I chose to study Audio Engineering at PAVI because the course offered a wide spectrum of subjects in one year. Of course, the marvellous gear at Blue Wave studios was another great incentive.

When I started the Audio Engineering course, I was far from an expert. I knew I loved music, and also play bass, but as far as the technical things go, I really didn’t have much of a clue.

The program was a year long. It was broken down into three semesters, each lasting four months and consisting of four different subjects. I started in January, but there were also the options to start in May or September. Every class had a mixture of students that were in different periods of their studies. There was students in their first, second or third semester. It was a great way to learn because not only were you learning from the teachers, you could also learn from the other students. The first semester started with Live Sound, Studio Design & Maintenance, Audio Engineering, and Audio for Video. The second semester consisted of Mixing, DAW, Electronic Music and Entertainment Software Skills. The final semester included Production, Career Management, Recording, and Music Theory.

I honestly did not know what to expect of the course, except for what I had heard from other people that had studied there. After my first couple of weeks there I already felt like I was becoming more confident. When I had completed my first semester, the expectations that I had for PAVI had definitely been exceeded.

"After my first couple of weeks there I already felt like I was becoming more confident. "

The best parts of the program had to be instructors. PAVI really made sure that the students were satisfied with every instructor we had. The instructors at PAVI were at the top of their game, and would never hesitate to go the extra mile to make sure we understood everything. The worst part would have been the limited studio time given to students. In my third semester it was changed to 24 hour studio time and students got increased hours. Another issue that may hamper the experience for someone would be the class sizes. My class was about 30 people, which can be a lot. However, they did make sure this was not an issue during Studio classes. The classes were usually divided into four groups during classes in the studio.

Everyone as PAVI was very realistic about the Music Industry and didn’t sugar coat it for the students. They also offered the Interning program at BlueWave, which I took part in for the two semesters that I was allowed to. Interning helped to give me many hands on experiences that don’t necessarily happen in the classroom.

I would recommend the program to people because they are constantly improving the course. They have great instructors that are willing to go the extra mile, and offer an Interning program that helped me be aware of how the Industry really worked.

I am currently working in the industry as a Production Assistant for SDAP Productions. I am utilizing skills that I learned in school, many of them business skills, however, I still get a chance to be creative. It was not difficult for me to get a job, just took looks of work. I interned with SDAP Productions before I was graduated from PAVI, so I already had my foot in the door.

If there was anything that I could have done differently, I would have wished that I did not have to work, so I could have spent more time in the studio. Unfortunately, this wasn`t realistic for me. I am very happy with the program I chose.

I enjoyed my time at PAVI and am satisfied with the end result. I will continue to work in the Music Industry. If you would like to check out some of the demo's I have worked on, please go to www.myspace.com/sonicbleedproductions