car audio schools?
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Woah, woah.. You guys should know better than to put words in my mouth..
I wasn't in any way taking a shot at, more or less even talking about Dukk in my comments. I was purely referring to Rag'nors request for information on MD...
With respect to Dukk or any other seasoned installer, I do think that MD can teach an old dog (myself included here gang, I've been at this for 14 years) new tricks, but I think the cost / benfit ratio, combined with the down-time at the shop needs to be considered carefully. If indeed I was working as an installer, and had been for quite some time, I doubt I would be able to afford the time off to take the MD course. That's also not who the school was designed for.
Perhaps the school should offer a one week 'cool stuff' course for the veterans, but for now, they focus on bringing newbie and junior installers to a level of competency that will help them move forward with their career...
As for trying to be an ****.. Sorry gang, don't have time, I have a wedding in 19 days to get ready for...
[ September 08, 2003, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: Dave_MacKinnon ]
I wasn't in any way taking a shot at, more or less even talking about Dukk in my comments. I was purely referring to Rag'nors request for information on MD...
With respect to Dukk or any other seasoned installer, I do think that MD can teach an old dog (myself included here gang, I've been at this for 14 years) new tricks, but I think the cost / benfit ratio, combined with the down-time at the shop needs to be considered carefully. If indeed I was working as an installer, and had been for quite some time, I doubt I would be able to afford the time off to take the MD course. That's also not who the school was designed for.
Perhaps the school should offer a one week 'cool stuff' course for the veterans, but for now, they focus on bringing newbie and junior installers to a level of competency that will help them move forward with their career...
As for trying to be an ****.. Sorry gang, don't have time, I have a wedding in 19 days to get ready for...
[ September 08, 2003, 08:15 PM: Message edited by: Dave_MacKinnon ]
50 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 241
Here is something I would like to add. I remember reading somewhere that just because you can read a map doesn't mean you can drive the bus.
Same goes with the MECP guide. Anyone with half a brain should be able to pass that (and I think the less you have been taught bad habits and are a clean canvas, the better).
As for Mobile Dynamics, same goes. Its a crash course. If I had to do it again (and I went with David Singh, who is on here pretty frequently and works for Gemsen), I would probably go down to Sears and dump about half of what I would have spent on MD on hand tools, power tools and a tool box. The other half I would have bought equipment online and taugh myself some of the tricks of the trade. Granted, when I went there wasn't internet, and plexiglass and formica were considered the cream of the crop as far as trick installs. Painted fiberglass? That was for ski boats.
Juan
Same goes with the MECP guide. Anyone with half a brain should be able to pass that (and I think the less you have been taught bad habits and are a clean canvas, the better).
As for Mobile Dynamics, same goes. Its a crash course. If I had to do it again (and I went with David Singh, who is on here pretty frequently and works for Gemsen), I would probably go down to Sears and dump about half of what I would have spent on MD on hand tools, power tools and a tool box. The other half I would have bought equipment online and taugh myself some of the tricks of the trade. Granted, when I went there wasn't internet, and plexiglass and formica were considered the cream of the crop as far as trick installs. Painted fiberglass? That was for ski boats.
Juan
oh, and congrats on the wedding btw. so much for thw wrx project... 
Thread Starter
50 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 101
hmm. i found something interesting.
on the car sound and performance website i found an article about mobile dynamics from sept.9,2001 (exactly two years ago today, lol). a few things caught my eye from it but most of all how they mensioned a new location in vancouver. did they scrap this idea or is it still in the works? there was also something said about a mecp canada but im guessing that was scrapped aswell?
article is located here http://www.carsound.com/news/archives/5_27_100_1.shtml
[ September 09, 2003, 01:09 AM: Message edited by: Rag'nor ]
on the car sound and performance website i found an article about mobile dynamics from sept.9,2001 (exactly two years ago today, lol). a few things caught my eye from it but most of all how they mensioned a new location in vancouver. did they scrap this idea or is it still in the works? there was also something said about a mecp canada but im guessing that was scrapped aswell?
article is located here http://www.carsound.com/news/archives/5_27_100_1.shtml
[ September 09, 2003, 01:09 AM: Message edited by: Rag'nor ]
1000 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,692
by what i can see. if you put a set of tools into your hands(oldoneeye or dukk ,etc) it would be like gving a fender or gibson to eric clapton(you get great sounding music, superb). but give those same tools to someone who doesn't know how to use them, you might get stumpy. or a shorty. The investment on how to to not break your tools and not cut off your hands alone is worth the money. you gotta remember that not everyone knows what devistation a router can make, or a table saw. or the beauty that can be made with them if they are used right. there are so many pro's and so little cons especially for a new comer into the industry. seasoned professionals are already set in their ways and probably can teach he course especially the shop part. but then there's all the other stuff, atomic theory, wave theory, ohmic law, etc. that can benefit a "green" installer that will help him out substantially.
i asked about vancouver once, but they told me at that point that if vancouver gets established it would be too close to phoenix and then take away possible students from phoenix. most likely the us dollar would dictate whether students would come to vancouver or phoenix. when i was at MD we had about 9 guys from canada and about 21 from states. each and everyone from the us said that they came to MD in toronto instead of phoenix because it was cheaper becasue of the exchange rate back then.
[ September 09, 2003, 08:04 AM: Message edited by: pat28ca ]
i asked about vancouver once, but they told me at that point that if vancouver gets established it would be too close to phoenix and then take away possible students from phoenix. most likely the us dollar would dictate whether students would come to vancouver or phoenix. when i was at MD we had about 9 guys from canada and about 21 from states. each and everyone from the us said that they came to MD in toronto instead of phoenix because it was cheaper becasue of the exchange rate back then.
[ September 09, 2003, 08:04 AM: Message edited by: pat28ca ]
50 Watt CAFz'r
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 241
Don't put me in the same league as most of the guys here like Dukk and Dave Mc. I have a passion for car audio, and like working on my own cars, but I figured out very quickly that I wasn't cut out for doing it for a living (and I work for a car audio website and I'm still involved with car audio as part of my job full time, but installing for a living wasn't for me).
I tell you one thing that went a long way towards helping me out was a woodshop class I took at a local high school (a night class for adults).
For someone who is mechanically inclined and has worked with their hands (worked on my BMX bike things of that nature, liked playing with electronics and what have you) I had a leg up. My dad always liked tinkering and always like getting new (ok used) cars and had tools around the house (in a toolbox, not in a drawer in the kitchen).
Frankly, a few weeks ain't going to teach you alot. Its like cramming for exams. As rapidly as you jam it in, it comes right back out.
Don't get me wrong, they did a great job. The biggest thing I learned was that I had so much to learn and it was only the cab ride to the airport on a proverbial around the world trip.
The real thing is, can you afford all the tools you get to do the job once you are out? Can you afford to do some projects on your own (build your first box, make your first set of kick panels, things of that nature)? If you spend all your limited resources on MD or any other school, you are **** out of luck.
If I had to do it again, I would take my old beat up Celica, get some tools, get some cheap equipment and do an install that would show what I could do. I would mess up a few times, but I would learn by trial and error and be much more experienced from doing than from a book.
Juan
I tell you one thing that went a long way towards helping me out was a woodshop class I took at a local high school (a night class for adults).
For someone who is mechanically inclined and has worked with their hands (worked on my BMX bike things of that nature, liked playing with electronics and what have you) I had a leg up. My dad always liked tinkering and always like getting new (ok used) cars and had tools around the house (in a toolbox, not in a drawer in the kitchen).
Frankly, a few weeks ain't going to teach you alot. Its like cramming for exams. As rapidly as you jam it in, it comes right back out.
Don't get me wrong, they did a great job. The biggest thing I learned was that I had so much to learn and it was only the cab ride to the airport on a proverbial around the world trip.
The real thing is, can you afford all the tools you get to do the job once you are out? Can you afford to do some projects on your own (build your first box, make your first set of kick panels, things of that nature)? If you spend all your limited resources on MD or any other school, you are **** out of luck.
If I had to do it again, I would take my old beat up Celica, get some tools, get some cheap equipment and do an install that would show what I could do. I would mess up a few times, but I would learn by trial and error and be much more experienced from doing than from a book.
Juan
Originally posted by pat28ca:
by what i can see. if you put a set of tools into your hands(oldoneeye or dukk ,etc) it would be like gving a fender or gibson to eric clapton(you get great sounding music, superb). but give those same tools to someone who doesn't know how to use them, you might get stumpy. or a shorty. The investment on how to to not break your tools and not cut off your hands alone is worth the money. you gotta remember that not everyone knows what devistation a router can make, or a table saw. or the beauty that can be made with them if they are used right. there are so many pro's and so little cons especially for a new comer into the industry. seasoned professionals are already set in their ways and probably can teach he course especially the shop part. but then there's all the other stuff, atomic theory, wave theory, ohmic law, etc. that can benefit a "green" installer that will help him out substantially.
i asked about vancouver once, but they told me at that point that if vancouver gets established it would be too close to phoenix and then take away possible students from phoenix. most likely the us dollar would dictate whether students would come to vancouver or phoenix. when i was at MD we had about 9 guys from canada and about 21 from states. each and everyone from the us said that they came to MD in toronto instead of phoenix because it was cheaper becasue of the exchange rate back then.
by what i can see. if you put a set of tools into your hands(oldoneeye or dukk ,etc) it would be like gving a fender or gibson to eric clapton(you get great sounding music, superb). but give those same tools to someone who doesn't know how to use them, you might get stumpy. or a shorty. The investment on how to to not break your tools and not cut off your hands alone is worth the money. you gotta remember that not everyone knows what devistation a router can make, or a table saw. or the beauty that can be made with them if they are used right. there are so many pro's and so little cons especially for a new comer into the industry. seasoned professionals are already set in their ways and probably can teach he course especially the shop part. but then there's all the other stuff, atomic theory, wave theory, ohmic law, etc. that can benefit a "green" installer that will help him out substantially.
i asked about vancouver once, but they told me at that point that if vancouver gets established it would be too close to phoenix and then take away possible students from phoenix. most likely the us dollar would dictate whether students would come to vancouver or phoenix. when i was at MD we had about 9 guys from canada and about 21 from states. each and everyone from the us said that they came to MD in toronto instead of phoenix because it was cheaper becasue of the exchange rate back then.
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lol - Dave you went and 'left turned' this post 
I am a firm believer in continued training, don't misunderstand that at all. I find that I can take at least one thing away from ANY training I attend, whether a major theory or a minor hint.
Honestly I think any installer school is most effective for someone with 2-4 years of experience: Been around long enuf to understand what is being taught and green enough to really make use of it [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]
I am a firm believer in continued training, don't misunderstand that at all. I find that I can take at least one thing away from ANY training I attend, whether a major theory or a minor hint.
Honestly I think any installer school is most effective for someone with 2-4 years of experience: Been around long enuf to understand what is being taught and green enough to really make use of it [img]graemlins/thumb.gif[/img]
