15 Top Music Production Schools in Los Angeles|Tuition&Duration

In researching the top music production schools in Los Angeles, it’s important to define your goals and create a plan of action. For example, what techniques will you learn? What skills will you gain? Who do you hope to work for?

After setting your goals, it’s time to gather information on various music production schools in Los Angeles and find the one that best fits your needs and interests.

This blog post can help by providing information on some of the best music production schools in Los Angeles.

So, let’s dive in.

Best Vocational Music Production Schools in Los Angeles

Vocational schools, sometimes called trade schools, are an ideal option for those who want to focus exclusively on music production and who may not need a degree in the field to advance their career.

Students enrolling in vocational schools usually learn by doing.

They have the opportunity to work closely with experienced professionals and get hands-on experience working with tools and equipment to understand how they work and what role they play.

If you’re looking for a program that emphasizes technology or offers extensive hands-on training, then a vocational school could be the right fit for you.

We’ve compiled a list of some of the best schools offering vocational music production schools in Los Angeles:

The Los Angeles Recording School

  • Total cost of tuition: $38,525.
  • Duration: 18 months.

Located in the heart of Hollywood, the Los Angeles Recording School has a well-rounded music production program that’s a good option for those looking to get started with music production.

The LA Recording School is a subsidiary of the prestigious LA Film School. It is by far, the best music production school in Los Angeles; and also, one of the most expensive music production schools in Los Angeles.

This program offers small class sizes and an immersive environment where you will have access to technical equipment and gain hands-on experience in music and audio production.

The school also emphasizes providing practical knowledge that can be applied in the real world.

In addition to traditional on-campus classes, this institution also offers online programs in recording arts and sound engineering through its sister school, Full Sail University.

This school has been recognized as Billboard’s best music production school in Los Angeles. But that’s not even the best part – students in this school have the opportunity of meeting celebrities like Post Malone, Kehlani, or Snoop Dogg, and produce for them someday.

Icon Collective Music School

  • The total cost of tuition: $27,555.
  • Duration: Not specified.

Icon Collective Music School is a top music school with a unique flagship music production program that aims to provide the modern-day musician, producer, DJ, and artist manager with the tools for success in today’s ever-changing music industry.

Located in the heart of Los Angeles, Icon has an impressive track record of student success, with many of its alumni having surpassed 1 million streams on Spotify and releasing tracks on top labels.

Icon students have gone on to have successful careers as producers, DJs, engineers, and artist managers.

Students at Icon come from all over the world to take advantage of this innovative approach to musical education.

The school’s highly-regarded faculty members are known for their cutting-edge curriculum that emphasizes creativity over rote memorization.

Garnish Music School

  • The total cost of tuition: $3,999 + $200 registration fee.
  • Duration: 120 hours.

Garnish Music School is another music production school in Los Angeles that offers a variety of programs for students who want to learn from the best.

Garnish Music School’s Ableton Music Producer Program offers a 12-week intensive course in music production where you will have classes with Avi Bortnick, who has toured and recorded with John Scofield. Garnish is also home to many other great teachers, too.

Garnish’s online program offers courses in composition, recording, and mixing with topics including music theory and arranging audio for video games and film. In addition, you get a 33 percent discount when you sign up for their online course.

Recording Connection Audio Institute

  • The total cost of tuition: $12,750 – $16,220.
  • Duration: 6 months (with flexible schedule option).

If you’re ready to get your start in music production and are looking for a way to kickstart your career, then check out Recording Connection Audio Institute.

Part of a network that boasts more than 15 years of industry experience, Recording Connection offers an innovative music production program based around mentorship and apprenticeship which has the potential to put you in the room with some of the best producers in Los Angeles.

Admissions at Recording Connection are open to any interested applicants who have graduated from high school or who have completed GED requirements, regardless of whether they have formal audio training or not.

So, if you feel like your path might be leading toward a career in audio production, but you haven’t had much experience with it yet, don’t worry—you can still apply.

Recording Connection offers twelve programs that focus on Audio Engineering, Music Production, Hip Hop, Electronic Music, Music Business, and more.

RCAI remains one of the top music production schools in Los Angeles and the United States. As a result, their popularity even exceeds where we have ranked them on our list.

IO Music Academy

  • The total cost of tuition: $1,425.
  • Duration: 3 months.

Students who want to learn all the fundamentals of music production should check IO Academy out. IO Music Academy has created an intensive three-month course that teaches you everything from the basics of instrumentation and sound engineering to marketing strategies for your music and how to produce a song.

Also, this school features courses from top music producers who have produced for artists like Lil Baby and UK Garages.

Needless to say, this is one of the best music production schools in Los Angeles. This school is in downtown Los Angeles, which is a vibrant hub for artists and musicians with plenty of bars and restaurants nearby.

Beat Lab Academy

  • The total cost of tuition: $4,295.
  • Duration: 126 hours.

Beat Lab Academy offers an extensive curriculum of classes to get you started in music production and DJing.

The school has three programs: the Complete Music Production Program, the Music Production and Sound Design Program, and the Intro to Ableton Live program. All three programs involve several weeks of hands-on training on critical software such as Ableton Live and Logic Pro. 

There’s also a special four-week course for those wishing to start a career as a DJ or electronic musician.

Beat Lab provides free workshops for those interested in testing out their courses before signing up as well.

Beat Lab Academy is particular about its instructors; each one is carefully selected from among the elite producers, composers, and engineers working in Los Angeles.

Point Blank Music School

  • The total cost of tuition: $900 and above.
  • Duration: 12 weeks.

One of the most exciting aspects of Point Blank’s music production program is that it allows you to start as a beginner or continue your education as an advanced artist.

You can also choose between in-person and online programs, while they have studios all over the globe where you can learn face-to-face.

The school offers a six-month program called the Diploma in Music Production & Sound Engineering and a one-year-long Higher Diploma in Music Production and Sound Engineering.

Both programs are offered both online and in-person, and if you’re interested in learning more about these programs, Point Blank offers a free trial to get you started.

Point Blank’s instructors are industry professionals who give students access to their network so that students can find work after graduation.

Students at this school won’t just learn how to make music—they’ll learn how to succeed as professional artists.

Crē•8 Music Academy

  • The total cost of tuition: $6,000 for all four courses; $1,500 for each one.
  • Duration: 12 months.

This is a smaller music production school in Los Angeles. The reason this course is priced this high is anyone’s guess.

But still, we take nothing out of this school. They are one of the fast-growing music production schools in Los Angeles.

Crē•8 Music Academy offers a range of courses for those interested in becoming music producers, including classes related to music production, audio engineering, and other career paths.

The school has been around for less than 8 years and offers a curriculum that’s much more hands-on than the average online course.

Golden Impala Recording Studio

  • The total cost of tuition: $54 per hour.
  • Duration: Not available.

We know this may raise eyebrows but, Golden Impala is not quite a music production school in Los Angeles; at least they don’t tell you so. Golden Impala is a recording studio where artists come to get their songs recorded.

These guys do an amazing job mixing your songs and doing other activities that go with it.

But unlike all the other music production schools in Los Angeles that we have mentioned, Golden Impala trains students in music production and sound engineering discreetly. 

So, if you plan to learn here, you should visit them first. In addition, music producers and sound engineers can also work here on an internship or permanent basis, and continue to grow their skills.

1500 Sound Academy

  • The total cost of tuition: $2,250 per course; $12,500 for full-time on-campus program.
  • Duration: 12 months.

The 1500 Sound Academy is an impressive music production school in Los Angeles that offers courses in Music Production, Music Business, and Audio Engineering.

The school, located on the west side of LA near the Santa Monica Airport, offers both one-on-one and group classes with a staff of working producers and engineers.

1500 Sound Academy also focuses heavily on internships with working music industry professionals in LA. Graduates have gone on to work at some of LA’s top studios as well as start their own companies within the music industry.

What are the Best Universities to Study Music Production?

We also researched top-notch universities that offer programs related to audio engineering or sound recording arts.

As we mentioned, deciding on whether you just want to learn in a music trade school or a public (or private) university, will help you make a decision quickly to select which of these music production schools in Los Angeles you want to begin your career.

Universities take four years to complete and usually cost way more than vocational music production schools in Los Angeles.

In addition to teaching about music, universities have this [bad] habit of teaching all the other stuff that you may not require to become a music producer in Los Angeles. However, they do have their perks, too.

So, here are the universities to study music production:

University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private university that has been in operation since 1880. It offers students the opportunity to learn from experts at the cutting edge of the industry, and it is especially well suited to those hoping to pursue careers in music production as well as related fields like marketing, business, and technology. Located in Los Angeles, this university is one of the top universities in the United States.

Students can take advantage of a variety of recorded music courses and can earn degrees across several different disciplines including recording arts, popular music performance, composition for film and TV, music industry, songwriting & composition, jazz studies & improvisation, classical performance (majors only), audio engineering & game audio design.

With over 20,000 students enrolled at USC each year and a staff dedicated to helping every individual succeed both personally and professionally while also learning how to innovate new technologies within their field of specializations.

University of California

The University of California is a public research university in Los Angeles, California. The school offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in many areas of study including music production.

UC has a reputable music production program with close connections to the LA industry and the facilities to match. If you are interested in the sound engineering side of music production, UC is an excellent choice.

California State University – Long Beach and Fullerton campuses

To attend the program at California State University, you need to be accepted into the university. It’s also essential to apply to the school of music.

The program is designed for students with a high level of talent who want to hone their production skills.

To apply, you must complete a questionnaire about your musical interests and submit a resume that shows your experience in the music industry. If you’re accepted into the university, you will demonstrate your talent during an audition.

After submitting this application, you must pass an exam that tests your knowledge of music theory and demonstrate your ability to perform on an instrument or sing. You can also opt to create original compositions as part of your audition.

If you are accepted into California State University’s Music Production Program, there are four concentrations available: Audio Engineering and Production; Jazz Studies; Music Education; and Music Industry Studies (this includes Commercial Songwriting). You can also pursue a general music degree at CSU if none of these appeals to you personally but still wish to study production in detail while earning your degree in another area of interest such as photography or psychology.

Chapman University, Orange

Chapman University is a private university in Orange, California. Its campus spans over 286 acres in the heart of Orange County. The university is known for its blend of liberal arts and professional programs. Chapman University has a diverse student population with over 8,000 students and 1,500 faculty members.

The B.A./B.S./M.A./M.S/BFA degrees are offered at the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University which offers state-of-the-art facilities including film stages, post-production labs, digital editing suites, and soundstages for music production projects.

Courses are conducted by award-winning working professionals experienced in various aspects of the music industry such as recording engineers, producers, composers, or arrangers among others.

California State Polytechnic University – Pomona

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in music production, California State Polytechnic University offers what could be a good fit.

Taught by industry professionals, the program is designed to prepare you for work as a producer or engineer.

One of the most highly regarded aspects of this school’s music production program is that it’s offered through its business school, so students are taught all the business skills required to succeed in this field. 

This major teaches students about recording and studio techniques, producing and engineering basics, audio editing with Pro Tools and Logic Pro X, scoring for film and video games, mixing and mastering techniques, music theory, and ear training principles. Students also learn about design software such as Photoshop and Illustrator.

Why Study Music Production in Los Angeles?

There are many reasons to consider attending one of these music production schools in Los Angeles, but one important reason is that the right school can help you achieve your career goals.

Music producers often have a wide range of opportunities open to them, and getting training at a top-quality school can help you succeed in your career goals.

For example, if you’ve always dreamed of producing hip-hop dance tracks or working as a sound engineer on movies or television shows, it’s important to choose the right educational path.

Attending classes at any of these high-quality music production schools in Los Angeles can give you the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in these types of careers.

How Much Do Music Producers Earn in Los Angeles?

Top music producers in Los Angeles earn an average salary of $143,610 per year. And that confirms Los Angeles as one of the hubs for music producers to thrive in their careers, due to the high demand for producers, unlike cities like Miami. Although some factors may impact your earnings, you can expect to make a decent $30,000 (on average) starting as a producer.

The type of producer you are (recording or performing arts), your previous experience, and the type of music you create will all influence your pay. You’ll likely see that income steadily increase over time as you become more experienced in the field.

Remember that becoming a producer is not only about making money—it’s about creating art.

Is Music Production in Los Angeles Good for You?

If you’re debating whether or not to pursue music production in Los Angeles, here are some things to think about:

  • The music industry is always changing. With new technology, the way artists and producers create music is rapidly evolving. Regardless of what happens in the industry, there will always be a demand for talented and creative producers who can connect with people through music.

    So even if a current trend or method becomes obsolete, if you have the skills and talent to create the next big thing, then you’ll never run out of opportunities.

  • There are many ways to get started in this career field. You can work your way up starting as an intern at a local studio or record label, you can attend one of these schools and receive on-the-job training while earning academic credit towards your degree, or you can invest some time and money into studying online via resources like YouTube tutorials and e-books written by experienced professionals in the industry (this would require more self-motivation than previous routes).

Wrapping It Up

So, there you have it – the top music production schools in Los Angeles.

If you live in the LA area, then these are the best music production schools in Los Angeles to go to launch your career as a sound engineer or music producer.

If you’re living somewhere else at the moment, don’t worry. Some of these music production schools in Los Angeles (like Recording Connection) offer online courses if you want to learn from home first and move to Los Angeles for more formal training later.

And if money is an issue, remember that some of these music production schools in Los Angeles offer financial aid and scholarships for their students.

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