The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences hosted its spring open house on Satruday March 27th 2010. The event featured an opportunity for anyone to learn more about the Conservatory and a career in pro audio. Attendees were able to interface with instructors, current students, as well as product representatives from major manufactutrers who were showing the latest in audio technology. A live band played and a catered lunch was served during the after party and gear giveaway. Prospective students were also able to meet with housing and financial aid representatives. For more information about the Conservatory, please visit www.audiorecordingschool.com. See photos from the open house here.

Paul Hugo from Marshank Sales Co. shows off the EAW NTL720 line array speaker system in the CRAS live sound room.

Wednesday March 25th, CRAS hosted Marshank Sales Co. as they provided product demonstrations of high-end sound reinforcement equipment to CRAS students and outside clients. The Conservatory’s large live sound room provided the perfect place to show off the state of the art gear from EAW, Martin Audio, Mackie and more. Check out more photos from this event here.

On March 20th, 2010 CRAS instructors Dave LaBounty  and Jeff Thomas hosted a guitar setup clinic. While both LaBounty and Thomas are experienced audio engineers and educators, they also love to share their knowledge and love for the six string. LaBounty is a trained luthier, a graduate from the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery and has utilized these skills touring as a bass guitar technician for the late jazz bassist Wayman Tisdale. Thomas is the ultimate closet guitar hero and can usually be heard practicing through one of the amplifiers he’s built from scratch. Because over half of students enrolled at CRAS happen to also play guitar it was no surprise there was a great turnout to the event where attendees learned to setup an electric guitar and install pickups. Click here for more photos from the event.

Today Peachpit Press ships Logic Pro 9 Advanced Music Production by David Dvorin with Robert Brock. This book serves as Apple’s official text for the Logic Pro 9 Level Two certification. The Conservatory played a big role in this book with CRAS instructor Robert Brock working as a contributing writer and CRAS graduate Brandon Jaehne offering-up an original song for one of the books tutorials.

Brock found Jaehne’s song Gibsonia posted on CRAS Connect, the Conservatory’s online system for enrolled students which features a discussion forum where students can post projects they’re working on for other students to listen to and review. Jaehne and fellow CRAS student Matthew Craft had recorded the song in their apartment during their first weeks at school using the MacBook laptop, Logic Pro, Fastrack Pro audio interface and the microphone they had each received when they started school. Brock felt Gibsonia was perfect for an exercise he was writing for the book which involved how to move projects between Logic and Pro Tools. Drums were later added to the song which were performed by CRAS music director Joe Morris and recorded by CRAS students as part of a session/class in the Conservatory’s Studio D at the Gilbert location.

The Conservatory currently offers Logic Level One certification as part of an optional incentive based program where students that meet certain academic criteria can receive the level one book and take the certification test at no cost. A program to offer Logic Level Two certification based upon this new book will be available later this year.

Mike Jones with the Fender G-DEC 3 at the NAMM show

CRAS director of education Mike Jones can finally talk about what he’s been doing in his spare time while at his home studio for the last several months. It turns out he’s been mixing away for Fender in order to provide recording and mixing services for audio loops that are part of their new G-DEC 3 guitar amplifier which was just announced at the NAMM show. Mike mixed tracks from artists such as Eric Johnson, Hatebreed and Sepultura. CRAS instructor Chris Gough also provided his own musical content for the amp which was recorded in Conservatory studios with the help of CRAS students. In addition CRAS students Jacob Dalton and Eric Molinari also happened to be interning at Fender headquarters and put many hours into testing the amp while providing feedback to Fender. Check out the Fender G-DEC 3 amp and hear what Mike and the rest of the CRAS gang have been up to.

CRAS interns Stephen Hernandez and Danielle Walker work at the SPARS booth at the NAMM show.

In January the Conservatory descended on the 2010 NAMM show. CRAS directors, internship coordinators, teachers, techs, students and graduates mingled in and out of the massive trade show. CRAS sponsored a class in cooperation with SPARS (Society of Professional Audio Recording Services) in NAMM’s new Hot Zone, and provided multiple current students as interns for the event. Oustide of the show, CRAS internship coordinators toured LA area studios and met with studio managers to further foster the great relationship CRAS has with the audio community. See photos and videos from the fun here.

The Conservatory rings in the new year by issuing Apple MacBook Pro laptops for the first time since starting the laptop program two years prior. Shown here are students in the 1/8/2010 start date receiving their new MacBook Pros at the computer orientation class. Prior to 2010 CRAS issued MacBook computers which have been an amazing performer for students and faculty. The change to the MacBook Pro was in part necessary because Apple discontinued the use of the Firewire interface on the latest iteration of the MacBook model. Firewire is a protocol commonly used in professional audio for connecting computers with a wide range of audio interfaces. Firewire also allows the computer to be used in target disk mode, which lets the computer act as a battery powered hard drive for troubleshooting and file transfers. Like the MacBook before it, the MacBook Pro will serve CRAS students well both at school and into their career. Check out more photos of the first class using the MacBook Pros here.

Game sound instructor's Dave Kalberg (far left) and Sean Condlking (far right) flank Rainbow Studios Karen Murow Waller and Dave Lowmiller

On December 16th 2009, Rainbow Studios Dave Lowmilller and Karen Muro Waller talked game audio with CRAS students in an after hours special event that drew a packed house. The duo talked about everything from the production process, technical tools they use and shared insight into how they achieve the motor sport racing sounds Rainbow is known for in titles such as MX vs ATV and Cars. They also showed the other side of Rainbow by explaining sound design in the Wii hit Deadly Creatures as well as techniques for capturing weapon sounds. CRAS integrates game audio into its master recording program and graduates have enjoyed success with audio credits on titles from the Modern Warfare, Call of Duty, Halo, and Saints Row series just to name a few.

The Conservatory will be hosting a no-cost, 2-hour class (1:30pm to 3:30pm) on January 16th at the NAMM Convention in Anaheim California. The H.O.T. Zone (Hands On Training) is in collaboration with SPARS (Society of Professional Recording Services) and will be taught by CRAS instructor Robert Brock. H.O.T. Zone attendees will have access to the NAMM show floor and can register for a gear giveaway including a Sennheiser microphone, Sennheiser headphones and an M-Audio Fast Track Pro. Registration is free through the SPARS website.

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