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SAE Institute is a professional-grade recording studio in the city with a suite of the latest digital equipment. Students get to mix quality sound while learning how to work as professional audio engineers, as part of the SAE Institute's nine-month course in recording.

SAE Director Fred Ditman says the course opens up an array of employment possibilities for graduates.

"People will come and people will think, 'I want to work in a music studio,' and they don't think about how broad audio is as a career field," says Ditman. "So they might come in thinking that and leave going, 'Wow, I want to be a mastering engineer, that sounds great.' Or, 'I want to be a recording engineer or a mixing engineer or I want to work with film.'"

Many of the students land at SAE Institute from foreign countries.

"I've come all the way from brazil, and I'm really enjoying it," says student Devro Rafaenedes. "It's more dynamic, actually. I love it, that it's dynamic."

"All the teachers and supervisors are amazing. You learn a lot here," says student Christopher Cerny. "Lots of practice, it's all very hands on, and really cool."

"I've only been in front of the console five times and they're looking friendly," says a third student.

The skill set is not just limited to audio recording. The NY1 crew brought along a total beginner with no experience, and within a few hours she could record and edit film voice-overs.

The nine-month course costs about $20,000. SAE Institute says it has a 70-percent job placement rate for graduates, and that some graduates have gone on to win Grammys or found work with major recording artists. National averages show recording engineers make around $60,000 a year.

The new students of SAE Institute, though, are thinking less about making money than about getting the basics down.