STAY THE COURSE

Five sound design training options for your future in film

By Isabelle Lichtenstein

Savannah College of Art and Design

FROM THE CLANGING OF SWORDS DURING AN EPIC FIGHT TO AN

alien’s otherworldly scream, sound design plays a crucial role in transporting viewers into the worlds they see onscreen—and making them all sound believable. This process of creating soundtracks and sound SFX—recording, generating, acquiring, and manipulating audio—encompasses the work of a sound designer.

It’s a job that’s both technical and creative, requiring a deep knowledge of recording, mixing, and special effects techniques; a mastery of sound software and hardware; and the inventiveness to create unique, interesting sounds. As such, formal training is often necessary. But finding the right training program can be difficult; it’s a wide-ranging specialization, and many schools consider it to be part of their broader audio production or sound engineering programs. If you’re interested in sound design, here are five top training courses to consider.

Savannah College of Art and Design

What sets SCAD’s sound design program apart are the resources and facilities students have at their disposal. The school has invested over $1 million into custom-built suites intended to simulate a sound designer’s professional environment.

The degree goes in-depth on a number of programs, and offers access to tools and software outside the classroom, including 7.1 and 5.1 mix stages with Pro Tools HDX configurations, plus D-Command and D-Control consoles; Pro Tools HD Native rigs with artist mixers; and classroom workstations with Pro Tools 10/11 and Waves Gold. SCAD also offers advanced Pro Tools and Sibelius certification levels.

DEGREES: Bachelor of fine arts, master of fine arts, and master of arts in sound design

The Blackbird Academy

Run out of Blackbird Studio, a multistudio production facility in Nashville, Tennessee, the Blackbird Academy is a professional sound engineering school that gives graduates the opportunity to gain technical skills and hands-on experience. Classes,

The Blackbird Academy

Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences Middle Tennessee State University

taught by top names in the industry, are conducted instudio over the course of 24 weeks; students and faculty meet five days a week for 30–40 hours per week. Essentially, the Blackbird Academy considers its program your full-time job.

Students learn about specific elements of sound design, including preproduction, overdubbing, and mixing. Outside of the studio, they get the chance to utilize isolation booths, 30 individual Pro Tools stations, and the Universal Audio Apollo interface. Classes are taught by industry professionals and are often held off-site.

“Industry professionals are constantly popping in and out, utilizing and appreciating everything that Blackbird has to offer,” says Blackbird Academy graduate Connor Johnson. “The entire studio—from microphones to outboard gear to all of the studio rooms—is available for the academy. This school is the real-world experience [and] provides tremendous support for [its] soon-to-be graduates, [helping] them land internships [and] work opportunities all over the globe.”

DEGREES: Studio and live sound engineering diplomas

Middle Tennessee State University

Located in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Middle Tennessee State University has one of the largest audio production programs in the world. The school prides itself on its production facilities, including industry-standard recording consoles, even going so far as to give them a package upon acceptance that includes a laptop and microphone. Students have access to all 13 studios across two campuses, available 24/7. Small classes with knowledgeable, experienced faculty mean that every student gets the attention they need. CRAS also brings in industry speakers to discuss careers in related fields and beyond.

five recording studios of various sizes, an audio post-production lab, a “live sound café,” an electronic music lab, and a mastering lab. It also allows students to focus on sound design as a specialization, offering more opportunities to dive deep into software and processes.

DEGREE: Bachelor of science in audio production

Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences

Alumni of the Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences often find themselves accepting Grammys for their work. Rather than offering a traditionally structured program, the Tempe, Arizona, school focuses heavily on placing students in internships and helping them network with world-class professionals to gain hands-on experience that best prepares them for careers post-graduation.

CRAS also offers students

DEGREES: Diplomas and certifications

Berklee College of Music

For those looking for a complete sound design education without having to physically show up, Boston’s Berklee College of Music offers online certificate programs, as well as 12-week courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.

Certification programs include live sound production, Logic Pro, mixing, mastering, and production for visual media, among many others. Graduate courses include audio/music production for visual media; meanwhile, undergraduates can study Pro Tools 101, mixing and mastering, audio mastering techniques, live sound mixing and recording, orchestration, film scoring 101, and audio postproduction for film and TV.

Berklee College of Music

DEGREES: Advanced professional certificates