Students set up and record Leon Santiago and the One Take Ponies as part of their Cycle 9 SSL class

Mike Lewis, vice president of product marketing at Fender joined CRAS for a special recording session in Tempe Studio A on 9/17/2009. Director of education Mike Jones ran the show with the help of CRAS students. So why is a VP at Fender playing a beautiful Gretsch guitar? Simple… Fender markets, produces, and distributes Gretsch guitars. Fender’s international headquarters are located near CRAS allowing the two companies to easily form a mutually benneficial relationship. At CRAS you’ll find all kinds of Fender products on campus including guitars and amplifiers. See photos of the session here.

5th Cycle recording project with the band Scout’s Honor

Joe Morris at the Congas in the Cycle 3 overdub clinic

The Conservatory is always abuzz with some kind of music. Pro players such as Joe Morris (Esteban, Sting, Ray Riendeau) in the above video are on campus most days laying down tracks or playing in the Conservatory’s 6,000 sq. ft. Live Sound venue. In the conga overdub session above, students are using two AKG 414s placed in a stereo pair and the new Brauner Phanthera pulled back about 3 feet for some mono room perspective.

photo caption: Guitarist Tony Kinchion setting up for a band clinic.

Band clinics are a common thing at the Conservatory. Students get their hands on all kinds of gear during the program so we can assess their skill level and expose them to techniques that are new as well as tried and true. For instance, the amp pictured above is a new Fender SuperSonic and it’s being recorded with a Blue Woodpecker active ribbon mic and a Shure SM57. The Woodpecker is a fresh new product while the 57 has been around for decades.

Clinics range from instructor-led workshops early in the program and progress to Sink or Swim sessions and Projects where the students are soleley responsible for the outcome. Its this brains-on, then hands-on approach that makes CRAS grads able to enter the audio workplace with marketable skills.

photo caption: 8th Cycle student Nathan McKenney setting up an array of mics with laser and tape measure

Students at the Conservatory learn to use every day tools for setting up mics and speakers. The student pictured above is setting up room mics on a drum kit using a laser level bought at Lowes. In their live sound classes, students see the Hilti PD32 range finder in action. It can measure distance very accurately allowing pinpoint setup of speakers in a live venue.

photo caption: Student setting up an Avantone AK Type VII microphone on a modified Porsche

The world of post and game audio makes for some interesting sessions. That was no more true than on January 4th when Conservatory instructors and students recorded a modified Porsche 911 Turbo for a video game company. Audiokinetic, authors of the Wwise recording software used in the CRAS’ 9th cycle audio for games curriculum asked instructor Michel Henein to provide some content that included a high performance auto engine. Such recordings are a big part of the expanding world of game audio, and another path CRAS grads can take once they complete their education. As part of the expanding curriculum for 2007, qualified students will be eligible for a Wwise certification which will be unveiled in Q1.

photo caption: Brooke Strivosky getting instructions for recording footsteps in her Cycle 7 Post class

It takes all kinds of audio to make a film. Foley–the art of recreating sound effects for picture, such as footsteps–is named after early practitioner Jack Foley. All such audio elements are recorded separately, in synch with the film, then artfully mixed on the dubbing stage to complete the finished product. Foley artists sometimes use the most unlikely props to make their magic, such as hitting a watermelon with a baseball bat to simulate a traumatic injury on film. It’s not just the comedian Gallagher who has all the fun! Cycle 7 Post classes at the CRAS recreate the Foley, dialog (ADR), music (Scoring) and effects (SFX) for a short film clip, recording each element into Pro Tools, then mix it in the Conservatory’s 5.1 Surround Studio D.

photo caption: Horn players waiting for the downbeat in the Cycle 7 scoring class

To be a well-rounded engineer, you should know how to record everything from screaming guitars to brass instruments and everything in between. Cycle 7 Post Production classes give students experience in recording dialog, sound effects, environmental sounds and soundtracks for film. For their scoring class, students get experience setting up a Decca Tree and spot mics on a small brass ensemble. Later in the Cycle, students then mix together all these elements locked to picture, as you would on any Hollywood soundstage. These skills prepare students for work in Post once they graduate.