Audio engineering is an excellent career choice if you enjoy computers, have an artistic spirit, and enjoy experimenting with audio effects. Working in this sector is also extremely exciting and lucrative. If you choose to engage in sound design for movies, you have the potential to win an Academy Award for your efforts.
But if you’re thinking about a career in audio engineering, we’re sure you’ve wondered what audio engineers do, what are the best audio engineering schools in Canada, and how you can get started on your path to becoming an audio engineer. So, we’ll do our best to assist you in answering them.
What is Audio Engineering, and why is it important?
Audio engineering encompasses a wide range of activities, including sampling, recording, processing, and applying effects to sound files. Many individuals mistakenly believe that this job is solely for musicians. This is not the case, as audio engineering is used extensively in game design, tv, radio, and movies.
What is the role of an audio engineer?
This is dependent on the field in which they operate. Your duty as an audio engineer in a music studio would be to mix a track’s vocals and instrumentation. Then you’d have to make sure that all of the instruments are at the correct volume levels so that they can all be audible without being drowned out. This is only a high-level overview; an audio engineer does a million more things to guarantee the music sounds excellent to the ear. Audio engineers have three fundamental responsibilities in a studio setting:
Track editing – the audio engineer puts together elements of audio that were previously recorded individually.
Track mixing – the audio engineer is in charge of making sure the proper instrument is brought to the forefront.
Track Mixing – It improves the music’s performance and makes it suitable for release.
Best Audio Engineering Schools in Canada
Audio engineering colleges are sanctuaries for anyone interested in learning everything there is to know about audio technology.
One of the best means to get a varied skill set that will allow you to make it in the audio production business is to enroll in the correct program at a good audio engineering school. Apart from providing students access to specialized technology, they also provide a perfect atmosphere for networking with colleagues and lecturers. Every program has its own set of characteristics, varying in sophistication and yielding a variety of certificates upon completion.
For a variety of factors, these institutions made our best audio engineering schools in Canada list:
Fanshawe College
Location: London, Ontario
Program Length: 1 year
Degree: Ontario College Graduate Certificate in Audio Post-Production
Tuition: $7,226 CAD
The Audio Post-Production program at Fanshawe College is a fully specialized, professional degree in the principles and application of all elements of innovative audio production for movies, tv, games, internet graphics, multichannel audio, clip, and all emerging multimedia elements. Sound synthesis and sound system engineering and mixing, location recording, ADR, Foley, interactive audio, and gaming sound technologies are all used to emphasize concept development.
Les Stroud, Emm Gryner, William Peter Randall, Trevor Morris, and radio broadcasters Ted Roop and Greg Brady are among the famous former students of Fanshawe College.
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Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology (OIART)
Location: London, Ontario
Program Length: 11 months
Degree: Diploma in Audio Recording Technology
Tuition: $32,950 CAD
In addition to music technology and audio engineering, the Ontario Institute of Audio Recording Technology also offers courses in Audio Synthesis, Songwriting, Soundtrack for Digital Games, Sound Editing, Graphic Design, Acoustic Performance, and Contemporary Studio Techniques.
Dan Brodbeck (widely recognized for collaborating with Dolores O’Riordan and The Cranberries), Rob Nokes (creator of Sounddogs.com), Matty Green (LA-based audio engineer and producer who ended up working with Ed Sheeran), Ryan Castle (recognized for work with Sheryl Crow), Wayne Lemmer (audio engineer with credits on Kung Fu Panda and Transformers), and Voices Founder and CEO, David Ciccarelli are just a few of the audio engineers who have graduated from the school.
Vancouver Film School
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia
Program Length: 1 year
Degree: Diploma in Sound Design for Visual Media
Tuition: $28,950 CAD
In a challenging creative landscape that closely reflects the industry, you will have to learn professional-level sound design skills. Graduates of the Vancouver Film School’s Diploma in Sound Design for Visual Media program are among the industry’s most distinguished and sought-after specialists.
This school also offers routes to postgraduate training in Germany and the United Kingdom, where students can earn bachelor’s degrees in the movie and new media compositions and graduate degrees in audio/video production.
Vancouver Film School graduates have worked on a variety of high-profile video games and movies in past years, including Black Panther, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman, Dead Rising 4, and League of Legends.
Recording Arts Canada
Location: Montreal, Quebec or Toronto, Ontario
Program Length: 1 year
Degree: Sound & Music Production
Tuition: $18,455 CAD
Recording Arts Canada, led by a Grammy-winning composer, provides music and audio production instruction in world-class studios. Their Sound & Music Production curriculum combines fundamental theory, critical hands-on instruction, and career counseling, allowing students to begin securing career chances in a year.
This school’s most distinctive feature is its 880+ hours of specialized training over the span of a year. This amount, they claim, is twice as high as other comparable diploma programs.
Alumni of Recording Arts Canada has collaborated with artists like Drake, Shawn Mendes, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber.
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Metalworks Institute
Location: Mississauga, Ontario
Program Length: 1 year
Degree: Diploma in Audio Production & Engineering
Tuition: For information on tuition, email [email protected].
The Audio Production & Engineering Diploma program teaches the advanced audio editing skills needed to excel in today’s high-tech sound recording studios. This program has been created to offer students a complete overview of the developing world of sound, covering both large-format recording and ‘in the box’ techniques, from music composition to audio production.
In addition to the basic diploma and BA degree, Metalworks also provides courses to a Bachelor of Creative Arts from Yorkville University in New Brunswick, Canada, which includes an advanced diploma in Mixing and Mastering.
Entertainment One, Bell Media, Sony Music, Corus Entertainment, and OVO Sound have all hired Metalworks graduates.
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Conclusion
Choosing the best audio engineering school for your aspirations will take a lot of findings, and your conclusion will most probably be determined by a number of factors, including the amount of cash you’re willing to splurge, the sector you want to work in, and the specialized tools and skill sets you want to improve.
Taking courses in an audio engineering school, regardless, is a commitment to your career that will help you thrive in the emerging fields of sound technology and the music profession. Not only because of the certificate but also because of the wonderful possibilities and resources that come with it.