Avid Pro Tools Certifications: Overview
This week we are taking a look at the courses and certifications Avid offers for Pro Tools and why they are worth taking a look at. There are several levels of certification that one can achieve for Pro Tools and each level requires the completion of one or several courses. The benefits of getting certified are obvious – any employer who is looking for any kind of position related to Pro Tools use – assistant engineer, editing assistant, etc. – will surely be more convinced of your skills with the DAW if you have an Avid certificate that says you are an expert in using the program. And you might say – “well, that’s just a résumé decoration”; rest assured it does help with getting Pro Tools related work. I don’t think I would be writing these articles if I wasn’t certified.
How To Get Certified in Pro Tools?
The Pro Tools 101 course book.
Avid certifications are recognized by industry leaders in music recording and production, post-production for movies and television and broadcasting facilities all around the world. Getting certified is a proof of your expertise in using any Avid product that will surely make you look good in the eyes of your employer.
Each Avid Certification requires one or more courses to complete in order to be eligible for taking the exam. There are many option when it comes to taking the Avid training courses. There are scheduled public and private classes that you can attend or you can take one of the online courses from the curriculum. Avid has what they call Learning Partners – which is other companies or educational facilities that host their courses. A lot of music schools offer courses but there are private education options as well. The easiest way to find a course that suits your needs and schedule is by using Avid’s website and choosing the level of the courses you want to attend. Of course, a simple Google search with the level of certification you are interested in will also get you plenty of options both offline and online.
What Certification Can I Get?
There are a total of 13 Pro Tools courses in the official Avid curriculum and three levels of certification you can achieve (and a total of 14 certifications that are available for Avid audio products). The three level of certification you can achieve are: Certified Pro Tools User, Certified Pro Tools Operator and Certified Pro Tools Expert.
Certified Pro Tools User
The first level of certification will grant that you have enough knowledge of the program that you will be able to handle complex session and features of Pro Tools with ease. The level of knowledge you will have upon receiving this certification will be enough to proficiently handle most Pro Tools related tasks and at the same time easily learn and understand features that are related to the next levels of certification. To achieve the status of Certified Pro Tools User one must first take the Pro Tools 101 course and pass the exam then take the Pro Tools 110 and pass the exam. Upon passing the 110 level exam you will receive the Certified User status.
The steps towards Certified Pro Tools User.
Certified Pro Tools Operator
The second level of certification can be achieved for three specializations: Music, Post-production and Worksurface. The Operator certification will get your knowledge set to a professional level. In fact, this is the base level of certification you can get that will be meaningful towards getting a job working with Pro Tools. To get this certification you must first become a Certified Pro Tools User, then take Pro Tools 201, pass the exam and then Pro Tools 210 (with whichever specialization you want, music, post or worksurface) and pass the exam.
The steps towards Certified Pro Tools Operator.
The steps towards Certified Pro Tools Worksurface Operator.
Certified Pro Tools Expert
The third level of certification is the climax of Pro Tools education. This is an intensive program that covers the most extensive knowledge about Pro Tools use and is the maximum level of certification one can achieve. Obviosuly, this is the most relevant certification you can get for your professional status. To achieve the Pro Tools Expert certification one must first become a Pro Tools Operator and then take Pro Tools 310 M/P (M – music / P – post depending on what you specialized in at the 200 level courses. You can get multiple specializations) and pass the exam. To achieve the certified S6 expert level, you must complete the 310S6 course and pass the exam.
The steps toward Certified Pro Tools Expert.
The steps towards Certified S6 Pro Tools Expert.
Avid Certified Support Representative for Pro Tools
There is one more level of certification you can get, however – one level of certification that is technically above the before mentioned three levels: The Certified Support Representative for Pro Tools. This certification qualifies you with technical and operational skills needed to install, manage, support, and troubleshoot Avid Pro Tools systems regardless of platform or complexity of the rig. To achieve this certification you must take the ACSR: Pro Tools certification exam. Participation in the ACSR Pro Tools Systems Support course is optional though highly recommended.
The Avid Certified Support Representative certification possibilities.
Final Thoughts
I hope that this presentation of the educational possibilities offered by Avid has sparked your interest in taking one of their courses – they are pretty great and thorough and there is no better way to learn Pro Tools.
