May 11, 2011

Recording Arts Canada – Best-in-Class Digital Arts Education




I’ve always admired people who follow their dreams. Whether they are passionate about photography, dance, or music - such adventurous souls evoke respect and awe for their dedication, persistence, and hard work. There is nothing more courageous then following your heart into the vast and sometimes treacherous world of art!


A few weeks ago I was honored with an invitation to Recording Arts Canada’s (RAC) career day. RAC is one of the most established and recognized digital arts schools in the country. It is inhabited by the aforementioned individuals attracted to the digital arts and the creative opportunities which the cutting-age technology at the RAC has to offer. Both teachers and students alike think that in this day and age their field is the most promising and lucrative with diverse applications across many industries.

RAC was founded in 1984 and has two established campuses in Montreal and Toronto. Their larger Toronto campus is located in the former Technicolor studio in the heart of downtown and boasts an outstanding set of post-production and audio equipment that is fully available for student use. In fact, RAC prides itself with its hands-on, tactile approach to learning and the real-life experience it offers to its graduates. The 1:1 student-work station ratio allows each one of the pupils to be fully exposed to their comprehensive training in the latest sound and gaming technologies by rotating between the different studios. Smaller class sizes ensure that students get individual attention and one-on-one time with their professors, as well as an opportunity for discussions and open forums.


RAC has three faculties: Sound and Music Recording, Digital Media, and Game Design. Each program is crammed with active industry professionals who deliver hyper relevant content in the form of lectures and one-on-one consultations available for students that require a little extra attention or others with in-depth questions. Newly acquired knowledge and techniques are then used in lab work, and often in order to complete assignments and projects. Therefore, attendance and testing are critical components of the fast-paced, 11-month long programs that provide top-class training that can be applied anywhere from home studios to multi-million dollar production companies.

In addition to its seasoned professors, RAC boasts plenty of teaching assistants who facilitate the lab work and help students with various elements of the learning process. They also serve as a bridge between the professors and students, often acting as mediators and helping students with even the most sensitive issues. The majority of TAs are RAC graduates with a proven track record of outstanding academic achievements. Ryan and Joe, two of the lab assistants, both with extensive industry experience, prepared an outstanding audio presentation that showcased the capabilities of the college’s main mixing console. The same console was used in the sound production for The Matrix Reloaded. I later discovered that one of the albums that Ryan worked on was nominated for the Juno awards!

The student body at the RAC is as diverse as its faculty. Successful music artists that have been in the industry for years, gaming enthusiasts, talented high-school grads who are ardent over-achievers are just a few examples of the kind of people you can meet in the lecture halls. The one thing that they all share is a desire to get the best-in-class education which will be recognized internationally. Even though RAC is a private school, it is accredited by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in Ontario (MTCU) and its corresponding body in Québec. Its students are eligible to receive government financial assistance and the credits earned at RAC are transferable towards post-secondary programs in other schools.


Whether you are into gaming or dream about running your own recording studio one day, RAC is the best place to jump-start your career. You will receive in-depth training tempered by industry knowledge, meet people from across the country, and gain invaluable experience working with world-class, modern equipment. In just eleven short months, you will be that much closer to your dream!

Here are some ways to connect with the RAC






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all images courtesy of RAC



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