Having first caught the music bug in high school, I knew that I wanted to make music for a living. I understood that rock star dreams can only be dreams, but there is a world of careers in the music industry that don’t necessarily come with fame. I first got interested in recording after working on some home demos. I checked out a couple of schools, and PAVI’s world class recording studio impressed me. The vintage API board is probably the best console I’ve ever worked on. Not to mention the studio has more Gold and Platinum albums than most studios in Canada.
All of my instructors were more than willing to spend break time going over a concept I didn’t understand.
The Right Skills
I was immediately impressed by the knowledge of my instructors. There was a lot of hands-on work with Pro Tools, and I quickly picked up the concepts and put them to use. All of my instructors were more than willing to spend break time going over a concept I didn’t understand, or ask any gear questions I had.
The program was broken down into 3 semesters. Each had a series of different modules, and there was always a ton of class hours devoted to studio time. In addition to Audio Engineering and Mixing classes, we also had classes on Career Management, and learned more about contracts and how to make an earning as a producer/engineer. One of the highlights for me personally was listening to a former A&R Rep from A&M Records talk about his experiences in the music industry and how contracts can make or break a career.
Within months of graduating, I was working on a label release, which went on to achieve Gold sales and was certified by CRIA. Everything I learned at PAVI directly helped with the recording of that album. I continued to apply these skills to every other recording I worked on, and my reputation kept growing.
The only thing that ever annoyed me at PAVI was the lack of motivation displayed by other students.
You Get What You Put In
The only thing that ever annoyed me at PAVI was the lack of motivation displayed by other students. A lot of students would often get high during break, and come to class stoned. I would focus solely on music, and would record and mix outside of class as well. This is a course meant for people with a passion for recording, not people who want to get rich quick recording their friend’s rap demo.
Having said that, I worked hard in all my classes and now I have a Gold record and numerous offers coming in every day. PAVI is a fantastic school, and anyone who works hard will be successful.
http://www.myspace.com/andrewconroymusic
(5 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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Having graduated with an Audio Degree and now working with the Victoria Conservatory of Music I completely agree with the hard work – meets passion – can provide you with any number of opportunities for a career in music!