AES144 Student Recording Competition Interview: Andrei Mankevich
1) Tell us a little about yourself. Where are you from and what do you study?
I’m Andrei Mankevich, from Belarus. Minsk. This year I have finished Belarusian State academy of arts at sound engineering specialty. Also before academy I had finished Republican Gymnasium-College under Belarusian Academy of Music at Choir conducting specialty. For several years I’ve been working as a sound engineer at well-known acapella band “Camerata” based in Belarusian State Philharmonic. Also I work as the sound engineer and composer/arranger at the recording studio.
I Wish to continue study in this direction and planning to join master program at one European or North American university. For me it’s one of very important steps in chasing my goals.
2) What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?
By a chance I took part in an audition for entering music school when I was a child. This period of time strongly influenced me and the formation of my personality. Step by step, I discovered the music world, and tried myself in different roles, also I sang and played different instruments in music bands. While studying in college, I also began to dive into the world of sound, bought a microphone, began to record my music, work with musicians and their music. After graduation from college, I decided to learn more about the world of sound and entered the university at the specialty of sound engineering. I think I’ve made the right choice, because the skills in sound engineering give me the opportunity to hear music in a different way and make my sound better.
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?
It was my first submission. I’ve heard about previous participants of this competition in my country and started gathering information about this event. I’ve decided that I definitely have to try it.
This song wasn’t recorded specially for this competition, it was just one of the songs from the album that we were recording at that moment at the studio.
When we work with musicians first of all we have to understand what this song is about, the main message of the song and we have to preserve and develop their main idea. This song is some kind of a protest that aimed at fighting with actual social problems. This song is based on classical rock standards but also has modern loud punchy and heavy compressed output. It was recorded and mixed a few months before the competition. Until the very last moment I wasn’t sure about my submission, but strong energy of the song made my choice.
4) What/who made you join AES?
First I knew about student recording competition and then I discovered what is AES and began to read about it. I definitely like their ideas and principles, that it is an independent organization which serves to advance technologies and knowledge, but doesn’t sell and advertise consumer products.
5) Tell us about your favorite experiences at the 144th AES convention in Milan!
Actually every part of this event was really great and useful. Especially I liked different workshops which not only give us exact knowledge, but also show us new different directions and teach us to ask the questions. And of course competition was one of the most exciting moment of the convention, it was very surprising when I’ve heard my name as one of the winners.
