Bruce Harding - Daly, California

Bruce Harding
Recording Connection Student - Daly, California

Okay, I don't want to go and make this feel like some sort of session with a therapist, so I'm just going to quickly say that because of so many things that happened to me when I was younger, I found myself in my thirties realizing that I needed to make something better out of my life.

I figured that this could be my Christmas present to myself, the chance to improve my life. Now, the recording industry has always interested me, and music has always gotten me through some tough times. And I know that I wanted to work in a field that I would like. Something that I can see myself doing for a long time.

I looked around for the place to start, and I ended up here. And I'm so glad I did. I'm learning so much, and because I actually get to study in an actual recording studio (I know, it's definitely amazing), I get to apply what I learn right away. And beyond that, I actually get to really see what I would look like if I were to get a job like this. The image of what my future would be just gives me that extra push to try harder and do my best at this course.

I'm glad I took this chance, and now I have this recording connection to making a better life for myself in an industry that helped me in some way.

Justin Scott - Austin, Texas

Justin Scott
Austin, Texas Recording Connection Student

To be able to make it in the recording industry, it’s true what they say. It’s not just about what you know, it’s who you know. And you’re thinking, in an industry as cut-throat as this one, it’s much be tough getting an in, finding someone who can help you make your dreams come true.

At the very least, it probably won’t be affordable. That’s what I thought so at first. Luckily for me, that’s not necessarily true.

Aside from the amazing fact that you’re going to be learning from someone who’s already working inside the industry, and right there is the “who you know” part at the very least, paying for it is not as tough as I thought it would be. The payment terms are easy, and it adjusts to the needs of the students. Thinking about payments and money is not exactly easy on the ears, but it’s reality.

Let’s face it, it’s not that easy to study what you can to work in the industry you want to, and it definitely is not that easy to afford either. That’s tough, but that’s reality. But here, I find that those things are not always true. Yes, I’m going to expend a lot more hard work to make it as far as I want to, but right now, I’ve got the recording connection I need to be that much closer in a much easier way than I imagined.

Alexander Perez - Orlando, Florida

Alexander Perez
Orlando, Florida Recording Connection Student

There’s nothing like going to a concert and seeing your favorite band perform live. The adrenaline rush is just amazing. It’s miles away from listening to their songs on the iPod, their tunes blasting away through our headphones. We feel more than just the music, we can actually hear their passion for their craft as they sing live.

Of course, without the aid of a recording booth, pausing and going back to the beginning should you make a mistake, a live show is a “what you see is what you get” experience. If the artist makes a mistake, everyone in the venue is a witness to it. And though that makes it even more special to the audience, too much of these mistakes, sounding too raw, might actually turn your audience away from you. They’re going to think that the CDs and the mp3s they listened to endlessly is nothing but a bunch of technological hocus pocus.

As a live sound engineer, it’s their job to make sure this does not happen. There should be the perfect balance of the rawness of a live performance yet the polish of a well-prepared event designed to entertain and impress. I’m learning so much from this internship now. I’m learning to keep on our toes, keeping watch to the tiniest detail even while being surrounded by loud music. To be able to think under all these pressure takes a lot of skill. And learning this skill gives me that recording connection to reach out to the audiences during a live concert, even when I’m still behind the mission control station.

Adam Martinez - Raleigh, North Carolina

Adam Martinez

Recording Connection Student from Raleigh, North Carolina

To be perfectly honest, growing up, I was pretty naive about the recording process. I just knew that I wanted to be one of those musical artists whose songs I hear on the radio. Then I see those music videos that show them recording their songs in a studio and they just look so glamorous and they make it look so easy that I really wanted to be one of them.

Of course, that was about a decade ago. But my love for music has not diminished, and now more than ever, I want to be a part of that process. So a couple or maybe dozen voice lessons might have told me otherwise about my dreams of becoming a recording star, but I have since learned that that's not the only career I can pursue in this field. After working with a mastering engineer and seeing what he does, there is no doubt in my mind that I want to be one too.

A mastering engineer is essentially the person responsible for the CDs that we enjoy listening to. After recording the songs and having it go through production, getting it mixed and arranged so that it sounds even better, it reaches the mastering engineer first before it gets to the public. They take into account the songs that are to be part of the album, and then make the final edits and reconstructions before it makes its way to the public. This part fascinates me because you're essentially dealing with the finished product, but even at this stage, you still could improve it, making it twice as amazing as it was before. Being a mastering engineer puts you in this amazing position to make sure it's as perfect as could be, it gives you that recording connection to make sure the listening public gets the best that they deserve. And that music people are gonna hear over the radio one day, I'm gonna be partly responsible for that soon.