Can you have a career in audio without a degree?

➡️➡️Today's FAQ Friday Questions:
➡️Will I ever get to a point where I can refer to myself as a recording/mixing engineer without a degree? How do I know when I’m skilled enough for that? 0:39
➡️I’ve heard that distorted guitars don’t need compression, is that true? 14:21
➡️In what order do you track instruments? 15:47

The featured question from today’s video is: Will I ever get to a point where I can refer to myself as a recording/mixing engineer without a degree? How do I know when I’m skilled enough for that?

This is a great question, and a very important one!

When you look at some of the best producers, engineers, and mixers in the industry, you may think that they all have some sort of formal education or something extra that got them where they are, but that it not necessarily true. Many of them did not go to school and get a degree in music, they simply started making music and kept working wherever they were at in order to learn more and get better at what they wanted to do.

I am one of those people as well! I do not have any sort of formal education in music production, I simply started making music with the instruments and equipment that I had access to at the time, and over time I developed my skills and was able to get some better equipment and just kept progressing like that. Whether you are currently learning online, are shadowing someone in a studio, or wherever else you may be learning and developing your skills, just keep at it! You don’t have to go to school, you simply have to be passionate about what you are doing and be constantly willing to learn from anyone.

In the end, no one buys a record or streams a song because of the education the producer/mixer/engineer has, they buy it because it is a good song! So don’t feel like you are less than someone else or you are not as good as someone else because you have different education or have learned your trade in a different way. What matters most is your creativity! The most important skills you can have are your creativity and your ability to support the artists you are working with and produce the best song possible.

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Produce Like A Pro is a website which features great tips to help the beginning recordist make incredible sounding home recordings on a budget.

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Leave your FAQ Friday questions below!

[ragingchimera]

"Never feel less than" this is a fine example of why I watch your channel Warren.

[TheLastMoomin]

I've got a national diploma in popular music, I learnt more in 2weeks going through channels like yours. Thanks.

[DJABEATS]

Real question is can you have a career in audio WITH a degree

[shaney]

I feel like an audio recording education is inevitable every time I watch " Produce like a Pro ". Thank you Warren!

[dylankearns]

Great point on the song being the key, you can't polish a turd

[simonquigley]

Ive worked with some great guys without degree's, ive also worked with a few degree holders who do not get their hands dirty and dont even like cabling mics up...

[michaelbarry]

My first recordings were using my Dad's stereo (with input fader) and his boombox for playback, while I added a new track. Still have 'em on cassette even though they're 35 years old.

[paulkoester]

3:30 Thats exactly what I did too! I even played my overdubs really really badly too!

[Alien-qwks]

21:33 "The rules are there are no rules" That's my whole philosophy when it comes to making music, I love that kind freedom.
When it comes to music, I feel that rules are a unnecessary creative restriction.
I've learned more about production and mixing trough this channel than i ever dit, this last half year.
Thanx for that Warren, keep up the good work.

[OrgChromer]

Sound on sound technique! Started there too! Mostly I got the most recent take plus a lot of noise...

[joejurneke]

Genuine humility. Wat a wonderful mentor!

[andreasatlars]

I think the difference is that if you went to school you got your credentials on paper but if you're self taught your credentials are entirely based in your body of work.

[seantrottier]

Warren: Your humility, and ability to convey your thoughts through your videos is nothing short of outstanding. I've watched quite a few of them, and thank you for sharing your thoughts on production. This particular video hit me in the feels. I'm late to get in the game, don't have much gear, but really want nothing more than to help local musicians make great sounding records. Thanks a lot for helping pull my head out of my arse and get my head back in the game. What can you recommend to someone like me just trying to make a name for themselves for trying to get local artists interested in seeking out production help for their recordings? In this day and age, it's easy for bands to record, produce, and release their projects themselves (which is perfectly fine). How do we, as folks looking to get out there producing in our local scenes, attract these musicians into working with us? Some music scenes can be awfully clique-ish, and it can be difficult to get out there... Thanks again for all you do!

[pedterson]

I think when choosing a producer my first question to them would be "What's your opinion of Raw Power?" And if they don't appreciate that album's beautiful flawfulness, I would have to choose someone else. PS: That's a really nice shirt.

[michaeltablet]

I love this channel because it is so encouraging. Thank you Warren!

[johntraynor]

IMHO, you can call yourself an engineer as soon as you start doing it. The market will tell you when you're good enough.

Price your services at a level where you can sleep at night knowing that you're not screwing your client. If you can't get clients at that price, reduce it. If you're flooded with work, raise it.

[Valleedbrume]

Knowledge and experience is power.All good things take time.I think what you are doing is great and help starting new engineers/musicians.

[darrenross]

Hi Warren, very wise words, thank you for inspiring us all to create awesome music, have a great day, all the best.

[delvenhamric]

I started out playing with a Teac stereo mic, Teac Model 2 mixer, and my Teac 3340 4-channel Reel to Reel, back in the late 70’s. Life got in the way, so my mixing was put on the back burner. When I retired, I wanted to finally got back to mixing. I worked for a small studio for 3 years before I realized the owner never really finished anything! I went back to college and took their studio program, but after completion, I realized that I NEVER got anything I did evaluated! I worked as a computer programmer and never had as hard of a time learning anything as learning music. PLAP has been the best money spent in my journey to learn mixing music! Thank You Warren, for everything you do. You are the closes that I will get to working/learning in a studio!