I’m big on education. The more you know the better your music will sound, the more jobs you will get, the more money you will be paid and the more fun you will have. Last week I was talking to a friend of mine in Spain and he was telling me about his experience at the SAE Insitute over there. First off, he told me he paid about 9000€. Immediately I let out a big gulp. Teachers should be paid yes. Equipment is expensive yes… but still. I give him “props” as he’s not a native Spanish speaker and all his classes are in Spanish. Because of this however his grades are low. This doesn’t reflect on his music or drive because his tracks are well produced and he’s involved with some decent commercial work already. However, he complains that he can never get studio time at the school except for early in the morning around 8:00AM. He also mentioned that he has several rotating substitute teachers, none of which he has confidence in. He doesn’t like that they gave him the cheapest Mac laptop (the white one). I guess he should have known which computer he was going to get before entering into the program.
I know this post could be seen as a little controversial but I got the notion it was a good topic because over at the Sound on Sound Magazine forums a new bloak asks what people think about SAE almost daily. Almost daily the reviews are mainly negative. Here’s an example: click here
“i’d do a cost analysis: student loans versus potential income. hmmmmmmm, let’s see… potential income = zero” – Sqye, Gearslutz Forum Member
So are any of you currently enrolled at SAE? What do you think? Any allumni want to chime? Is it worth it? I think a lot of people coming into the music business want to know.
Some forum threads on the subject at Gearslutz: click here and another one.
This entry was written by , posted on October 25, 2008 at 8:37 am, filed under Uncategorized and tagged learning, SAE, school. Bookmark the permalink. Follow any comments here with the RSS feed for this post.
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Hi!I was about to join SAE next year to do filmaking but I read too many bad things about this places.I dont know you 10 grants is a lot of money I almost sell a kidney to study there.My research tells me not to do so…
Also when you get to see the final film students projects,compare to london film school or academy, they are crap.I dont say my videos are far better but my kidney stills intact.
My girlfriend is attending SAE in LA and loves it. They extended studio time and the advantage SAE has over other schools is the studio time given to students. Like anything in life you get out of it what you put into it. Audio engineering is not for everyone. Make sure you are doing this for the right reasons and not as a hobby.
She feels she is getting a good education, and it was $ well spent.
SAE is not franchised all over like someone said. there are a couple of franchises one is Dubai not sure of the other but 99% of all other campuses are run by SAE home office. Even the franchised locations stay under the strict quality guidelines SAE has in place. I did this research prior to starting Audio Engineering at SAE LA. Don’t believe the bad stuff as this is probably from people who couldn’t cut the mustard as this is not an easy field to get into. SAE challenges me daily and the instructors know their stuff. I chose SAE over the LA Recording School due to its family feel and individual studio time. All my classmates are happy as well with the exception of a guy who quit last week due to missing too many days. If you are lazy and not ready to give it 100% plus do not waste your money as SAE is for people who are serious about music.
I would recommend SAE to friends and family any day as I love it so far! Don’t listen to the handful of nay sayers who probably have never seen the campus or attended and couldn’t hang..
SAE Los Angeles is dope! staff listens, cares, and most importantly I am earning! I love the field trips to the real studios on Hollywood. Awesome school! As far as SAE LA is concerned its good 2 go!
Hope you make the best decision for you!
regards,
Steven
I am attending SAE now in LA, and can only come to the conclusion that the negative comments come from people who couldn’t cut the mustard. It is not an easy business to learn, and SAE never guaranteed me a job, but did say they would do their best to help me. I am learning a ton and the staff is great. My only complaint was that I wanted longer studio hours. When I asked for extended hours management extended the hours! Audio Engineering is just like any other industry where you have to pay your dues. You have to work your way up from a studio runner, to an assistant, then an engineer.. Thats if you have the talent and are humble enough to climb the ladder with out expecting to do it all right out of school. I like that SAE painted the picture of how competitive the audio engineering field is.. Only the strong survive :-) . I like SAE and would recommend friends and family as long as they know what to expect from the industry.
So much hatred from folks that probably have never had a tour and seen SAE or from others who never had any business trying to learn this stuff in the first place. Its not easy! and you need talent!
I think the amount of written things against and about SAE tells the truth, SIMPLY NOT WORTH IT!!
My friend signed up this year and regretted it within a month, managed to get most of the money back and is now studying Film Making at the London Film School.
I have started the audio diploma at SAE London this september and am so far finding it great :) I believe it was a good choice as my teachers seem to be very knowledgeable and I am learning lots. After around 8-9 weeks of Golden Ears practical sessions, the EQ & Dynamics assignment, the audio edit assignment and many lectures I am seeing my knowledge of electronics, physics, maths and my ability to mix improve which for me is exiting. I imagine the course can only get better as we haven’t started our recording/post production assignments yet.
Don’t let everyone put you off SAE.
If you have the money, take a tour, ask students in the building of there opinion
and If its not your thing, I’m sure there are many other colleges equally as good!
You really can’t knock it ’till you’ve tried it.
WOW!!! I love this discussion. lol so much propaganda, as for me im going to be finishing a National diploma next year and want to go further with my education as i feel there is alot more for me to learn. Whether its getting my foot into a studio or going to an educationl faciity, to be honest SAE seems like “The Shortcut”. I’ve been looking into going to sae london for about a year and decided last week that im not when i found out SAE is actually a franchise..
http://www.saelicensing.com/
I think i might just sign up to, get a bank loan and have my own little SAE branch in canterbury!!! Why not!!! lol
Now from what i gathered some SAE institutes might be brilliant some might not, due to the nature of who owns which franchise. I dont want to study with a corporate company that may or may not have good managers and staff.
Regardless of their quality gear having passionate lecturers that care about where you want to be is important for your own confidence, having someone lecturing that doesnt give a crap about you and just want his/her pay check it can be very damaging not only to the student but the institution aswell.
At the end of the day your putting in £10000 and for that you expect to get at least a basic level of compitence and lecturers that cre about their jobs and the students. other than that the £10000 opens a door
that not many people get the chance to go through.
As for the illegal software it shows to me that the business men/women investing in opening up new franchises dont know how exspensive the whole professional studio shabang is, day one of my music tech course we learnt that, along with how hard and cut throat the industry is. I find this disgusting as not only have they tarnished the whole SAE franchise but the audio engeering industry,
I shall stop rambling and leave you with some little advice from my personal research:
Remember SAE is a franchise, who knows who own each individual one, lets just hope most of them are music industry proffesionals…..
For £10000 you could setup a basic recording setup, start recording local bands for free, with these recording you stick them in your portfolio, if you have the drive and know about audio engineering.. If your someome who knows nothing about music technology i recomend going to your local college, yes they may not have £600 000 mixing desks but you will learn a lot of the basics in a wide aspect of areas within the music industry, and if you have the drive you will go that extra mile and do some researcing and epanding your knnowledge.
Once youve built up a little portfolio start requsting jobs within studios, show them your work, tell them what equipment youve used on your recordings! But dont expect to be hands on on the mixing desk if you do get a job. Just starting off as a tea boy is great! you’ve got foot in the door and from that point you put 110% in, it might take 6 months it might take 6 years but if your passioate and you have a dream you’ll get there in the end.
oops ive rambled on again :)
Anyway SAE isn’t for me so i believe that SAE is not worth the money!
Regards
Marcus
Forgot to mention this is what is said on the licensing website in their investments and benifits section:
“In the creative media industry and its related sub sectors, there will never be a saturation point for formally trained engineers and producers because of the dynamic nature of the industry. There will always be new technical innovations which require trained and re-trained engineers and producers before the creative talent can leverage upon it. Therefore, to invest in the business of providing education in these fields will always be relevant provided that the curriculum is always updated to keep up with current technology levels. ”
So if youve got the drive to become a studio engineer or something then GO FOR IT! Engineer and producers in the feild! SAE is your place!!
Hi Marcus,
If you look more closely, on the saelicensing website there is an animation with the title “Territories for Licensing” showing the countries that this applies to, e.g. countries like Botswana and Belarus. You will not see countries like the UK or Germany there – as these are not franchises. All operations in ‘core’ (‘western’) countries are directly owned by SAE. Sorry to disillusion your ideas about your own SAE in Canterbury, but that’s not going to happen …
All SAEs whether they’re franchises (e.g. India, Thailand) or ‘normal’ (UK, USA, etc etc) are subject to quality control mechanisms – in addition to all sorts of regulations and approvals in each country (e.g. ISO9001 in Germany, state accreditations in USA, BAC/Skillset in UK etc).
So, you can be assured that there is not this uncertainty as you describe it.
I hope this helps.
Greetings,
Matthias Postel
SAE UK
SAE Amsterdam is definitely not worth spending any money on.
These guys aren’t to be respected at all.
I can’t even imagine how these guys can bare to live with themselves putting off this awful scam.
Not only do I find it an insult to people who have
The only way I found a job is because I have the passion, but I really feel insulted and disrespected.
I was naive and actually I knew the school would have been a total joke.
The only reason I went there is because I had to chance to use studio’s, but man, you could rather do a daytime job and bag to be a coffeeboy in a studio and climb all the way up.
The point of studying is that you get a good education so you shouldn’t do this coffeeboything in the future.
If you don’t have any talent, there is no way you are going to make it with this education.
I did it, I did the goddamn thing, and please…spare me to even consider going back there.
The only thing they are after is your money, i even think they don’t want talent at there school, cause these people who get attention can tear the whole thing down…
Everywhere I come, I try not to speak about it, I just have my portfolio and never say a goddamn word about the school.
They are worse than a bunch of crack-junkies doing what they can to get some money…
And really, the things I heard there from teachers, man, it’s just sad!
Please,
Even if you’d like to record music, consider something else…
You are not going to go out of the school with a job, a good feeling or connections…
the only thing you know is that you lost 10000 precious dollars, and really than they become precious, that’s even the worst thing…
It’s all about the money, it’s almost like a sect!
I tell you, go there for a tour, and laugh, laugh hard…so they wake up and get a sense of respect…
Bunch of losers there, man!
Found this on the Sound on Sound Forum.. SAE Institute has gone into liquidation :)
SAE EDUCATIONAL TRUST LIMITED Liquidation
(Company Number 03077134)
At a General Meeting of the above named Company, duly convened
and held at One Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London,
W1H 7LW on the 19 October 2009 the following Resolutions were
passed as a Special Resolution and an Ordinary Resolution
respectively:-
“That the Company be wound up voluntarily and that N A Bennett,
of Leonard Curtis, One Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch,
London W1H 7LW, be and is hereby appointed the Liquidator of the
Company for the purposes of such winding up.”
Full Story here:
http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/59219/pages/18189
SAE Institute
From : youtube
Company Number: 03077134.
Name of Company: SAE EDUCATIONAL TRUST LIMITED.
Nature of Business: Educational services.
Type of Liquidation: Creditors.
Address of Registered Office: One Great Cumberland Place, Marble
Arch, London W1H 7LW.
Liquidator’s Name and Address: N A Bennett, of Leonard Curtis,
One Great Cumberland Place, Marble Arch, London W1H 7LW.
Office Holder Number: 9083.
Date of Appointment: 19 October 2009.
By whom Appointed: Members and Creditors
From all I can see SAE is run by a different company: http://london.sae.edu/en-gb/content/77/About_Us
I ordered a brochure the other day and there’s only reference to that company on the letterhead etc.
I visited last week for a tour in London and the college is most definitely up and running (quite impressive actually). They mentioned that they have christmas holidays now until first week of January, but I think that’s like every year.
So I think what you found must be relating to some old company structure.
I noticed on the SAE website that this Matthias Postel is no longer the Manager at SAE London. Probably his fault they went into liquidation anyway by reading the comments on here. He also writes on here “are subject to quality control mechanisms” if he’d been subject to quality control maybe SAE would not have gone into liquidation in the first place.
hey people,
is there anybody who actually got a job offer after graduating from SAE? im planning to go to SAE NY. in an interview Misner claimed that he has to place the 75% of his graduates in NY due to a state law. (sry bout my terrible english) i really want to get a job in NY related to audio engineering cause some of my relatives live there. i’ve been recording/composing/performing music for 7 years. do you think its possible?
went to sae london to study web design. biggest mistake of my life.
7 grand for the first year, 90% of the stuff you learn can be learned online at the comfort of your own home for FREE.
my fucking tutor was an ex student and my web design skills were better than his.
my graphics design tutor couldn’t even speak english properly, even made a few spelling mistakes in one of the e-mails he sent me. he couldn’t even run a lesson properly. classrooms were packed and smelly.
they’ve tried putting me 2 grand into debt when all i had to pay was a cancellation fee.
I read this post with interest after noticing that SAE were starting to broadcast a few more interviews with music producers and industry types. Great news, i thought, finally i might start learning a little more post my HND qualification from SAE Liverpool in 2003, something that might be comparable to graduate support……
I ended up there after enrolling at Liverpool uni to do Music as they had promised they were building a new Recording suite in 2002 which we would have lots of access to. After the 1st year it was still not completed so i started to look at LIPA (the Mcartney funded/ affiliation) organisation, before discovering SAE which was newly opened.
I finished the audio engineering diploma and after a spell being treated like a retard in Metropolis studio London (all through my own contacts, nothing to do with SAE graduate support) i spent some (considerable) money making what is now cut and sussed records studio. Its been a lot of hard work with very little finincial reward for the last 7 years. Truth be told, i built a recording studio in Durham (UK)- possibly an error in hindsight as since the 70s Durham might as well not exist on the music map. I get by doing a mixture of DJ work, PA hire and recording sessions, mostly for new- ish bands and solo singers. Barely break even, but (like a fine wine……. ahem) im improving with age.
I do love working with people making music so its not all doom and gloom, and i make a living now but only after 4 or more years of not having ANY money whilst i built the contacts necessary to support myself. This is the key point i wish to make with my comments here. SAE have been, in a word, TERRIBLE with grad support. I will balance that with the following facts: we were supposed to visit SAE London to work on their Neve Legend but the trip was cancelled, so when i had a chance to get some work engineering for Paul Tucker (Lighthouse Family) a year or so after i graduated, who happened to have a Neve Legend, i was allowed to re- visit SAE Liverpool to sit in the classes who were learning how to use the newli installed Neve (replacing the Soundtracks Jade console).
But back to my point- there is no grad support as far as i am concerned. Never once have they pointed an opportunity my way, and i’ve never received any emails telling me about vacant posts in the industry, or inviting me to revisit the college for talks from Industry people. As i mentioned: terrible. So, what should you take form this if you are considering going to SAE??
My advice is to go if you are 100% committed to being an audio engineer and will do ANYTHING and stop at NOTHING to get into the industry. You Must be prepared to act as anyone who works freelance does- you gotta be brazen, sell yourself at EVERY poortunity, say goodbye to being mr nice/ shy/ retiring guy and focus instead on getting your feet in doors, talking (often lying in fact) to people and essentially continually push to get a lead in the industry, as SAE are not going to do any of this for you. Be prepared to diversify. Be prepared to have no money for at least 2- 3 years after you graduate (unless you FLUKE it and record a demo of a band that gets signed, has a few hits and you get a royalty or similar). I’ve made enough money to pay tax for the last three years, and am on an upward curve after 7 years working at it, but previously money was TIGHT.
SAE offers you the chance to get the experience and expertise to get ahead in audio. What it doesnt do is spoon feed you it, all it does is give you the potential to achieve it which is why it is so important to decide what you want earlier rather than later.
I now also work as a freelance photographer, and regularly work for Northumbria University design department. As much as photography is a passion, its also just because i couldnt find enough money in recording. Their graduate recruitment record makes me green with envy, and their post grad support bears no similarity to SAE.
Ok, ive said my piece, i hope this helps people make an important life decision.
James
I studied Audio production at SIT, Invercargill-New Zealand, and guess what………. IT WAS FREE… ZERO… ZIP.. NOTHING! well a little bit, but over 3 years I spent NZ$8500, and most of this was to go and study at SAE Byron bay Australia.. so for three years I pretty much had unlimited studio time and some fairly decent tutors (great people!) and then went to study in OZ for a couple of months, this giving me both a SIT and a SAE stamp on my Bachelor of Audio… woop woop! I was chocked to hear what my mates over there spent on their fees and I can’t believe that I have hardly paid anything.. look into it sit.ac.nz (for New zealanders and Australians-conditions apply).. a bit of advertising there, but I seriously think to get into this business, just get out there! start working and if you want to get some guidelines go and study, but get your hands dirty!
HI, firstly I want to excuse me for my elementary language, but I’m a nineteen italian student with a basic level of english.
Next year I’ve decided to move to London to study audio engineering.
I’ve worked in these last 3 years as a live sound engineer, but I’ve also ascertained that it’s impossible to continue these type of work in Italy. this profession is not recognized as a real work here.
I’m confused, becouse I have no idea of what is the best school in England to study sound engineering. In Italy, for exemple SAE have not a good reputation, and it is too expensive for me ( 9,000 Euro each years).
Can you help me?
I’ve contacted the London School of Sound, what do you think about it?
and SAE in London? or Point Blank (http://www.pointblanklondon.com/ ) ?
from here it’s difficult to choose the right school…
thank you! Mary
Hi,
You will need to make your own comparison. I visited all 3 (and more) and was most impressed with SAE. I have applied and will join their April course. Also spoke to students and ex-students who all had a good time there despite a few realistic criticisms here and there.
Good luck,
Sean
Hi my suggestion is get the software and teach yourself.
I have never had a lesson in my life everything I have learned is through the experience of doing it, trial and error.
I would not go on a course unless I had the software because if you cant practice forget it. I have been using Cubase for the last 15 years and I looked into learning Ableton Live, very expensive so instead I got a cut down version of the program a couple of videos from Groove 3 and learnt the basics then I went to Covert Operators and some other sites like Tom Cosm.com and checked out some other videos to learn the tricks and tips that I need to put across our live set onstage and create and produce my ideas
By the way I am a teacher, but you dont always need one is what I am trying to say. All the best in your search Gerald CLING
POINT BLANK is so much better than SAE, industry teachers (not former students)
I can highly recommend it as I studied there myself and now working as a programmer in a studio.
I have a friend who did the SAE course and he applied for more than 50 jobs, he got 7 replies saying something like: “they would never accept anyone from SAE as their diploma/degree courses are worthless.
He now works as a salesman and thinking of doing another course at Point Blank. He’s really unhappy about having wasted nearly £20000 on his degree at SAE.
Brian
Point Blank does not offer a degree, whereas SAE London offers a degree validated by middlesex university. (I have nothing against Point Blank and am not saying it isn’t worth while). Anyway what I wanted to mention is that my teacher at SAE who, yes IS a former student has recently completed recording projects at Abbey Road and The Way Studios. We also have guest lectures from industry professionals every couple of weeks so we don’t exactly miss out on industry teaching.
I think that people who come on here and slag off SAE even though they haven’t even studied there are a little sad. people should make there own decisions. I’m not sticking up for SAE because i’m a student there. Simply because I believe that it is worthwhile.
P.S Another good reason to go is to take advantage of the great studios they have there. I chose to go to SAE london and have not regretted it.
The degree is only validated by middlesex, you don’t actually get to go in middlesex uni and get some lectures from their staff.
i’ve studied at sae for the past two years and it was a big mistake, waste of money.
My thoughts about SAE London after 6 months as an audio engineering student.
They consider it being a full-time course.
In reality it means you have 2,5 hours of lectures (with a 20-30 minutes break), monday to thursday.
Every now and then they throw in a practical lecture on fridays (5 so far).
So, you are left off with roughly 8 hours of tuition per week.
If you want to read up on a subject, and thus making it full-time, that is up to you, the student. Also, the topics are merely touched upon, so further reading is a must.
The first 6 months will only be theoretical and taught in a classroom, (no studio-time what so ever) and there will be one exam.
There will be a few assignments for the students to finish on their own during this time, but they are very basic in my opinion.
At SAE London there is no storage-room for the students to store equipment or musical instruments.
I know it is not a music college, but there are no musical instruments to book out.
If you need instruments to record, you get them from a rental company with a discount.
You can’t play/record loud instruments after 10 pm, because of complaining neighbours, (they studios are not properly built for the purpose).
There is no such thing as one-on-one tuition at SAE.
If you are in a studio and something is not working, for whatever reason, you can ask one of the supervisors on duty for help.
The school opens at 10 am on mondays, and closes at 18 pm on saturdays.
The school is, and will be closed on sundays.
After 6 months you start to learn and manoeuvre two different digital consoles, and after passing a signal flow exam, you can start using those two studios.
For the bigger consoles (SSL G+ and Neve Genesys) it seems like I have to wait another 3 months.
All the teaching staff at SAE London are former students from SAE.
My class started out with 16 people. Now we are down to 10.
The reason why people quit is because they felt let down, and not getting their moneys worth.
In the hope for change, the rest of us still hang on, but I don’t see when things would eventually change for the better.
From being interested in music and recording for fun for some years, I have gained some knowledge along the way.
I thought that by studying at SAE i would get an hands-on education, filling the gaps of my self-taught knowledge.
So far, i don’t see that happening.
What I have learned so far, is that the SAE only want your money.
What they teach, you can teach yourself on your own for free, (no joke or exaggeration).
Actually, it is up to you read up on the subjects that are briefly explained by the lecturers.
If you still feel like an education like this is the way to go, find all the information necessary from the internet, forums, friends, etc.
Don’t trust the advertisements from colleges or universities, (that is what they do best).
Since i have paid in instalments, I have decided to quit the course, save my money, and look for studio work as an apprentice instead.
My tips is to buy yourself a couple of good books on various suitable topics, buy some decent equipment and try it out yourself.
Search the web for free online tuition.
Call a few studios and see if they would consider taking you in if you were an SAE graduate.
My conclusion:
I don’t think studying at the SAE institute is worthwhile.
NICE ONE and so true, this so called college is only after your money. the employ students to “teach” you because it’s cheaper than getting someone pro from the industry.
As you said their studios are not even build for the purpose of recording but build the cheapest possible way.
Furthermore if anyone believe the degree from Middlesex is worth anything then you are fooled by them as you will never attend one single class at middlesex, no the same former students will teach you the degree stuff and SAE simply pays Middlesex for the piece of paper and the right to use their name in advertising.
You made the right choice to quit, all the best of luck
Jon
I’m am a graduate of SAE (Australia). I had a live sound job within 3 months (live sound is abundant in oz!). I got a studio job within 12 months. Travelled the world. Opened my own studio 5 years later.
Unless you are completely focused you will not make it! Audio engineering, Music production, sounds like fun, right? Well it is, but it comes at a cost. A cost, that for me, was money well spent, and a lose of social life. My 1st studio job was 70-80 hours a week! Why have I succeeded? Because I work HARD. Why do some fail? because they do not. Simple.
I will agree that not all SAE’s are created equal. That is why you go to the college, speak the the staff AND students! Make an informed decision not one base on other peoples opinions of other people in other parts of the world.
As a former member of staff at SAE in London, I want to just say that what students write about college is true.
Sae is not about students but about money, making money, so take a good look at the advertisement and go and see what they actually offer.
As soon as you have signed up you are stuck in an endless circle of bad management and your dreams will soon be broken by the poor knowledge of your teacher.
Since the day Tom Misner said he recorded the Beatles hes mission wass never been to educate anyone, before SAE he was a cleaner, not a producer or engineer of the Beatles. it’s all in his book and the use of illegal software, stolen equipment.
Don’t waste your money, it’s far from the only audio engineering option
I am a degree student at sae Oxford.
DON’T COME TO SAE, ANYWHERE IN THE UK.
Plenty has been said about the diploma, but I’m a second year student (degree year) and I can tell you it is no degree.
We have been going since november and have handed in just two pieces of work. Neither of these have been marked, nobody knows how they are doing, so we don’t know if to change our style of writing for the next assignments.
The year before graduated in October but didn’t find out what grade they got until march. How are they meant to find a job?
They charge us £12,500 a year to sit in a cold dark room watching a man read from a presentation that he has never seen before. The lectures are about nightmare on elm street, sociology, psychology ( all basic basic stuff) and NOTHING to do with sound.
In the second year you are only allowed to book studios the day before. So you can’t get any bands in because you can’t give notice!
They say “if you need help, just come to the office and we’ll help you” but the degree lecturer os only here twice a week!
This is Oxford, the HQ? I come here from different sae so I can get the best teachers and best course. It is a total scam.
Avoid. Consider yourself warned
Hello
It is regretful to hear that your experience has not met your expectations and that the view
of the service you have received is less than positive. It is our mission to provide the
highest standards of creative media education and provide a quality of service that is
second to none.
Having just taken up the position as Manager of SAE Oxford, I have been reviewing the
systems, level of service and standard of education that is currently in place and have
found a picture that is quite drastically different to the one you paint.
First of all, i think you will find that the cost of the course you mentioned is in fact not the case and invite any readers of this blog to post an enquiry through our website to receive the latest course fees.
With regards to late marking, i acknowledge that there have been operational problems
that have led to short delays in the marking of the initial assignment for the degree year
starting in November 2009. I can assure you that these were resolved quickly and that
assignments are marked within the appropriate time frame. Continuous review also
means that where inefficiencies are found they are addressed within a timely manner.
Specifically with the case of the recently graduating class however, the time frame
involved in marking final dissertations is not dissimilar to other universities as it involves
a fairly lengthy and academically necessary procedure in order to guarantee the standard
and validity of the degree. I would also like to correct the statement and can confirm that
the deadline for submission for that course was mid November.
I can also assure readers that all our rooms are well lit and well heated. The
characterisation of the delivery of the lectures is quite frankly insulting to the
professionalism and level of competence of the SAE Oxford team, none the less, we are
of course interested in ensuring that all lectures are delivered to a high standard and if
“Oxford Student” would kindly get in touch to discuss the particular lectures he was
dissatisfied with I am more than happy to listen and investigate further.
The content of the lectures is also misconstrued. The primary module contains a
contextual overview that is necessary in order to operate successfully within the creative
media industries. It directly pre-empts and addresses the challenges highlighted in the
latest Skillset report with regard to convergence.
“Perhaps the greatest single movement in skills requirements…due to advances in digital
technology, transforming the ways in which content is produced…the benefits of a fully
digital workflow will only impact when production staff embrace and adapt to the
collaborative working enabled by new techniques.” (Strategic Skills Assessment for the
Creative Media Industry – Skillset – December 2009, page 19)
“Across the Creative Media industries, skills in short supply…include production skills
for multi-platform content, understanding of intellectual property legislation,
management and leadership, and commercial acumen” – (Strategic Skills Assessment for
the Creative Media Industry – Skillset – December 2009, page 20)
http://www.skillset.org/research/activity/article_7610_1.asp
The modules following are more audio specific.
The statements with regard to studio booking procedures at SAE Oxford are also untrue
as well as the availability of tutorials that operates through an appointment based system.
Should a student require immediate practical guidance there is always a tutor available.
This concept has always been at the core of the SAE teaching methodology since our
inception.
We do of course consider any complaints and suggestions from students and if the Oxford
student would like to contact me to clarify any further issues i would be more than happy
to accommodate as is indicated in the student handbook provided at the start of the course. I would also like to extend this invitation to any readers of this blog to
contact me directly should they wish on gavin.attard@saeuk.com
I look forward to receiving your questions and feedback.
Kind regards
Gavin Attard
College Manager – SAE Oxford
Illegal software use at SAE. Think it’s time to get my wasted money back
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2007/07/bsa-announces-1-million-award-for-piracy-snitches.ars
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=anti_piracy
This is what happened to sae last time
http://saeoxford.blogspot.com/
Very interesting!
I for one have come from a different background from most students at SAE;
I did a course at point blank first.. but I felt I learnt more there in terms of getting your stuff sounding great than at SAE; However at SAE I feel I am definatly clearing up a few loose ends in regards to theory.
I do have issues though; I have been using Cubase for 15 years now, granted and my production skill is of very high standered; unluckily the jobs I have had in the past have only ever been short lived; not because of my skill, but of things like workload (there being not enough)! But was turned down for a job simply because I didnt have a degree and didnt know protools; (thus SAE)
However Now that I am far into the course I think that they should learn from way things are done at point blank.. I would want to sit at a proper computer (not a laptop) whilst in a class and the teacher go over stuff that we need to know in protools etc.. and then be more focused on these programmes! So far all the practice I have done hasnt been very enjoyable as even with notes I feel realy fiddly around these programmes and its not like I dont have the brain power to use a DAW look what I did with Cubase.. so all I can put it down to is the course structure for using the DAW’s.. (and I find other students are feeling the same too)
Another gripe is the Studio time and Limiters that have recently been put in cetain rooms NOT the enviroment to mix in at all.. and as for the golden ears thing; THERE IS NO SHORTCUT to mixing well it takes years of practice! take it from someone who has been mixing at least 10 years it was around 4/5 years before I felt I was around commercial standered.. maybe I was slow (possible)
So is it worth the money? Maybe not.. I think I would have rather spent it on my own setup and then try to go freelance.. think that might have been less of a risk..
But on a good note my time there has been ok and I only feel I have wasted a bit of money rather than all if that makes sense…
How come I see no reviews on SAE sydney branch? I am planning to get in to the Sydney branch this July and I have read out every comment carefully and they were quite helpful, but can’t help myself itch to want to read an actual review on the Sydney. Anyone?
I study audio at SAE and the majority of the people are ok,but there are a few who make ongiong remarks in the form of innuendo about my downfalls and personal life.Im talking about secretaries,teachers and even the manager.
I have made it clear this is upsetting me but it still continues.These people are not professional at all.Iam literally paying them to put me down and Iam at my wits end.I have seen it mentioned that sae hire former students,I believe these people think they are still students.
You basically pay over 1 hundred dollars per lesson.If the teachers dont turn up ( which is often ) they sit you down and make you watch movies unrelated to your subject.
As for the facilities,
-The studios are tiny (you cant fit a complete band in there)and some are shared with other control rooms so its hard to do assignments because the booking system is not properly regulated.
-The teachers are rushed to complete subjects,so theres an onus on you to self teach yourself ongoingly.There is so much info given to you that its hard to remember what you were taught
-Student guides are taken from Byron bay (The new head office)and are not edited,so your misinformed about what you are doing on every subject.
-The library is absolutely tiny and it doesn’t contain the books that your subjects are based on……..
I have a lot more to post stay tuned..
I went to SAE Sydney for my Degree. Did the Diploma at SAE too but in a different country. I still keep in contact with some of the ppl in local SAE (not Sydney). So I’ve seen how the 2 schools in different countries work. All I can say is I didn’t learn anything from school and everything on my own. After I gradutated and waited almost 6 months for my cert to arrive, I went to work in the live sound industry and didn’t even know how to use a mike stand.
After more than 10 years, I’m still in the industry and doing pretty well. No thanks to school.
If you really want to know about sound and stuff. Go out and learn it yourself. If you want a piece of paper, go to SAE. Just pay for it and you’ll get it.
That saying, SAE did make me realize that theory is as important as practical, which I picked up myself by spending loads time in the library. You don’t have to pay me 10 grand to learn that. I just told you for free ;)
If you’re really keen on learning more about sound, do some research about other schools. SAE is not the only choice.
Oh yea, one thing I found funny was why is a “top” audio engineering school hiring fresh graduates instead of people who has been in the industry. Just because you have a 1st class honors doesn’t automatically make you a sound guru. Like I say, theory as important as practical. Realized but not taught.
I must say in all fairness there are a few Guru teachers who are loaded with great info..But since Tom Misner is such a tight ass that prefers to fly around in a helicopter instead of paying his employes a decent wage and giving students more time with their teachers he has lost my vote..Sae is all about appearances and marketing , so it looks good on the outside but is crap on the inside..For example,on the website you will see a section for bands to apply to use the studios for free..But no one looks after this area..it doesn’t exist ..So if you cant get bands to play you cant do assignments..
I am about to finish the SAE Institute’s audio engineering program in Nashville, and I must say I’ve never regretted anything more in my entire life. At first everything seemed fantastic, almost too good to be true. After awhile you realize that the people teaching you (for the most part) barely have any idea what the hell they’re talking about. Half the school’s employees are SAE graduates themselves, showing you how little job potential you have upon leaving the program. Yes, true, you get out of it what you put into it. Try and you will learn some things. But a 20000 dollar education this is not. Run the other way. As fast as you can.
Jimmy, I’m sorry to hear you are unhappy with your choice of SAE for an audio education. This field, and this type of education, is not for everyone. My door at SAE Nashville is always open to student’s concerns, and when they do occur, they are acted upon. You are certainly welcome to come by and discuss your concerns with me personally.
That being said, there are some factual errors that need to be corrected publicly. With regard to the level of staff competence you alluded to, it is difficult to see where your statements apply to people like Alan Shacklock (Roger Daltry, Jeff Beck, Meatloaf) or Dallan Beck (Former head instr. of Musicians Institute with nearly 2 decades studio experience). When that is combined with guest speakers like Chris Trevett (NSync, Brittney Spears), Bob Bullcok (Shania Twain, George Strait) and Roger Ryan (Take 5, Wynonna Judd), I’m pretty comfortable with the level of instruction at this campus. I do employ past graduates as lab supervisors, and sometimes as instructors as well, provided they have the necessary competency for that. All our instructors have to be appropriately qualified in both education level and experience to receive licensure from the state, so you will never see someone go directly from graduate to teacher without any real world experience to back it up.
Regarding jobs after graduation, there should be no illusion; this is a competitive field, and you must have drive, a good attitude, and a passion for this business and lifestyle to be successful. When properly armed with those attributes and the knowledge and skills made available to you at SAE, there is no reason you can’t be successful in this industry. At SAE Nashville, we have a placed in-field rate of 80%, which is a full 10 points higher than current accrediting benchmarks. While that certainly doesn’t mean everyone is going to be working right out of school, it is an indication of job potential, and one I’m personally very proud of.
Finally as to the value of an SAE education, I would invite you, or anyone else, to compare us to any of our competitors in areas of Instructor experience, quality of gear, studio time, total cost of attendance, or job placement rate. I’m comfortable that we stand up very well to the competition, and in fact represent a very good value when all of this is considered; a value enhanced even further by an ever expanding global alumni network.
Chuck Moore
Director
SAE Nashville
Instructor experience,
Maybe Nashville has a few good lecturers but that’s not the case in for instance SAE London.
Quality of gear,
Yes but that doesn’t give anyone any education when the teachers don’t even know how to use it.
Studio time,
London is closed on weekends and no recording at night?
Alumni,
This is a joke, sorry but hardly any studio/music jobs in London are posted on there.
So really what you’ve just pointed out is that an international college like SAE can’t even preserve their quality throughout their organisation, and if I wanted a proper education I should have gone to SAE Nashville instead of London?
There’s no need to compare SAE with any other education facility in the UK coz SAE always come last, which this and other comments from their staff (former or current) simply just confirm.
I actually agree with Jimmy, sorry Chuck. You do have great teachers here especially Dallen and Alan, however for $20k I dont think this school is really worth it. I feel that the music industry is all about what you make it and I busted my butt off here at SAE but the grades DO NOT mean your going to land a job in the music industry at ALL and the certificate doesnt mean anything at all just saying I went to SAE and completed the course. I’m not going to land a job, ESPECIALLY NOWADAYS, anywhere and most studios are in homes nowadays anyway. I will say I learned what I needed from the school especially from guys like Dallan, Alan, and Mike but for $20k…. there wasnt enough in 9 months that you guys could teach us that is worthwhile to land a gig in a major studio. One thing Chuck I feel the school should also focus on is the Hip Hop industry. If Nashville is supposed to be considered the MUSIC CITY CAPITAL why are we only focused on country, bluegrass, and any other genre that involves a guitar, petal steel and vocals. There was a huge let down in the Hip Hop, Pop, and R&B areas. I think the school is good for some people but not for all! So I agree with Jimmy this school is not worth $20k and another complaint we currently have a project due next week for SSL and you all take a FULL DAY away from us for some class during our last week of studio time that makes no sense!!! Most of this stuff I couldve learned from Youtube!!
Hi, I’m Italian (so, sorry for my elementary language and my probable errors!) I went to London and visited Point Blank and Alchemea, and both seemed great schools (for equipments, staff, etc.). The first one gave me the impression of a school more suitable for Djs than for Sound engineers, and they didn’t make me see all their studios, although I came from afar and strictly for this purpose. In the end, I have decided to do Alchemea, wishing my choice will not disappoint my expectations. Is anybody here who can give me his opinion about this?
Thanks, Mary.
Hi’ Mary
Personally I think you made the right decision, as a former student at Alchemea I have only good things to say about that place, very professional, great teachers and brilliant equipment.
I hope you will enjoy it as much as I did..
Good Luck
JP
thank you everyone, i was going to apply for a audio engineering course there today after considering it for a few months. No i hanven’t been to view the place (London) but the way that people are commenting on the whole institution makes it obvious that its not a very good place.
I’ll go the other way:)
I would write tons of lines to, in the end, say: “Waste of time and money”
I left SAE and continued my studies at Alchemea, The best decision I ever made. They have a very different and much more professional attitude than SAE London.
Anyway do yourself a favour and go somewhere else. Not saying that you should go to Alchemea but there are so many option out there, and as you can see from this forum and things like the Sound on Sound forum SAE is far from professional.
Good luck to all of you out there, I’m finishing my course at Alchemea in a few months, can’t wait :)
BAYC