<p>I have an interest in sound wave manipulation and making musical devices such as guitars, bass guitars, pianos, etc. I have some questions-</p>
<p>1) What engineering degrees may help me in acquiring a job in a music company like Gibson, Yamaha etc. I know there probably is no ONE degree but I don’t think it’ll be any useful to have a degree in nuclear engineering :P. And why could this degree be helpful for me?</p>
<p>2) Did anyone here ever work with making instruments or manipulating sound for synthesizer, and do you have any experience in working with a company like Fender, etc? How was it like?</p>
<p>For sound manipulation you might want to look at audio engineering, there are a lot of schools all over the country. It’s not a “traditional” engineering degree (not so math and science heavy), it’s geared toward learning equipment, software and studio work as they pertain to recording/sound. You could also get into sound design with this.</p>
<p>For designing actual equipment you probably want to go with electrical/electronic engineering. This would be a lot more general but would also give you the most option inside and outside of music. With this you could get into designing anything from mixing boards to effect racks/pedals to the physical components of a synthesizer; anything that involves electronic processing</p>
<p>As for instrument design, check on the company websites. My friend used to work for Martin in PA, they had him do some classes and workshops pertaining to acoustic guitar design/building, I assume they have something similar for major guitar companies.</p>
<p>You can also look into guitar building school (I think the technical term is luthier school). Learn, get certified, work under a luthier (like an internship), get yourself out there. You don’t really need an engineering degree; the electrical components of guitars are pretty simple, unless you want to design actual gear like racks and keyboards and synths and stuff, then an electrical/electronics degree would be useful.</p>
<p>The University of Miami sounds right up your alley. They have a degree in audio engineering that is a fully accredited BSEE, but includes lots of audio-related coursework in DSP, acoustics, and plug-in programming to name a few. There is also a program in the music school called Music Engineering (which is what I’m studying) that has a lot of overlap with the Audio Engineering degree, but a bit more emphasis on studio recording and synth programming. However, that requires instrumental study and an audition to get in. It’s also not an accredited engineering degree- it includes a minor in ECE, but a lot of the students who are more serious about hardcore engineering end up double majoring (I’m more into the software/music informatics side of things, so I’m double majoring in CS- I know a couple of Music Engineers doing a dual degree with EE, but this takes more than 4 years). Both programs have a stellar reputation in the audio industry- we routinely send graduates to top audio companies like Shure, Dolby, etc.</p>
<p>PM me if you have any questions- I’d be happy to go into more detail.</p>
<p>I have done some design work for a bunch of the audio companies, including some of the bigger names. For the most part, there is not enough money there to pay the bills unless you go to work for a high-volume, offshore production company like Bose or Fender. A place like McIntosh Labs will have a few engineers, but it really hasn’t been the same since Clarion bought them in the early 1990s.</p>
<p>The industry has a whole bunch of small shops (Soldano, Mesa Boogie) and part-time hobbyists (I should have bought those Wright Sound Class As) building the really cool stuff. Getting a job in one of those shops would be great but it is not a huge field.</p>
<p>Guitar manufacturing, except for pickup coils, would be mostly mechanical engineering. Amplifiers and other electronics would be mostly electrical engineering. The amount of audio knowledge you need is only a little and can be picked up on the side.</p>
<p>That could work if you are deeply interested in the mathematics involved. If not, audio engineering might bet better. </p>
<p>Or possibly one of the Northeastern programs? NEU students all do co-op, and some of the engineers co-op at Bose. There are also interesting music options
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