Frequently Asked Questions

Absolutely, we love our furry friends! 

When you request info, you will fill out a very quick form to give us basic contact details so we may reach out to you. We'll reach out to you shortly after with an info packet and schedule a time to come to the studio to meet the team! The academy is a personally curated experience, and that starts with the application.

Tuition: $16,900.00

Washington State Tax: $1,768.00

Registration Fee: $100.00

Total: $18,768.00

Additional materials such as textbooks may be required.

RLSA is a one-year course. You split your time between ProTools classes and hands-on workshops to learn everything you will need to know. The rigorous study allows us to prepare our students for the fast-paced day-to-day in the music industry.

Our next cohort will begin in the fall of 2026. Our applications are open now, so don't hesitate to contact us and start your journey.

ProTools classes are on Tuesdays, and the hands-on workshops are on Saturdays. 

Class size can vary, but is limited to a maximum of 8 students. These small class sizes allow the curriculum to be personalized to help each individual learn.

The studio facilities may be used outside of class at the owner's and instructor's discretion. 

Graduating from RLSA awards a certificate of professionalism in audio engineering, as well as your Avid ProTools Professional Certification. These specialized certificates hold the same weight as a degree in the industry, without the unnecessary prerequisites that would be required under classic circumstances.

Applicants must be 18 years old and have a high school diploma or equivalent. A background in audio or music is helpful but not required. Anyone and everyone is welcome; leave it to us to make you a professional.

We’ve been at this for over half a century. If these walls could talk, they’d probably tell you to turn the gain down—but they’d also tell you the secrets of the legends who stood exactly where you’re standing. You’re not just joining a school; you’re inheriting a legacy. There is officially something in the air here. You’ll be training in the same rooms where platinum records were cut and history was made. We can't guarantee fame by osmosis, but breathing the same oxygen as icons certainly doesn’t hurt your tracks.

Our instructors aren't just "teachers"—they’re the wizards who actually work in the industry. Pair that with a gear locker that looks like a producer's fever dream, and you’ve got everything you need to sound like a pro (and none of the excuses not to). Why pay a premium to sit in a beige lecture hall or squint at a MasterClass video? Your "classroom" is a living, breathing, fully-operational studio. If you want to learn how to swim, you don’t read a PDF; you jump in the deep end. Welcome to the deep end.

You can be a recording, mixing, or mastering engineer, as well as a live sound engineer, producer, and many more. Whether your passion is in rock music, EDM, film scores, or video game sound design, the skills you will develop will be transferable anywhere you go. Many of our alumni go on to work in recording studios across the nation or develop companies of their own. Having a preferred DAW is wonderful, but ProTools is undoubtedly the industry standard, and mastering the program will skyrocket you to the top of the applicant list. The connections you develop during your time in the studio will help you start your journey with a foot already in the door.