AES Student Blog

We are happy to post some interviews with the student recording competition winners of the AES133 in San Fransico. Congratulations again!

silver award winner of category 1 (traditional acoustic recording): Alexander Choeb

SDA: Tell us a little bit about you.

Alex: I was born and raised in Southern Germany. Currently I am enrolled in the Tonmeister study programme at the University of the Arts Berlin. Since I am a musician as well, I try to achieve a broad expertise in audio production from classical music to Jazz and Pop.
 

SDA: Tell us about the production of your competition entry. How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry? Stories? Inspirations?
 

Alex: My competition entry (piano solo) was a demo recording made at the Banff Centre, Alberta, Canada, in March 2012. Most of the work on it was done during the 3-hour-recording session by working together with the player to get her best performance on tape. From the technical point of view it was a pretty simple recording: Two spaced omni microphones and a little bit of reverb. Not a fancy approach at all.
 

SDA:What initiated your passion for audio?
 

Alex: Since I have been a musician for most of my life, I was fascinated by the possibilities of audio recording and production and its impact on our listening habits.
 

SDA: How did the AES help you on your way of being a successful audio engineer?
 

Alex: Getting honest feedback is the best way to learn how the industry works.
 

SDA: What are your highlights of the AES133 in San Francisco?

Alex: The Student Recording Competition! There is so much to learn from all the other students and from the judges - you really should not miss it if you have the opportunity to attend a AES convention.
 

SDA: What is the best recording of all time?

Alex: There is no such thing as one recording on top of a million others. It's a matter of music, time, taste and technology.

SDA: Do you play any instruments?

Alex: Violin, Piano, Drums. 

SDA: Where do you want to be in 10 years?
 

Alex: Tough question! I hope that I will still try to learn as much as possible and to develop my knowledge and my skills as an engineer.