About The Recording Connection
A division of the Recording, Radio, Film and Culinary Connection (RRFC), the Recording Connection is an industry-recognized trade school geared around providing you with practical, one-on-one training for a career as an audio engineer or music producer. Our overarching goal is not simply to equip you with the skills you need, but also to help you break into the industry by putting you in a position to gain on-the-job experience while making important industry connections. Through our revolutionary mentor-apprentice (extern) learning approach, we pair each of our students with an actual music producer or audio engineer who provides one-on-one training in a real recording studio. Our program combines a structured-yet-flexible curriculum with a large amount of hands-on training in the studio, which enables our students not only to learn the rudiments of producing, recording and mixing but the business aspects of running a studio, as well as the inner workings of the industry itself. Since our inception in 1989, the Recording Connection has expanded its reach into all 50 states, as well as into Canada, Australia, and the U.K., ultimately placing more than 11,000 students as apprentices (externs) in real recording studios across three continents. Our mentoring staff consists of actual producers and engineers in world-class studios, many of whom regularly work with Grammy-winning, Platinum-selling artists. We carefully screen our mentors to ensure they are giving our students the best education possible, as well as the best opportunities to connect with the industry in the process. The Recording Connection’s on-the-job audio training program is an excellent choice for anyone with a passion to launch a career as an audio engineer, music producer, live sound engineer, music recording artist, live DJ, composer or other industry professional. Our unique approach puts you in the right place at the right time with the right people to help you break into the industry.
Possible Career Paths
Within our basic audio engineering and music production course, we are able to pair students with mentors that specialize in their chosen genre or field of interest. We currently offer customized training for the following career paths:
- Electronic music production
- Hip-hop music production/beat making
- Live sound engineering
- Post-production audio
- Audio for film, TV and video games
- Touring DJ
- Music business (artist management, label executive, etc.)
Top ten reasons to consider the Recording Connection:
1. Learn near where you live. ( 250 cities to choose from) With over 250 locations across the country, we can train you in a real recording studio within driving distance of where you live. No need to relocate, quit your job or say goodbye to your existing connections. 2. Low tuition With skyrocketing education costs, it is not uncommon for students to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in debt before they graduate. For aspiring industry professionals, this can end a career before it even begins. We keep our tuition affordable ($9400, all supplies included, no fees) so you can focus on your career, not on how you’re going to pay your bills. 3. Prepare for a variety of music industry careers Whether you want to produce, compose, engineer, DJ or perform; whether you’re into hip-hop, electronic music, country, pop, rock or jazz; we tailor your curriculum to your needs, and we pair you with a mentor who can help you achieve your specific career goals. 4. Real job placement assistance Thanks to our unique approach, many of our students get hired by their mentors or by connections made through their mentors. However, at the Recording Connection, we leave nothing to chance. For each of our students, we provide additional support, training and job placement assistance for up to a year after graduation. 5. Learn as an apprentice (extern), not a classroom student or an intern As a Recording Connection student, you are not one student among dozens competing for a teacher’s attention in a classroom. Nor are you simply an intern who takes out the trash (although chores are a natural part of studio life). You are an apprentice (extern) who has been assigned to a real producer/engineer for personalized on-the-job training. You aren’t just learning concepts from a textbook: you’re learning the tricks of the trade from a real pro. 6. Work on your own music career One of the things our students love best about the Recording Connection is that our course enables them to apply the things they’re learning to creating their own music. While many of our students simply want to engineer and produce for others, many others want to produce their own music. Our course enables you to up your own game. You’ll learn to record, mix and produce your own music, and even better, get it heard by actual music industry professionals who can help you get it out there. 7. Learn industry standard gear and software Since you’re learning in a real recording studio, you’ll naturally be learning to use the gear and software that the pros use, from vintage amps to virtual plugins, from analog to digital. You’ll learn the industry standard Pro Tools, as well as other programs like Logic, Reason and Ableton. And you’ll get to practice on the gear and software without competing with other students for practice time. 9. One-on-one mentoring In a Recording Connection class, there is only one student: you. No classes with dozens of other students. All the training occurs one-on-one in the studio, just you and your mentor. No glossing over things you don’t understand. Learn at your own pace. Ask whatever questions you like. This personalized attention is what helps people like you become great producers and engineers. And that’s what we’re after. 10. World-Class mentors with real album credits In other schools, teachers often have their degrees and diplomas hanging on the wall. In the real music industry, success is measured in other ways. We partner with top producers and engineers across the country to mentor our students—people who work with superstar talent such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, U2, Aerosmith, Kendrick Lamar and many, many others. You probably won’t find college degrees hanging on the walls of your mentor’s studio, but you might just see a few Gold and Platinum Records, and maybe even a Grammy or two.