual recording studio. When it comes time to apply for a job in the music business, the experience of having worked in a real recording studio trumps a degree every time.
One other unique feature of the Recording Connection is location. No longer are you bound to attend school where they have their campus. Since the Recording Connection “campus” is a real recording studio, and they have a network of hundreds and hundreds of mentors to choose from, where you go to school is entirely up to you. Don’t have funds to relocate? Need to keep your existing job while attending school? No problem, the Recording Connection can hook you up with a mentor in the area you live. Want to pursue a career in the big time? Again, no problem, the Recording Connection has dozens of world famous recording engineers and music producers in New York, Los Angeles and London.
|
Address
View Larger Map
Student Reviews
The Recording Connection is one of the few mentor apprentice programs available in the media arts. This form of education allows the student to learn in private, one-on-one sessions from a working, professional audio engineer or music producer. The advantages of this form of education are several fold: students can learn at their own pace; [...]
Leave a review
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Login using:
Review by Charles K.
January 29, 2012 5I love hands-on learning, never been much for book studying. How else would I ever learn so much about amplifiers? I love how not only are they designed to amplify, they can equalize, isolate, combine, and distribute. When we define noise it results from thermal electron movement from transistors and other circuitry. As far as saturation that is when our input is way too big for the DIRECT CURRENT to produce. I love how resistive and networks control the tone of the guitar amp. To me the best example of a distribution amp would be a headphone amp which would provide a single feed to many pairs of headphones. Any engineer should definitely know power amps boost the audio output of speakers to a rated volume signal. Any live audio engineer BETTER KNOW you have an auxiliary send from the mixer to the preamp to one’s speaker monitors.
Debt Accrued: Less than $5,000
Review by Cory A.
January 22, 2012 4.3Recording Connection is a blast. I love my study times in my mentor’s studio. You learn in a real practical environment and can ask just about anything. My favorite lesson was about all the different microphone types used in his studio. I have been learning a lot about the different uses of microphones, what they are best us for, as well as the quality and inner workings of these microphones. There is a lot of information to pick up on in the Recording Connection, but as I get more time in the studio with my mentor I continue to learn more and more. I love being able to sit in on studio recording sessions. In one of these this female artist recorded vocals over the tracks her band had previously recorded. It was very cool because I got to see the client lay down her basic tracks, as well as the overdubs. Then to see my mentor mix them and make them sound good was a great learning experience for me. He did not do the final mixing, however, he touched them up and it was very cool to see this process unfold. Also I have been getting much better at making my own beats. A few days later I showed my mentor some progress I had been making on the my own equipment so a few days later my mentor had me come in with some other people who were recording some tracks; one was a rapper and the other could sing really well. I became friends with them so I now have a new connection with some musicians so we now plan to work on some music to upload onto YouTube. It will most likely be hip-hop so I would make all the beats. I am going on a vacation now but when I get back my mentor said that the studio will be recording with some bigger producers that have years of experience, with engineers that have worked with artists such as 2pac, Snoop Dogg, and Korn. So I am really excited about this and looking forward to meeting him and a few other people that will be there that I can network with. Overall I am having lots of fun and I remain excited to continue learning and getting more experience in the Recording Connection
Debt Accrued: Less than $5,000
Review by Michael Z.
January 17, 2012 4This was by far the most interesting week in the Recording Connection program to date, as I got to learn firsthand a crash course on troubleshooting. The studio I am working at has a bar/restaurant/radio station/stage on the first floor. At about noon a singer was to come on the radio and perform live. Well much to everyone’s surprise a whole 5 piece band shows up after everyone thought it was going to be just a singer/guitar player. Well being from Canada, they didn’t want to haul too much equipment over the border, so they opted to leave their keyboard behind. No problem, the studio happens to have one that they could use. So my mentor and I helped the stage hand get the keyboard set up for sound check. No sound. To make a long story short, 3 cables and 2 D.I. boxes later still no sound. We plugged it into the guitar amp using the guitar player’s cable and then it started working and the fun happened. But then the outlet the bass amp was plugged into started shorting out and the whole stage lost power, and smoke starts pouring out of the amplifier. Not good. Somehow in the middle of it all the keyboard starts working. So we plugged the bass amp into a different outlet and suddenly there were no more issues. Voila, crash course in troubleshooting. None of us know what exactly solved the problem, but all we do know is it was fixed and the show went on without a hitch from there on out. Easily the most random and messed up session I’ve had thus far, and can foresee having in the future. It was easily the best glimpse I’ve gotten thus far into what can happen when working in a studio full time.”
Debt Accrued: Less than $5,000
Found work after graduation? Yes
Review by BJ F.
November 23, 2011 5Attending the Recording Connection program and completing the set criteria has allowed me to continue to pursue my passion and craft to the extreme. I have a broader understanding of the field and the numerous ways to make financial gains. Currently, I am producing and engineer local Chicago-land talent, commercials for radio broadcast, in addition maintaining my currently mobile DJ business.
Review by Pamela F.
November 20, 2011 5I have been looking for what to me is the perfect learning environment for my son and I came upon your website. It is difficult to describe what I am feeling right now . It is like someone answered my prayers and devise a training program totally with my son in mind, just for him, meeting him right where he is in terms fully hands on, an apprenticeship styled program built right on the doorstep of reality, no traditional classroom styled, textbooks, pen to paper, mockup studios but the real deal. Sending our application today. My faith in education systems meeting the needs of the student has been renewed. Thank you!
Review by Michael B.
November 19, 2011 5The entire experience with the Recording Connection, from start to finish, is great. I learned a lot of new things, as well as refreshed myself on some stuff I already knew. I have learned mic placement, plug-ins, aux sends, live sound recording, and so much more. I now fully understand the different types of microphones and their patterns, what they would be good for, and not so good for, as well as stereo micing techniques and surround sound. My mentor is great and always takes the time to go into detail on anything I did not grasp immediately. I always enjoy interacting with clients and even getting to sit in on and man the console. The number one thing I always take away from my training is the reassurance that this is exactly what I want to be doing in life. I have a passion for it and enjoy it. I truly appreciate everything my mentor does and the time he takes out of his schedule to do it.
Review by Gavin H.
November 15, 2011 5Things are getting a lot interesting every day at the studio with my mentor. For example, on Monday on this week I had been the only person there other than the engineer, so I nearly set up the studio space by just myself for this 4-piece, multi-effects band which was arriving to record a podcast. After that, my mentor did a lesson that the Recording Connection had assigned me. I now have the protocol down: What means what, where every part Mic is kept around the studio, which inputs that Mics, how to space the gobo boards, and the list goes on. I’m really getting the feel for the spot and my tasks are increasing by the day, it’s a blast.
Review by Oscar M.
November 9, 2011 4Since starting the Recording Connection program, a lot of my mindset is different about the audio engineering field. I now have a better knowledge of not only the technical issues with the way things work in the audio industry, but the aspects involving dealing with clients and artists. The techniques I have discovered that deal with mixing and general audio engineering practices has greatly improved my chance to work with, not only my own personal music, but others’ music as well. It’s also much simpler for me to identify difficulty with mixes and the right ways to go about correcting them. Furthermore, my attitude towards professionalism has become greatly enhanced as a result of working with essential persons in the business, and also upcoming artists and clientele. My mentor has told me that I possess the right attitude for the business, which motivates me to be more outgoing in terms of meeting new customers and artists to work with. All in all, this program has really helped me feel confident in my decision to attend, and makes me feel that my future in audio production will be really rewarding.
Review by Avery A.
November 8, 2011 4.3When I reached my mentors’ studio my mentor was actually fixing wires within the equipment so I could see what goes into making the machines in the studio work directly. After we sat down and discussed the initial lesson in the book the Recording Connection assigned me. He showed me how sound energy travels, what phase gives the sound of things recorded, and just how sound is measured. After explaining everything to me we then went to operate the computers and truly hear and see the sound, as well as the other ways it can be changed. I also had got to go into a booth and test the microphones to see if these were wired properly, that’s a very fun experience for me. I am going to be stopping in for two sessions within the next week to see how drums are set up and watch a hip hop group record.
Review by Douglas S.
November 7, 2011 5After I graduated I joined my mentor’s management company, and now I’ve been working with famous rappers, and ghost writers that are with Atlantic Records, and Interscope Records. I’ve worked out of multiple studios and have made valuable connections with
Review by Ray F.
November 4, 2011 4Today was my first day with the Recording . I figured that studying the basics of sound was going to be boring. Learning many vocabulary words and other technical stuff involving numbers is absolutely not my strong suit, but my mentor got it fun and interesting for me to learn. I was initially staring at the pages in my books the Recording Connection assigned me for many hours the night before and wasn’t getting any of it. It was all Greek to me, but my mentor was able to translate it into words that I could understand. Now I know exactly what the books are saying and the things I had been trying to understand. It seemed to be cool to see that several of the things which I was learning were points that I had been using all along in my own small home studio setup without even realizing it, or maybe more, without even being aware what this process did. I learned the basic principles of sound itself. All I knew about before I went in for my training with my mentor was how to plug a guitar into my interface, start … Connection. I figured that studying the basics of sound was going to be boring. Learning many vocabulary words and other technical stuff involving numbers is absolutely not my strong suit, but my mentor got it fun and interesting for me to learn. I was initially staring at the pages in my books the Recording Connection assigned me for many hours the night before and wasn’t getting any of it. It was all Greek to me, but my mentor was able to translate it into words that I could understand. Now I know exactly what the books are saying and the things I had been trying to understand. It seemed to be cool to see that several of the things which I was learning were points that I had been using all along in my own small home studio setup without even realizing it, or maybe more, without even being aware what this process did. I learned the basic principles of sound itself. All I knew about before I went in for my training with my mentor was how to plug a guitar into my interface, start playing, then add effects, and refer to it as a recording. My mentor also showed me a couple of small things in Pro Tools that has helped me understand sound better. Even just learning about the basics of sound has already improved my own recording quality. It makes me would like to go to the studio for my next lesson all the more. I can not wait for my next lesson, where I get to start out discovering Digital Audio next.
Review by Aaron T.
November 1, 2011 5Coming towards the end of my apprenticeship with the Recording Connection I can say I definitely learned a lot. The assignments were very important for me, since they were geared more towards my future goals and understanding of Pro Tools. I went from feeling a little intimidated by Pro Tools, to feeling quite comfortable. A lot of my studio time was spent watching and working with my mentor, editing and mixing his tracks. This gave me a huge advantage when working at home on my own, with my own music. The lessons and the terminology have truly helped me set a very important foundation for what I’m about to embark on. For example; When you are to be an engineer in the future, my training always mentioned terms such as Low Pass Filters, High Pass Filters, Compression, Delay and Reverb. Now, I won’t look at this like I’m totally lost. As I mentioned in one of the journals, while more than half way into the lesson plans I was attending film audio post seminars, and all of a sudden I felt more in tuned with what the professionals were discussing. Whereas just a year prior, when I had not joined the Recording Connection, I felt I wasn’t grasping what these professionals were saying as much as I would have liked to.
Review by Matt M.
October 5, 2011 5My mentor invited me to come to the studio for a nighttime session. It was a very interesting session and was on the second time I had been there for that specific booking. I was responsible for setting up all of the microphones, amplifiers, headphones, and other stuff in the live room prior to the session, this way, everything was ready to go upon arrival of the clients. During the session I waited patiently and sat off to the side waiting for my mentor to ask me to make any quick adjustments in the live room. At the end of the session I promptly broke down all the equipment and returned the microphones to where they are stored. It was interesting to even have the chance to help the artist adjust his amp to the sound he wanted at his request. The next day was mainly my lesson review of the assignment the Recording Connection assigned me. There were two other apprentices there so as a group we went over some aspects of compression in a plug-in in Pro Tools. It was very informative and helpful to actually watch my mentor modify elements of a track with a compressor and, of course, he explained it very thoroughly.
Review by Paul D.
September 30, 2011 5I started my course today and had my very first lesson with my mentor, which went very well. It lasted roughly 2 hours just because we were getting along so well and enjoying talking about the lesson reading that the Recording Connection provided me with. Then a few days later I was able to go to my mentors’ studio for about 5 hours to watch the second engineer in charge work on a mix of his own band, was well as other tasks the studio needed assistance with. Then, I even went in the following day for 6 hours to observe Marcus mix while his client was in the studio. After that, I got to sit in on a radio bit that they record for a national 2-minute business spot which was really cool.
Review by Joseph M.
September 30, 2011 5I’ve had the opportunity to mix everything from Rock & Pop to Hip-Hop but my original tracks are electronic dance music. The studio I’m working with has recorded everyone from Big Head Todd to Primus to Widespread Panic and I’ve done a lot of my training using their recorded stems. I’ve been soldering patch bays, patching outboard gear, working in Pro Tools, working on massive mixing consoles, all of which is becoming a second language to me thanks to the training from my mentor Jesse and the material the course is giving me. I feel lucky that they hooked me up with a killer studio, I’m not sure what it is like in other states but according to them they only pair you up with studios that have an established reputation so I imagine this is about how it goes wherever you are. I’d say it’s well worth it.
Review by Roger D.
September 22, 2011 5I did the Recording Connection program in New York City. The studio I trained at had regular interns at it but they did not get the private instruction that I got. Because my mentor trained me, he was able to recommend me for jobs with his colleagues. He did not do that for his other interns. I had no problem with this program and I would recommend it to anyone.
Review by Tim V
September 21, 2011 5This is a good program. It is not an internship, it is an apprenticeship where you learn inside a real studio with a mentor. I liked it. The one on one learning approach was special and I got a job at my studio in Philadelphia. If anyone wants to do this program and is serious, me and my family recommend it.
I have a strong classical background from other schooling, but I have had experience at recording connection with working from electronic music to jazz.
Review by Erik C.
September 19, 2011 5I don’t have a job from this program yet but I did learn a ton and I know how to do much more than my friends who went to Full Sail. I also save a bunch of money. I’m looking to get a job so I’m thinking if I just keep going to the studio in which I trained, I’ll be good to go. The Recording Connection has a good job placement program and I’m going to get going with that next.
Review by William S.
September 16, 2011 5Things are getting more and more interesting every day at the studio with my mentor. For instance, on Monday of this week I was the only person there other than the engineer, so I pretty much set up the studio space all by myself for this 4-piece, multi-effects band that was coming in to record a podcast. After this, my mentor did a lesson that the Recording Connection had assigned me. I now have the protocol down: What means what, where this and that Mic is kept within the studio, which inputs for which Mics, how to space the gobo boards, and the list goes on. I’m really getting the feel for the place and my tasks are increasing by the day, it’s a blast.
Review by Hank G.
September 16, 2011 5I set up a mic because my mentors’ Company was starting an internet radio station and had to record radio spots. I immediately was interested because I went to school for promotion and advertisement so I acquired knowledge on how to write spots for TV, magazines, internet ads, and radio. I made use of a few of my editorial skills to go over the spots, making sure the correct terms were used. I also was helping to come up with ideas as to how to make sure the correct timing was employed per spot and how to add additional seconds to the ad if required. When my mentor realized how engrossed I was, he asked if I just wished to take over and run the show. I replied YES. That had me tremendously happy.
Review by Anthony L.
September 14, 2011 5Most of the people that are skeptical about this program have never done the program. I was too, skeptical I mean. Well, I did the program in L.A. And I gotta to say it really was amazing. I worked with Warren Huart who just completed the new Aerosmith record, Korn, and he was my mentor. He taught me what I need to know. This program is so real. Too bad the internet is filled with a bunch of jerks. Couch potatoes. Haters. The program worked for me.
Review by Susan R.
September 10, 2011 5I recommend The Recording Connection to anyone who is not a fool. I am having a great time with this program. I meet my mentor 3x per week and we are learning not just Pro Tools but analogue recording. The one on one approach is not for fools who think life owes them something. It is for serious kats that want to work hard. I worked hard and now I am working as my mentor’s assistant. No way Full Sail would have gotten me this opportunity.
Review by Mike J.
August 30, 2011 5I am currently enrolled in this program in NYC and am thoroughly enjoying my experience. This program provides me with an incredible opportunity to learn, improve, and network in a professional atmosphere with the professionals in the field.
Review by Jade B.
August 21, 2011 5As soon as I started my classes, I couldn’t have been more happy. I was put in a rather prominent recording studio, which is located right in the heart of Times Square (penthouse level!) and is located in a building with a remarkable amount of recording history (Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, and Tupac to name some). My mentor was exceedingly learned and accommodating from the start and gave me a very cozy and individual learning environment.
Review by Justin L.
August 15, 2011 5Recording Connection will give you the basic and advanced skills of this trade. It will give you a foot in the door with a real studio, full of people who make a living doing what you want to do (which is not easy today!). It will give you a chance to meet the people who make the music you love, through every step of the process. It will give you a chance to prove your value to a very small, very tight-knit group of professionals in an industry that is outright hostile to most newcomers. Remember, at its heart, making records is a service industry. Be of service.
Work hard. Remain positive. Learn how to talk to engineers, producers, and musicians. Look for opportunities as they present themselves, and you could very well be running a studio after your course is over.
Today, I work as a freelance engineer, with opportunities to book sessions at several studios in the area, including the one I studied at whenever I would like. I am a business partner with my instructor, running a business we built together during my time with the Recording Connection. We record in just about any basement or garage we can fit into, as well as on stage and in local studios. I spend my day surrounded by gear, thinking about recording and ways to improve.
Review by G. Green
August 3, 2011 5I’m an audio engineering student at the Recording Connection in North Little Rock, Arkansas and just finishing up the program. Over the course of the program I was able to develop good relationships with the engineer that was my mentor, as well as the producer and owner of the studio. They’ve just offered me an internship through the end of this summer where I will continue to work with and learn from them. If I do well, there’s a good chance of being hired on as an engineer by the end of the year. The Recording Connection is all I hoped it would be.
Review by R. Martens
August 3, 2011 5I found about the Recording Connection after doing research on the Internet to see what all my options were. What really stuck out about the Recording Connection was the affordable price for such an excellent opportunity. So, I applied and was lucky enough to get accepted after talking with the mentor recommended by the Recording Connection.
It exceeded all expectations as I’ve learned twice as much as I thought I would. My mentor was great about expanding on topics outside of the written curriculum, allowing me to sit in on recording sessions and mixes. Sitting in on sessions is how I learned what the professionals use, including the Pro Tools software, and the science of sound.
Upon graduating the program, I was offered a job as an intern, which I gladly accepted. Since then, I’ve been working hard to establish a position for myself and was just promoted to be Assistant Engineer.
The Recording Connection delivers on its promise to provide its students with the opportunity to get their foot in the door. I couldn’t be happier.
Review by Aaron C.
May 20, 2011 5Now that my mentor and I are in week 5 of the program, we have started to cover the console and I found out that everything I thought I knew of them before was true! It’s just a big mouse. I’ve been around different types of consoles in the past, but never actually got an opportunity to work with one before. So, when my mentor let me take the driver seat this week at the studio, and actually get hands on with the console, I was very eager to get going. I am learning basically how the console works, and how it “folds” the tracks over on each other to save space. Also, I’m now able to understand the signal flow of the studio, and figure out the patch bay that my mentors’ studio uses. Also, I have been furthering my knowledge on microphones, learning which ones to use in what situations, but at the same time, understanding that it’s all about my own personal touch. Working with my mentor is very helpful. It’s only been 5 weeks since I first joined the Recording Connection and I’ve learned more than I thought I would know at this time. My mentor has a good way of explaining things to where it’s easily understandable, and this is all I could ever ask for. Moreover, I really feel like his main concern is if I am actually learning
Review by Elijah O.
May 4, 2011 5In the first official session with my mentor and the Recording Connection, I learned that this field is not just skill. You must have people skills as well in order to be the best at production. This field includes multiple opportunities for a career path such as, musician, producer, engineer, and a studio manager. Now, being in an environment with everything I ever dreamed of having around me, it will give me the skill set I must possess in order to be successful. This lesson with my mentor taught me the general direction that the digital audio basics will be leading me in. This mainly discussed sampling rate and how it works within the studios format. With starting to get a “hands on” feel for everything in the studio, it was much easier to distinguish the difference between the basics.
Review by Tom G.
October 6, 2009 5Recording Connection holds its classes in some of the biggest, most well respected recording studios in the world. I called a few of these studios and the studios said that the Recording Connection was a great school and a great way to learn. So I went for it. I went to my private classes with The Recording Connection in a great recording studio here in Boston and I learned tons of great stuff. The Recording Connection and my private mentor were great. The staff was nice, the curriculum I learned from was top notch, and I graduated from the program without any trouble or problems. I am glad I did this program. I’m not sure why they would have an F rating anyway. I guess it’s because they have 30 or so complaints, yet I see other businesses with hundreds of complaints who get A and B grades. Go figure. My experience with them was solid but I suppose not everyone’s will be as good as mine, but then I usually succeed in whatever I set out to do.