AES144 Student Recording Competition Interview: Kevin Langlois
1) Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?
I'm from France, I studied in Paris and I finished this year my school of Audio Engineering and Studio Production at AbbeyRoad Institute Paris.
2) What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?
I am passioned by music since my childhood and I discovered sound engineering by searching how the actual music could be sounded like today. I had understood how a band played and why they played like that but the engineering part of that was absolutely dark to me. And the electronic music, darker than that! So I wanted to discover this other part of music's world, the technics part and the engineering of it.
3) Tell us about production of your submission? What is the story behind it? What inspired it? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?
My production for my submission was a real opportunity to construct a project from scratch. That was the first time for me to do that, to have a deadline to show and present a finish and concret music project. My goal was to use this opportunity to meet, construct and share a good music I like, and go until the end who cares the results (and finally was good!). So I contacted different bands I liked, some of them heard at radio like Canari (the one I recorded) to propose the project : record them on a new track never released before, or start from a jam and construct from it ; and after, use that recording to produce for real. I finished this project like I wanted, with adding a personal touch just before starting to mix it. So yes, that was my first and only one entry to the contest. I was on the project for 1 month and worked on it concretely 7 entire days spread on this month.
4) What/who made you join AES?
I joined the AES the year before when the event was in Paris, I had news from my school and be able to go there due to it. After that, it was Layan Clifford who made me come at the next event at Milan and participate at the contest. He works at AbbeyRoad Institute and works for AES to record all the conferences ; that what I did there before have the results of contest, sound recording assistant during the conferences!
5) Tell us about your favorite experiences at the 144th AES convention in Milan!
My best experience was that moment I heard my name as finalist in my category contest! I was the 4th name called while the other categories before had only 3 finalists! I thought that was finished and no one from us was finalist and... yes, I was! It's very personal but it's my favorite moment during the convention!
