Audio Industry Education: Degree or No Degree?

      The audio industry is creative, complex, and ever changing, so the question of whether or not one would need formal education to be successful is controversial. There are numerous people all over the world who either have their own home audio studio, or who work professionally somewhere as audio engineers or sound designers…and all without so much as even a certificate. These people are either self-taught or they learned through apprenticeship, and they see no need whatsoever for attending school after the fact. I was once asked by someone I met, who was a self-taught audio engineer, why was I wasting my time going to school for audio. In fact, there exist institutes that preach against the need for a degree in the audio industry as well, stating that either a certificate or apprenticeship is all you need if you have the proper connections. This is fine, if you subscribe to this school of thought. However, I happen to be one of those who disagree, because my years of life experience have taught me otherwise.

      Actual experience in the audio industry is definitely necessary. In fact, the more experience, the better your portfolio and prospects for employment or clients. Furthermore, experience coupled with connections, will further increase your chances for success in this field. However, it is my belief that experience and connections, plus a degree, will definitely up the ante for an audio professional. There are in depth technical aspects of audio that really should be taught in a formal educational setting, which may not be conveyed properly in an apprenticeship situation or in a certificate program. Additionally, the varied business aspects of the audio industry and professionalism are subjects best taught in college, in order to gain a thorough and working knowledge of these topics.

      I have two friends, who are professional audio engineers that are recording studio owners, and they both expressed to me their firm belief in extensive audio education. One of these friends attended school in New York years ago, and he trained an apprentice (who had no formal audio education) to work as his assistant engineer. It seemed like a good idea at the time. However, he unfortunately found out his apprentice seriously lacked work ethic, and he attributed it to his lack of schooling. The other friend graduated with me from the ILIC Audio Production Bachelor of Science degree program. Although he had years of engineering experience, that he acquired on his own before attending school, he always felt something was missing. Therefore, he obtained the degree to fill in the missing gaps of knowledge, and for further credibility with his clients.

      Whichever school or program you choose, the possibilities for success significantly increase when you have the proper knowledge as a foundation for your experience. Today, there are even more options available for audio degrees, and each school offers it’s own unique program, such as the Full Sail University Recording Arts Bachelor of Science degree program, that can prepare you for a bright future in audio.

      As with many careers, the competition is fierce in the audio industry. Certainly, having a college education will increase your odds for overall prosperity, as explained in an article on AEI, written by education professional Mark Schneider. As one who has been employed both with and without a degree, now that I have a BS in Audio Production, I am convinced that my education will be a pivotal part of my success in the end. As a business owner with a significant amount of proper education and experience, my clients will be sure to have confidence in my ability to deliver the quality audio they need!

You May Now Enter the High Voltage World of Michael Metz!

      I am fascinated with any aspects of game audio, and I am definitely determined to learn more. So, I conducted an interview with successful, veteran High Voltage Software Audio Video Director, Michael Metz, in order to gain expert insight into the world of audio for games and how entry-level sound designers can be successful in it as well:

• What are your day-to-day responsibilities? 

“I oversee the audio and video department for HVS. I am in charge of overseeing creation, implementation, direction of all things audio and video for our games, which includes sound design, music, voice over, and also any video work that the studio may need.”

• How many people do you have on your audio team and what do they do specifically? Do they each perform the same job or do they have differing responsibilities?

“Things have changed over the years. At one point we had 7 people on the AV team that I oversaw. Today, it is just one part time audio employee and I. The advent of smartphones has greatly reduced the amount of content that are needed for the smaller smart phone games.”

• For aspiring video game sound designers, what advice do you have for those just starting out, in terms of what an executive in your field would look for in a potential audio team employee?

“For me, I try to look to see how much work they have done on their own. If they have only worked on school projects and nothing else, then I may think that they are not that passionate about game audio. But if they are recording their own sounds, maybe re-creating cinema, or creating their own music without a teacher’s instructions, then I know they are probably pretty passionate about what they are doing and generally enjoy doing it.”

• In your opinion, what aspects of a sound design portfolio make it stand out amongst others?

“When I started, most audio tools were proprietary or came with a platforms SDK, which the normal public did not have access too. These days you can download most of the tools and engines for free. So there should be no reason that you don’t have any experience with Wwise or FMOD and implanting in engines like Unity or Unreal, since they are available for everyone.  Also, make sure you have some coding experience, even if it’s just HTML. At some point, you are probably going to have to be able to at least understand the basics of code and its basic syntax. Also, if you want to be in game audio and you send me a CD of your band, it’s probably going in the garbage. I need to see a video reel with a compilation of all things audio that you have done.”

• What do you feel is most important for creating quality audio for video games?

“Knowing where each part of the SFX/music/VO sit in the mix. They all need their own room on the frequency spectrum.”

• When you have been presented with a project, how, and at what point do you determine whether or not the sound will be handled in house or from an outside agency?

“We usually have quicker turnaround times and shorter milestone schedules at HVS than probably at some of the larger studios, so we have always done our audio in house. Depending on the time, budget, and genre needed, we may outsource the music.”

• If you decide that you must go outside of your company for sound design, how do you determine which company to use? 

“Over the years we have kept in contact with many game audio companies and contract composers. We choose the one who we feel can best articulate the needs and direction of our project.”

• What general advice do you have for sound designers of video games, whether they seek to be employed or own their own business?

“Get out there and meet people in the industry. Go to conferences; join forums (like G.A.N.G.).  Human interaction is very important. I get reels and CD’s on a daily basis. They will not all get looked at/heard. But if I met you at GDC and you came off as a knowledgeable and cool person, I may check out your work!” 

I hope this interview has provided some helpful information for anyone endeavoring to enter this particular field of audio! 

Game on!