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.
Where do you study ?
If you were asking me then let me tell that I m in India doing nothing just wasting my time
I’m asking “m” about it +)
I’m in the Audio Engineering program at the Amsterdam location.
Hi, Im thinking about applying to SAE, audio engineering in Amterdam, I was wondering if it is a good choice, or if i will be disappointed in the outcome. please let me know asap
Dear Isabelle,
As in my previous posts, I try to argument about the fact that most of the SAE (incl. Amsterdam) aren’t really worth going to. Unless you’re really undisciplined and want to gain some more practical experience. Most of the practical experience you gain is basically to be learned if you read manuals of gear and software properly. Theory-wise, it’s crap, the tutors don’t know the scientific/researched (answers on the why question) reason of why things happen (like electrically for instance. So actually you could do a technical university, or music technology or something, and with the many you have left, you buy some nice rack gear to play with at home etc.
But depends really, did you finish high school and do you wanna study at university level. Then don’t go here, DONT EVEN CONSIDER DOING THE BACHELOR, its more in economical topics BUT EVEN THOSE LESSONS ARENT UP TO PAR with studying ECONOMY in college.
If you don’t wanna study at those levels, then you could go to SAE, but in my opinion, it would still be a lot of waste of money.
Regards
M.
Wow this guy is serious about his trollin. I suspect a rival college. How much are they paying you “M”?
The solution is simple. Call the college. Talk to a lecturer. Ask a ‘technical’ question.
Say ‘no’ to trolls. Say ‘yes’ to ‘REAL’ investigation.
After all, you don’t know who these comments are from. That goes for any type of product review, positive and negative.
Feed him a goat and maybe he’ll go away…. thats what trolls eat right? Goats.
PEACE
Interesting that anyone who has an opinion based on personal experience or real facts and investigation of SAE that isn’t a positive one, many illegal in fact, SAE employees try to verbally attack them as a form of intimidation. As if calling anyone with an opinion they don’t like a “troll” is supposed to show that poster in a bad light when all it really does is make people ask what kind of legal, legitimate company run by law abiding, legitimate people operates in this fashion. The the overreaction to these students, present or former, who post based on opinions of their own experience is to be bullied by SAE current or former employees is what thugs do and obviously touches a nerve for a reason. It’s also quite immature to say the least. Some people may have a good experience and opinion of SAE and others don’t including “M” and some law enforcement bodies but to try and gang up on someone who posts the latter just makes you look guilty.
Personally I have nothing to feel guilty about. The only investment I have made in SAE was the tuition. I dont work for SAE,nor do I have a vested interest in what happens to SAE. I personally had a really positive experience at their NY branch and thats what I tell people when they ask. What drives me nuts is when some one with a vendetta tries to tell me that I am some how wrong, or in cahoots with SAE. You want to talk about overblown reactions? After doing a little research of my own, it seems that the ‘students’ doing a lot of the negative posting on this thread are actually the same person, a ‘conspiracy of one’ if you will. So, take my opinion for what its worth.
The thing that drives me absolutely nuts are the folks who claim that you can learn it all on line or by reading manuels. You will NOT get a job in the industry by just reading a book or watching a tutorial on line. If you want to be a bedroom producer, fine, thats great, more power to you. That was me for years. But then I decided I wanted to make a living…. now I work in the film industry. If I hadn’t gone to SAE and gotten my foundation together I wouldn’t be where I am today. So, many paths up the mountain. Many schools to check out. But don’t let one or two guys with bad attitudes and personal vendettas diswade you from looking at ALL your options and making a FULLY informed decision. Before I chose SAE I tracked down a number of Alumni, and not through SAE, I did it on my own. I wold suggest anyone interested in SAE do the same. Dont just listen to the folks that post on this thread. There are a lot more resources out there then just this place…. or that ridiculus blog that was put up years ago and never maintained…. and no one ever visits.
Well, that’s kind of my point alum. No one said you were wrong. You had a positive experience and that’s great. I’m only pointing out that just because yours was positive doesn’t mean someone else at another branch didn’t have terrible one. Whether it is for a good or legitimate reason they had a bad experience is always subjective just as your good one is. There are former SAE students such as yourself who may have had a great instructor and good management etc. and then there are those who didn’t. As far as there being “one” person with a vendetta, that I don’t know. I’m not sure how far this thread goes back but I believe it was 2008 and there seem to be detailed issues from specific campuses in various countries, not that they can’t be made up by one individual but considering the legal actions brought against SAE in different countries by different people and entities, I’m not so sure. You do make excellent points on getting jobs in the industry and the best way to go about that and again it’s great advice but someone else may have a different angle that works for them that doesn’t make either of you wrong. I wasn’t specifically referring to you as far as verbal attacks in the previous post although I do think it’s unfortunate and a little unfair to call another student who had the opposite experience that you did a troll, that’s just my opinion.There are however, others who go way beyond that unleash serious verbal insults which is very unprofessional and over the top, again my opinion. Anyway I do agree people should find out as much as possible before attending. My greater concern is the proven illegal activity by those who operate this company not an individual instructor, student or manager here and there. That may be an issue for future students if the company is charged, that diploma/degree may be worthless.
The diploma will not be rendered null if there are actions taken against Misner. But he no longer owns the school. It was actually sold when I was a student. If you you go back in the thread… and really who has the time to read this WHOLE thing, I have been attacked for posting my opinion by ex-students who had bad experiences. Also, there are some ‘trolls’ on here, just like ANY thread. I have to admit that I do take pleasure in getting them wound up. It doesn’t take much. Not saying that is very mature on my part, but its a harmless hobby.
Most of the students that I met while in attendance at SAE that did not do well in the program expected that they would just be ‘handed’ things. They barley worked at their studies, and then complained about the program. I, and a core group of others, busted our asses and have done well. The others pretty much just accrued a large debt and a bad attitude. So you can see my position. I am not saying that there arent bad branches of SAE out there. Just saying that just because one is bad doesnt make them all bad. And I am not wrong for saying that.
Cheers
Agreed, you shouldn’t be attacked either. Misner did sell the company but that’s just the monetary aspect, he’s still a big part of it which is on the website and in interviews he’s given. I’m not arguing with you at all I just want to make that point that he didn’t sell and walk away and Misner selling doesn’t leave SAE in the clear ever for future prosecution. Good on you for working hard and doing so well alum. Good luck to you.
Cheers
Hello everybody. I’m from india and i want to do audio engineering. I applied in SAE in all usa branches
So it will be really helpful if you guys gimme a correct review about SAE because my future depends on it.
Thank you
Hi..what you doing now? took admission somewhere ?
I ‘m not a forum person at all but this subject really got my nerves going, so here’s SAE in a nutshell for you (I did it about 1 year ago, audio engineering full time that is, believe me):
Teachers: good till excellent, they will take the time for you and and can go into great depth
about any subject regarding audio.
Studio’s: good equipment in the aspect of mics/consoles altough basic hardware like mic stands
really sucks even in the bigger studio’s. But let’s not put the blame at the school itself,
you would be surprised at how much of my fellow students even later on in the
programme didn’t even know how to handle something basic like a stand or how to roll
up a cable properly.
Practical excercises: Are nice to do but nearly all of them are graded with a pass or fail. This
means you can put a lot of effort into a excercise (I did) and you will just get
a pass or you can just not put a lot effort into a excercise and you will still
get a pass (this is seriously how it works).
Theory Test: Multiple choice, this kind of always worked demotivating for me seens I would
always study quite hard but the multiple choice questioning always kind of screwed
with my head.
Studio time: very limited seens the school is packed full of students, altough if you spend a lot of
time at school, studio’s sometimes just pop open. Everybody also noticed that the
booking system turns you into a kind asshole
Can anyone guess which SAE i’m talking about here ?
Sounds Like NYC to me. When bookings got to tight I would go talk with administration and they found ways to get my class more time.
hey guys, i am thinking to join the sae institute london for a ba/bsc (hons) in digital film making… any comments??
hey guys, I’m thinking about going to SAE Berlin, Cross media and publishing studies. what do you think? do any of you recommend about it? I see many of you are disappointed from SAE, and I don’t wanna be a part of you. So… an honest opinion, please?
Everything I saw, I saw about sound Engineering, so I hope I still have a chance, and maybe my program will be better.
The campus I’m thinking about is Berlin, and I would like to approach the two year Bachelor program.
Thank you for any help!
Jess
I went to SAE Institute Nashville, I will say, do yourself a favor and get at least a Bachelor’s degree first, in a business related field, something other than music, you WILL need it. The recording industry is an extremely tough market right now, even some of the best engineers are unemployed because simply, studios just can’t make it anymore. The best bet is to start your own studio, what I did was after graduation, got a real corporate job making a great salary, including health benefits, 401k’s, and much more, something studios won’t offer that are extremely important. Then, used that salary to invest into a studio to do on the side, with my future goal to do it full time once I gain enough clientele and recognition. The good thing about Nashville is that yes, we are the mecca of recording studios, but at the same time, you will have to pay an arm and a leg to record at these studios of which the quality can easily be replicated in a privately owned home based studio if done correctly.
I will say at SAE, it is very much designed for those who really don’t have any recording experience, I went into the program with 6 years of self knowledge, I didn’t learn a heck of a whole lot, I wish they offered a more advanced program you can test into for a lot of those students who go into the program knowing so much already. Overall, I liked the school, great staff and supervisors, but in reality, I could have done without this school and saved the 20k+.
I’ve been studying at SAE institute in oxford doing a digital Film making degree and my advice would be : “don’t go” It’s a big business and a money-box, It could be good, only if we had a lecturer up to the job. Only one film lecturer there and she doesn’t deserve her place in a university course.
The only good time are when we get guest lecturers to come do lessons but that happens 4 times over the year. For the audio course I cannot say how good the teaching is, the audio peeps seem to enjoy it though. Just don’t go there to do films.
“sae student” Could you elaborate on what you said? Are you saying the quality of teaching is not good.. and what is the coursework/exams like? Easy/hard/seem like a waste of time?
This advice would have been helpful a year ago. I;m going there this year !
Yep mate, is ithard to learn there ?
Hi there,
1 year ago I’ve got a diploma in audio engineer with SAE.
about SAE paris: (we started at 15 peeps and finished at 9, 6 of us got the diploma.)
-teacher: many of them are still involved in audio industry and have really strong audio knowledge.
-theory lesson: good enough to understanding the basic (advice: physics and maths knowledge are required before applying, log, etc…).
-theory exam: Not so easy to achieved, I mean some of the questions could cheating you, you have to be a hard worker with your theory lessons if u want to get a good evaluation.
-Practical exercises: at the beginning it’s really easy to do a good job, but at the end when u have to finish your thesis and in the same time to do a bunch of exercises with the neveVR or ICON , that’s could be a big “brainwashing”.
-my POV: I was involved for 10 years in audio industry before I deciced to enrol with SAE, (trying to gain more skills in post-production environment). My 10 years was really helpfull, especially for managing the pressure during the theoreticals and practicals tests. I did not waste my time, I think so.
I’d like achived the BA in SAE London.
Does anyone there, got an opinion about SAE London Audio department?
hey, I am thinking of going to SAE in Cape town for film making program. Does anybody have any opinion?
Hey…I am Alif.
i want to be a musician. this is my aim.
So,I am thinking of going to SAE in Berlin for Audio engineering.
I dont know about them so much. Please give me some information about their activitys. Is they are helpful for my future?? and for my job ??
And give me some information about their tuition fee.
thank you.
do it you won’t regret it. im in sae audio engineering in miami.. im a producer..it will help u in many aspects
Well I am currently attending SAE Miami, its only been a week so far..but it seems like i will learn a lot… you know it is going to be different for every person. because some people can’t selfstudy some people need hands-on (like me =\lol) but for the audio engineering class (is which class im attending) Im a producer and I know it will help me to get better quality on my tracks.. I had alittle doubt tonight because we have this test monday and i missed my first two days (didnt get the money figured out..(now the cost is completely ridiculous i will admit) but anyway its alot of number and math which i suck at and he didnt seem to go to into depth.unless i just done get it lol. but even though it was crazy expensive..if i didnt do it..i wouldnt have ever done it. if any of you wanna go to this school and your considering it..seriously. GO or figure out aanother school and GO no matter what school it is.. i promise you all will learn something. you just gotta know what u wanna do. DO WHAT U WANNA DO NOW. create your life now..dont say oh i dont have money or i dont have time..cause if u dont have money or time now? you will never have it. if you believe in yourself and listen in school and study n work hard and believe uyour dream will come true. if any of you are almost “stalled” in life.. read the book or watch the movie on netflix called “The Secret” it has changed my life i hope it will help you guys ..Best of luck to you all
hi everyone,
i am 30 years of age and have been involved in music production ever since i was 20. i have played guitar since i was 6 and am a prof working musician.
i wanted to do the audio production bachlor when i left high school in melbourne in 99 but i did not have any funds to pay for these courses.
i recently took the tour around the melbourne campus and i have my doubts with the course structure and so forth.
I spoke to a couple of tutors / instructors whilst i was there for five hours and lets face it….. you get posers and primadonna s in every industry but after chatting to these guys i did nt feel the confidence to be taught by them.
i also asked about the in depth theory studies and i was told that it did not concentrate on the science of sound heavily. ( why would i want to study there then?)
My other question were on studio time….. if i intend on paying 38000 dollars for a degree, i will basically be living at the place to get projects done to my satisfaction. after leaving i felt that i maybe would not get the hours in the studio i needed.
i also asked if i could complete projects in my own home studio such as mastering……..i was advised that most of my fees were for the use of the studios in sae.
At this stage i am working in a private studio that produces many famous australian artists and working on tv commercial s. i am still yet to ask some more people about the sae bachelor or any music production private school degree.
i made my opinion clear to the tour guide that i understand a person has to work to get a result from study but i wanted reassurence that this is not a money making excercise in an industry which is based on recording done strictly by artists and friends of. if you can understand that ;)
lets have a chat i d love to find out more people opinions.
cheers rusty
The simple truths are;
1. Private colleges don’t receive government subsidies. If you look at the ‘real’ price of study (ie full fee paying) you will find the price to be very reasonable (in comparison – I think education is too expensive. Full stop.)
2. A college is the sum of it’s parts. I would agree that there is a fair share of douche bags that teach but I’d (hardly) ever dealt with them in Australia. You can’t make generalisations (there’s other words for that I’m sure).
It’s good to see you actually went in and spoke to people. You are one of the few commenters here that seem sincere. But why would you need to study after 10 years in the industry? I remember a few years into my career, no-one looked at my qualifications. They just wanted a discography.
Hi everyone,
I’m 18 years old and I’m thinking about attending the SAE school in NY to complete a Audio Technology course. I read on the website that the course takes 9 months so I thought about continuing my studies on another school after learning the basics on the SAE school. So is that a good idea? And if no does anybody know a better school in NY?
Appreciate every reply!!!
Went to SAE NY. Graduated in June 2012. Not worth the time or money. They expect you to be an adult and find out everything by yourself. And asking questions to the staff there ain’t easy. you get half answers most of the time. better off googling and youtubing. But then why pay $23k+ when you can just google everything yourself?
Look at SAE in London, went into liquidation due to the manager’s incompetence (M.Postel) then sae was sold off. The teachers are told to just teach whatever they know from doing the course themselves or if they are not former students then whatever they want basically. If they can’t explain something the students are advised to study at home. Equipment is so so and most of the time there’s something wrong with it. the studios are split in two different location which is really annoying.
Hello everyone.. was nice reading what you all posted. I took admission in Sae Bangkok(new campus this year) and i will post about my experience after a year :D I am from India! And to all others, all the very best in your life, takecare.
I attended SAE for the Sound production diploma. i didn’t finish due to personal circumstances. I found one teacher great, and another terrible. The problem teacher could not tell between speakers in and out of phase. I pointed this obvious speaker phase problem out in one of the studios. after couple of minutes of him listening, he he said there was no problem, then later said it was another problem, like an issue with the fader on the console, when it clearly wasn’t. I got very dishearten after that.
Hello Im planning to get a degree on film on the sae institute located in mexico (its new just opened like 1 a half year ago) i wanted to know if im making the right decision? I want to make sure a i get a job placement after finishing the degree there or any part of the wolrd
Question: Do SAE centers teach in the local language of the country they’re in? or do they all teach in English?
local language
they teach both in local and english. they offer 2 batch always so you can choose for english one or local language whichever country :) hope that helps :)
Hi I am planning to do Ba Film Production in SAE Dubai, I want to know if this degree is accredited does it help to go for higher studies?
Hi I plan to do BA in Film Production in SAE institute, Does this degree accredited and does it help to go for Masters?
Hi there.. yes it helps and sae is well known in this industry so you dont have to worry.. just choose a good campus. where are you from ? I took admission in bangkok campus and my college will start in march. :) Hope that helps.
Dear Thanks for the repaly. I am from Dubai
Hi guys,
Great to read the long discussion! I am considering the BA in Digital Film-making in Singapore this year. I can see people have very mixed feelings about the SAE. I understand the risk that some schools are equipted with better teachers then others. My question is: Will the Ba from SAE get me somewhere with the knowledge we get? How advanced is this knowledge we consume? And does anyone in this forum have experience from the SAE Singapore institute?
Cheers!
SAE DUBAI is the BIGGEST waste of money ever! Do yourself a favor and go to a real institute or uni/college! You will THANK me later I swear.
Long story short… THIS SCHOOL IS A COMPLETE SCAM. enjoy
A little late to the party here but I’ve been enrolled in SAE Liverpool so I’ll say my bit.
I was enrolled in the Electronic Music Production class part time. I had been producing music on my own and had made a couple of “decent” tracks but nothing to be proud of.
I paid £2000 for a 6 month course, I had a house mate who was enrolled on a 2 year course with a possible 3rd year for a degree in Audio Engineering.
There was some decent hardware available for use but can’t say I ever really touched any of it. I used Ableton while I was there, when I used the workstations on the few occasions necessary it didn’t have the full suite. Thought that was taking the piss personally.
Never had to book studio time but as far as I could see it wasn’t difficult (however I was enrolled April to Dec).
I had one teacher constantly throughout the course who was very dedicated and I still maintain contact with. His enthusiasm was infectious and he was a good teacher. I can’t say much for the other staff however, didn’t think there was a particularly good atmosphere in the place. My house mate felt the same way.
There’s also an SAE Store where you can get discounts on various hardware and software. When I joined I was told that we got a free Soundcloud Solo account worth £80, but it would be worth waiting until towards the end of the course to claim this as we’d have more material by then. When I advised my tutor that Soundcloud was not on the store, I was later told that the account was no longer on offer.
I have to say I learned an awful lot in that time and I’m glad enrolled on the course. However it was massively overpriced for what it was and unless that changed I couldn’t recommend it.
Completely agree with ‘truthman’ as an ex student myself.
Also agree with ‘Sae student’ who commented on the 20th August. Who said “It’s a big business and a money-box” because that is exactly what it is.
*Basically. If you are considering going to any of them in England to do film. Don’t.*
It seems the audio courses are okay for the most part in England and abroad.
I graduated a long time ago from SAE AMSTERDAM – Waste of money, and time, don’t do it!
Hi,
I am looking for a master degree course in 3d animation, and I would love to live in Amsterdam for the time spend doing so. Does SAE provide a masters course in animation?