Yea, but they would know how to chop that loop up and then using a complex Markov chain algorithm spit it back out all glitchy and shit… And then they could resample it in Live and play it back using one of those really cool elbows out filter sweeps. Right before they get to show off what they learn’t in their Making Heart Shapes With Your Hands 301 course they last spring.

Here’s why I think we should give Berklee the benefit of the doubt – neither the people speaking in this trailer, nor the music playing in the background of the video can be taken at face value.

The trailer looks just like a thrown together thing to convince people to embark on a complex journey (like 4 years or so of studies) that hasn’t yet taken place even once.

What I’m saying is, all the people making vague statements in the video have actually not studied this. The students, however, will hopefully take what they have learned and hopefully make it their own – just as diverse in attitude as all those as studying jazz and pop instruments right now.

So who knows what they’ll come up with, and whether or not they’ll think their studies had any part in the music they’ll make, and whether you or me will like or dislike it.

I for one would be interested to see what they can come up with over the course of their studies.

You’re ranting about the kids these days and their musical tastes, aka ‘Get off my lawn’, which has nothing to do with Berklee’s programs.

Me too. It was an MUPF course where you still had a primary instruments (piano) but tagged on recording arts and electronics and music. However I had a different experience. I knew more than the people their teaching. Looking back it was ok but that aspect of it was a total waste of money. The best part was being able to touch some gear you had access to .. such as the Dyaxis (world’s first DAW), SSL 4000G’s, AMS RMX16’s, Lexicon 480’s and other great outboard, various synths etc..

This Berkley course leaves mixed feelings. At it’s core I call total BS. BUT.. it’s still based on fundamental music theory where ‘electronic digital’ is your instrument. Still valuable, more valuable than a lot of other college majors…

Your perspective seems really uninformed.

Cats like BT, who has a DJ career, a production career, and a film scoring career, get where they are by having rigorous schooling in things like composition, music theory, and orchestration – in addition to knowing their software inside and out.

People that skip learning the basics end up being the dudes making fart noises on YouTube.

If you want to make beats or play keyboards in a band, that’s a different story, a different level of skills needed, and not really what a classical education is designed to prepare you for.

If one wants to make money avoiding music could be a good first step. But not everyone does though, not everyone wants to have marketable skills. If you ever met a “true artist” most definetely you will have recognised a very specific characteristic. The necessity, urgency to create as if everything else is a dead alley. No school will ever give you that, that’s for sure, you either have it or not but it could help you widen your horizons, perhaps even recognize within those strange sounds that seem ,random meaning and music 🙂

I took electronic music classes when in college (in the 90s) – it was actually a huge thing, the differences between noodling on a computer at home and being able to work on a wall sized serge and racks of instruments is pretty big – also having someone to bounce ideas off of and hand tips and tricks as well as just general synthesis types is great when you are more finding your footing and starting out.

you are perfectly right. I have the same feeling about rap and that kind of pop radio song.

I agree with your statement @thisdeadlyhouse. There is a steep learning curve with DAWs, computers, VSTs,and the new technologies out there. If Berklee has a well rounded program, it will put a student way ahead of the game. A structured program to give a student knowledge and experience in all aspects of electronic music is very much needed. If you are under a deadline to learn, you will learn much faster than getting your experience and learning piece-meal, here a little and there a little. The majority of electronic music musicians out there learn a few basics and won’t learn any further. They have a extremely limited knowledge, refuse to read a manual, complain about everything, and say it is too difficult and interferes in their creative process. when in reality if they would just learn the gear inside and out, their work flow would become second nature and become effortless. Thanks Berklee for this program.

It’s not what you know. It’s who you know.

It is a privilege, but if you can afford it, and you know that you would appreciate the opportunity to study all this stuff in detail, then perhaps it is OK to give it a try, even if it doesn’t necessarily lead to a career. You only live once and might as well enjoy your life. But sure, you should go into it with your eyes open about the future.