Institute of Audio Research

At a Glance
Name: Institute of Audio Research (IAR) Contact: Mark Kahn, director of admissions, Noel Smith, dean of faculty Major Courses of Study: Audio Recording & Production Degrees Offered: Diploma in Audio Recording and Production, plus one year of bachelor’s degree credit at select colleges and universities Accreditation: Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology (ACCSCT); licensed by New York State Education Department; approved for veterans’ training and enrollment of foreign students Main Technology Platforms: Mac G3 and G4 computers, Sony DMX-R100 consoles, Tascam DTRS multitrack recorders, Yamaha AW4416 16-track digital workstations, Digidesign Pro Tools, MOTU Digital Performer, Propellerhead Reason Tuition: $12,400 for complete program tuition and fees, books and materials Financial Assistance: IAR participates in the following federal financial-aid programs: Federal Family Education Loan Programs (FFELP), Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDSLP), Pell Grant, veteran’s benefits. etc. Other funding programs, as well as credit-based education financing, are also available.

Now in its fifth decade, the Institute of Audio Research continues to be a leader in providing technical training targeted to the specific needs of the professional audio industry. Starting as a seminar program providing continuing education courses for working engineers, by the early 1970s, the growing industry demand for people with advanced audio skills prompted IAR to develop a comprehensive program that would take the novice to the point where he or she was employable in a fast-paced, professional recording facility. And so, the school’s mission remains the same to this day: to provide the most direct and effective training program for people who wish to work in technical careers in the professional audio field.

Today, IAR’s Audio Recording and Production Program (ARP) is a 900-hour course that efficiently and effectively exposes the student to every facet of modern recording technology. The program’s focus reflects those areas of knowledge and hands-on skills that are in highest demand by today’s industry employers. It is designed to ensure maximum opportunity for graduates to work successfully and to continue to grow as audio technicians, recording engineers and music producers.

The Audio Recording & Production curriculum, developed and revised with input from IAR’s Program Advisory Committee and from ongoing participation in organizations such as AES, NARAS and SPARS, is designed so that it can be completed by the full-time student in nine months and by the part-time student in one year. IAR operates on a rolling admissions basis, with new classes beginning throughout the year. The curriculum’s components include courses in audio electronics, signal processing, digital audio, music mixing, MIDI, audio post-production and music business.

IAR’s facility offers a full range of professional audio equipment, including analog and digital consoles and recorders, signal processors, vintage tube microphones and processors, digital audio workstations using industry-standard software for MIDI sequencing and digital audio production, digital multitrack automated mixers, and plenty more. The all-digital studio features dual Sony DMX-R100 consoles. Currently, IAR’s computer networks feature G3 and G4 Macs, using Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Reason virtual synthesizer software and more. Multiple digital multitrack workstations afford the optimum in hands-on opportunities for students.

One of IAR’s greatest assets is its extraordinary faculty, which includes some of New York’s finest audio professionals from a wide range of industry specialties. Collectively, they have garnered Grammy, Emmy, Tony and Oscar nominations and awards, plus numerous Gold records.

“Today, with cost-effective, easy-to-use music-making programs readily available to anyone with a computer and an idea, what defines the successful audio professional is the ability to harness all that technology in the service of producing quality sound,” says Noel Smith, IAR dean of faculty. “Fostering a keen appreciation of audio and a deep understanding of its underlying principles to achieve and maintain the highest of standards are what IAR is all about.” •