Looking at University

[slothrop]

Yeah, I'm going to join the forces of boring here and say that it's definitely worth looking at doing a course that's got job oppurtunities outside the music business as well as inside it. So do eg business or electrical engineering or computer science or design or whatever depending on what you're good at and then spend as much of your free time as possible doing live sound and theatre teching and recording bands and writing tunes and putting on nights and all that sort of malarky. It's probably not as good as doing a music tech course but you've got rather more options if it doesn't come together immediately...

Edit - just punting that out as an option, mind, not saying you should definitely go for it...

[REAP3RMusic]

If you've got your heart set on doing a music course in uni, forget music tech. A lot of unis do a 'Music production' course which does exactly what it says on the tin. Only problem is getting a job with a music production degree is like getting laid in church. However you learn to make music for all sorts of scenarios and some video games and movie companies may be taking on sound engineers and shit.

[bigfootspartan]

Most of you won't like this but I would strongly suggest not doing a uni course in music.

You are much better doing a course in i.t or business or something much more universal.

I have to second this. I was always interested in music, but in my high school pretty much everyone was interested in music, i figured there was no way that I'd find a job in that job market. Instead I did a 3 year B Sc and am in my first year of medical school. A shit load of school, and im broke as shit for 8 years of my life, but the job stability is worth it IMO. Plus I can still keep music as a hobby, which im certainly happy with!

[Dystinkt]

yeah keele was the one i found pal, btw what part of north yorkshire you from im from yorkshire too

[Grime Syndicate]

anyone? anyone?.... Buhler?

[oli90]

I do CMT at Bath Spa as well. There's not any performance really.

So do you two know each other?

I don't know, do we oli90?

Project Midnight raises a fair point, especially considering the current financial climate and the rise in tuition fees (I'd be a lot more wary about applying to do a degree now seeing as the fees have basically doubled, if not more depending on the university in question, since I applied). If you want to do a music tech degree make sure you're doing it for the right reasons and you know what you're getting out of it at the end. A man's got to make a living you know.

I'm second year.

[Toxic_Acidity]

I know this might sound strange but I learned so much about music from an ND in Electrical Engineering. We actually spent two weeks on the theory around how amps work. Learned how to work out wave forms and signals, sin, square, saw tooth. You can then probably follow up that degree with some music theory/technology courses which will seem like child's play after the stuff you will learn on an Engineering degree. Got to have solid maths though thats the only problem .

[upstateface]

Only problem is getting a job with a music production degree is like getting laid in church.

Bad analogy, this is quite simple

[Shum]

I'm wondering what type of degree would be necessary to get on teams of VSTi, VST, and DAW developers. Computer Science with a minor in music production perhaps?

Maths/Physics/Software (or Electrical) Engineering.

Also do people not study Music anymore?

[oli90]

I'm wondering what type of degree would be necessary to get on teams of VSTi, VST, and DAW developers. Computer Science with a minor in music production perhaps?

Maths/Physics/Software (or Electrical) Engineering.

Also do people not study Music anymore?

It sounds weird but you're probably more likely to get a job from a music tech degree than a pure music degree, even though the latter would be considered more academic. To look at it narrowly why would someone hire a composer to write music for an advert, then have to pay them and the musicians and the recording studio, when they could just pay a guy a fraction of the cost to do it electronically.

[Shum]

Ha ha, yeah I know Music basically sets you up to teach other people music. I tacked that question on because it never seems to come up in these discussions and there seems to be a lot of musically clueless people around. I studied Music and Mathematics at university because I loved them and this whole business of doing a degree to get you a job has never sat well with me.

[samkablaam]

I'm wondering what type of degree would be necessary to get on teams of VSTi, VST, and DAW developers. Computer Science with a minor in music production perhaps?

Maths/Physics/Software (or Electrical) Engineering.

Also do people not study Music anymore?

It sounds weird but you're probably more likely to get a job from a music tech degree than a pure music degree, even though the latter would be considered more academic. To look at it narrowly why would someone hire a composer to write music for an advert, then have to pay them and the musicians and the recording studio, when they could just pay a guy a fraction of the cost to do it electronically.

agree, but there are still more good music degrees than there are good music 'tech' degrees. every music tech degree is different and there are a lot of bad ones.

[TooMuch]

both my brother and best mate (at uni) had this problem. Both chose to study something at Uni in which they see as a hobbie and something they enjoy.

BOTH DROPPED OUT.

My brother has been doing music related stuff for years and did a college deploma in music tech or something. Did his first year and then failed his second year. TWICE.

My mate has a gift IMO, makes tunes that are heavily inspired by Joy O, Ramadanman, Burial, Zomby, Flying Lotus ect.. He chose to do it at Uni but in his eyes wanted to be going to uni creating tunes, getting help of creating tunes and lazing around. In the real world this did not happen.. Lots of theory and software stuff and he ended up ducking lessons until he fell so far behind he kinda felt he had to drop out because he wasnt understanding jack shit.

I think when your interested in something like music in such a way where you think "hey i could do it as a course and ill really enjoy it" can be really bad. Its like having a girl who is amazing no-strings-attactched shag and then when you get into that relationship with her you really start to find the little things that build up to you hating the relationship.. (If that makes sense)

My advice would be to have a good think about wether your truely that passionate about music that doing it as a subject won't harm your love for your hobbie

[Medik]

yeah keele was the one i found pal, btw what part of north yorkshire you from im from yorkshire too

I live in a town called kirkbymoorside. It is about 45(ish) minutes car journey from both York and Scarborough. Where abouts are you?

[dag451]

Hey man,

I'm currently studying a course called Music, Technology and Innovation (BA) at DeMontfort University in Leicester. And I can't recommend it enough. We've got some great facilities here, and all the staff are fantastic and always willing to help. They are very encouraging and want you to try new things as much as possible.

It is a bit of a weird one though. There are performance elements (they've actually introducing a whole new selection of performance modules actually), and audio engineering/technology elements. But they are more concerned with what you can do creatively.

At the moment I'm learning to build electronic instruments from scratch with components (my own analogue synths), coding my own software (with Max/MSP), and a load of stuff with sound design and composition. There are options for audio engineering and music for moving image etc.

Don't take my word for it though, check it out for yourself.

Also, I've got some friends who are at Bath Spa, and it sounds like the courses are quite similar with slightly different emphasis in certain areas. They've all said it's a wicked course in a great place. I'd say the same about DMU and Leicester.

Get yourself down to the open days and stuff, see these places for yourself.

Another one I've heard about is Anglia-Ruskin but I couldn't tell you much about it.

If you want to get an idea of the sort of stuff we study then check out "The Digital Musician" by Andrew Hugill (he's the guy who established our course), and "Living Electronic Music" by Simon Emmerson (one of my lecturers and a pioneer in granular synthesis).

Whatever course you choose, getting a degree is only half the story. A lot of stuff you'll have to learn in your own time, a lot will only come with experience. Getting a job at the end of it is all down to you.

[Filthzilla]

Been offered a place on a course at Brigton college called 'Visual Arts and Media'.
Looks waaaay to experimental for my liking... and a bit hippy.

I played the interviewer my tunes and he was like... 'okay you're in.'
But then he said all this stuff being about the course being frustrating for me because it won't involve making many final, polished tunes. :/

There studio equipment was cool but I don't think the course is that amazing.

[Medik]

I played the interviewer my tunes and he was like... 'okay you're in.'

How did you manage to play him your tunes? Was it in the interview or did you just get in-touch or what? I'd quite like my interviewer to hear my tunes.
Would it be appropriate to put my soundcloud link in my personal statement or just mention that I produce tunes and take my ipod the interview? Do people do either of those?
These might be dumb questions but it was pretty easy to get into college/sixth form so I've never really needed to think about this kinda thing.

[Wrigzilla]

I played the interviewer my tunes and he was like... 'okay you're in.'

How did you manage to play him your tunes? Was it in the interview or did you just get in-touch or what? I'd quite like my interviewer to hear my tunes.
Would it be appropriate to put my soundcloud link in my personal statement or just mention that I produce tunes and take my ipod the interview? Do people do either of those?
These might be dumb questions but it was pretty easy to get into college/sixth form so I've never really needed to think about this kinda thing.

All the uni's that I applied to that wanted to do interviews asked you to bring along a cd of like 4 tracks you've done.

[Dystinkt]

yeah keele was the one i found pal, btw what part of north yorkshire you from im from yorkshire too

I live in a town called kirkbymoorside. It is about 45(ish) minutes car journey from both York and Scarborough. Where abouts are you?

Bradford/leeds pal so kinda near haha, same county at least lol.

[Digezt]

Im currently doing a Foundation Degree in Music Tech, Then going to Cardiffs Atrium to Top Up to full degree. If you want to learn about production making synths, and how to mix dont do Music Tech, most of the time is spent doing written essays, mostly music business, some live sound. Theres people on my course that don't have a clue what basic things like a compressor or a limiter does, or what active and passive is. Its terrible, blame the government as for a degree course there has to be a percentage of academic bull crap.