The AES Student Delegate Assembly is inviting all educational institutions and audio companies to participate in the AES Education and Career Fair which is scheduled to take place Monday, June 6, 2016, from 10:45 am to 1:00 pm (please note the schedule could change), at the 140th Convention of the Audio Engineering Society in Paris, France.
This event is an opportunity for schools and companies to meet students, inform the audio community about their programs and activities, and to touch base with the future of audio. Everyone is invited to come talk with representatives from the companies and universities and find out more about educational programmes, and job and internship opportunities in the audio industry. Any eligible organisation can get a table at this fair completely FREE of charge, so what are you waiting for?
We recommend that you bring pamphlets, pictures, audio samples and any other type of media that can appropriately represent your institution or company. Both student and educators are welcome as school ambassadors.
If you don't represent a school or company at the fair, don't forget to stop by and explore education and career opportunities.
Space is limited so the sooner you sign up, the better.
See you in Paris!
More Information about Student Events at the 140th AES Convention
Posted: Monday, March 28, 2016
If you are an AES Student Member, you should have received this over email as well.
If you are not (currently) an AES Student Member, below are a few of the many reasons to change that!
Grab your diaries, clear your schedule: the AES Convention is coming to Paris, and that means the Student Competitions are too!
Students and recent graduates can participate in the Student Recording Competition and Student Design Competition for which registration will open soon. We want to remind you now, to give you more than enough time to get your project in shape.
If advice from audio legends, exposure to key players in the audio industry not to mention a very large enthusiastic crowd, a great experience, a fantastic networking opportunity, and an invaluable career boost mean nothing to you, we also have tens of thousands of euros worth of amazing prizes (that's tens of thousands of dollars, too).
140th International AES Convention: 4-7 June 2016
Student Recording Competition submission deadline: Sunday 1 May 2016
Student Design Competition submission deadline: Sunday 22 May 2016
You can submit as soon as the registration is open, so stay tuned!
In case you were already planning to come to Paris, it would be silly not to submit your latest or proudest project, whatever it is, to these popular competitions. If you weren't sure yet, then this is one of the many reasons why you should absolutely come. Don't take our word for it, though - ask any student who has ever been to a Convention.
For instance, AES139 Student Competition winners Nick Lobel and Jesse Brock, Daniel Davidsen, James Pinkl, Keifer Wiley, Jennifer Nulsen or Filipe Antunes.
More information on how, what, why, where and when to submit can be found in the Student Recording Competition and Student Design Competition Rules and Policies.
Left: A student explains his hardware design at a very busy Student Design Exhibition at AES138 in Warsaw, Poland.
Right: Some genius industry experts judge a software project at AES139 in New York. Note the relaxed atmosphere and the smiling student!
Left: World-renowned engineers take a break from making best-selling records and dusting off Grammys to give ALL STUDENT RECORDING COMPETITION ENTRANTS feedback that will change their lives!
Right: Only four empty chairs in an otherwise packed room, listening intently to an excellent Student Recording Competition submission.
Not so very long after that, the 141th Convention will be taking place in Los Angeles, so you may want to think about your SRC or SDC submission for that one, now that the term is still young!
141th International AES Convention: 29 September - 2 October 2016
Student Recording Competition submission deadline: Sunday 28 August 2016
Student Design Competition submission deadline: Sunday 18 September 2016
The AES Student Delegate Assembly is inviting all educational institutions and audio companies to exhibit at and all students, recent graduates and educators to visit the AES Education & Career Fair.
This event is an opportunity for schools and companies to meet students, inform the audio community about their programs and activities, and to touch base with the future of audio. Everyone is invited to come talk with representatives from the companies and universities and find out more about educational programmes, and job and internship opportunities in the audio industry.
We recommend that you bring pamphlets, pictures, audio samples and any other type of media that can appropriately represent your institution or company. We provide some table space, you bring the rest. Exhibiting space is limited though so the sooner you sign up, the better!
Sign up now to exhibit free of charge!
Like with every convention, we are again looking for a new student ambassador to join the ranks of the Student Delegate Assembly. We are just four audio students representing the 4,000 of you, organising the events at the Conventions, supporting student activities and answering queries from all over the world.
The SDA consists of two representatives for North and Latin America, and two representatives for European and International Regions (i.e. everything that’s not the Americas). At every convention, one Chair retires, one Vice Chair assumes the position of said Chair, and one new recruit joins the ranks as Vice Chair. This June, we regret to say goodbye to Brecht De Man, SDA Chair for Europe and International Regions for one more Convention, as Dave Moffat succeeds him, leaving the Vice Chair position vacant.
A few things you need in order to qualify:
Read more about being a student representative on the Student Blog.
If you are interested in running, please contact us at [email protected]
As of this month, we want to thank and empower all our AES Student Members by giving them access to a range of freebies and discounts. This is an unconditional, non-expiring gift to each current student member as well as all who sign up from now on.
At the moment, these benefits include:
Talk about value for money! (A student membership to the AES, already packed with value, is a mere $39)
Make sure you keep up-to-date and follow the SDA online:
All the best from friendly neighbourhood Student Delegate Assembly officers,
Brecht De Man, Chair for Europe and International Regions (@BrechtDeMan)
Zach Bloomstein, Chair for North and Latin America (@ZachBloomstein)
Dave Moffat, Vice Chair for Europe and International Regions (@djmoffat)
Michael France, Vice Chair for North and Latin America
Posted: Tuesday, March 1, 2016
What/who made you join the AES?
Posted: Monday, February 15, 2016
Posted: Monday, February 1, 2016
Grab your diaries, clear your schedule: the AES Convention is coming to Paris, and that means the Student Competitions are too!
Students and recent graduates can participate in the Student Recording Competition and Student Design Competition for which registration will open soon. We want to remind you now, to give you more than enough time to get your project in shape.
If advice from audio legends, exposure to key players in the audio industry not to mention a very large enthusiastic crowd, a great experience, a fantastic networking opportunity, and an invaluable career boost mean nothing to you, we also have tens of thousands of euros worth of amazing prizes (that's tens of thousands of dollars, too).
Right: a small sample of the prizes given to Student Competition finalists at the 139th AES Convention in New York - this also doesn't include the many, many software prizes awarded that day.
In case you were already planning to come to Paris, it would be silly not to submit your latest or proudest project, whatever it is, to these popular competitions. If you weren't sure yet, then this is one of the many reasons why you should absolutely come. Don't take our word for it, though - ask any student who has ever been to a Convention.
So polish your best project one more time, or start an entirely new one especially for this occasion, as you might never again get such an opportunity to bootstrap your audio career.
More information on how, what, why, where and when to submit can be found in the Student Recording Competition and Student Design Competition Rules and Policies.
IMPORTANT DATES
Student Recording Competition submission deadline: Sunday 1 May 2016
Student Design Competition submission deadline: Sunday 22 May 2016
140th International AES Convention: 4-7 June 2016
You can submit as soon as the registration is open, so stay tuned!
Left: A student explains his hardware design at a very busy Student Design Exhibition at AES138 in Warsaw, Poland.
Right: Some genius industry experts judge a software project at AES139 in New York. Note the relaxed atmosphere and the smiling student!
Left: World-renowned engineers take a break from making best-selling records and dusting off Grammys to give ALL STUDENT RECORDING COMPETITION ENTRANTS feedback that will change their lives!
Right: Only four empty chairs in an otherwise packed room, listening intently to an excellent Student Recording Competition submission.
Learn all about student activities at the 140th Convention and elsewhere by following our Twitter feed, Facebook page, and this blog!
Posted: Monday, January 25, 2016
Keifer Wiley received the Bronze prize for his Category 2 Submission at the AES139 Student Recording Competition. We were lucky enough to interview him afterwards.
Keifer's winning submission 'Neon' is available for download on his website.
Hi Keifer, thanks a lot for meeting with us!
Not a problem, my pleasure.
So, tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where and what do you study?
I am an audio engineer singer/songwriter and composer. I currently work as an audio engineer for The Cleveland Institute of Music. At Case Western Reserve University, I study a foundation of classical recording and acoustic production techniques with Bruce Egre, Alan Bise, and Jack Renner.
I have recently completed work on a new EP “Give Me a Reason”. My YouTube Channel has amassed thousands of views and features original music videos and covers. Two of my original songs “Dream of You Tonight” and “Not as I Have Been” were featured on Dee Perry’s radio show “Around Noon” on 90.3 NPR after winning the Great Lake Theater Festival’s Bardstock songwriting competition.
I have had the honor of working with Megan Zurkey, The Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, The Contemporary Youth Orchestra, Roots of American Music, The Chagrin Falls Academy for The Performing Arts, Stagecrafters Teen Theater Academy. As a musician I have performed in a variety of venues around the eastern united states including; The House of Blues, Peabody’s, The Grog Shop, Negative Space Studios, Menorah Park, and The Evening Muse and more on a variety of recording, live sound, composition, and performance projects.
I have composed, arranged, engineered and performed original scores for several theatrical productions including Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carriere’s “Conference of the Birds”, and Ben Claus’s “May Day”.
What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?
My passion for audio engineering began out of necessity. In 2013 I was ready to move forward on recording my first studio album. I was inspired by independent artists on sites like YouTube, BandCamp, and ReverbNation to attempt recording my first album myself. As you can imagine the learning curve was pretty steep. I ended up recording several smaller projects before I was confident enough to begin work on a 10 track album. I learned a lot by trial and error and through my exploration of audio recording technology and microphone placement I realized that I had a real passion for audio engineering, which lead me to pursue a degree in audio recording from Case Western Reserve.
Ah, so you're a musician too. What instruments do you play and in what musical context?
I started with woodwinds in elementary school and eventually picked up guitar from a friend when I was 12. From the moment I learned my first chord on guitar I was pretty much hooked. As my interests in music grew I branched to a variety of other instruments; piano, drums, and various wind instruments. It was around this time that I began writing my own songs and today I would describe my primary musical pursuits as singer/songwriter and indie rock bands.
Tell us about the production of your submission. What is the story behind it? What was it inspired by? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?
“Neon” was record as part of the album, “Give me a Reason”. The song is arranged for two vocalists, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass guitar, and drums. In order to fully capture the dynamic and spontaneous quality of a natural live performance, the entire session was tracked live in one take through a Pro Tools multi-track session with limited overdubs. Tracking for “Neon” took place over one four-hour session on site in a large historic church, Harknes Chapel.
What was your most significant/funny/inspiring experience as an audio engineer?
I would say the most significant realization that I have made so far as an audio engineer is that while gear and plugins are extremely helpful and admittedly fun to collect and experiment with, there is no substitute for proper mic placement and selection. In fact, having a mired of plugins and outboard gear can have the effect of paralysis due to far too many options. One of the greatest strengths of my first album is that I was forced to make all my recording decisions with one microphone, limited plugins, and no outboard gear. Due to this limitation I was never tempted to “fix” things in the mix and or throw more microphones up. I had to get things as right as I could with the gear I had. This minimal approach is also helpful to engineers who are starting off with a small budget (as I am); you don’t need thousands of dollars’ worth of gear to create decent recordings.
Accidents happen: What was your biggest mistake in a production and what did you do to redeem the situation?
I once went into a live session which required five independent headphone mixes, I had never needed this many headphone mixes before and I had not used this feature of my Roland interface before. I quickly learned that setting up a good headphone feed can be complicated and the internal and external routing can create quite a headache if you aren’t quite sure what your doing. I ended up going about 30 minutes over on my setup time and noticeably frustrating everyone involved as I fumbled for the proper configuration. At this point there was nothing I could do to get that time back, but once I got myself organized all I could do is give the most efficient session I could from that point on. Luckily the band was able to stay a little late to makeup the lost time.
What’s your advice for engineers who are just starting out?
Referring to the story above, never go into a session with any questions about your gear, procedure, or routing. Those are all things that need to be worked on outside of the stress of a session. With any new gear of new technique, you will run into snags and I can say from experience there is nothing more stressful than being watched by a band sitting in the live room ready to record, while you struggle with some technical issue. Just like a musician spends hours in a practice room before taking the stage in front of the public we must also hone our craft outside of session. When the artist is in the room we are performing and have to be as on top of our game as they are.
Tech talk: What are your favourite pieces of equipment (microphones, outboard, plugins), and why?
The most important piece of my signal flow are my microphones. I really like a pair of Schoeps CMC6 with the MK21 sub-cardioid capsules. When placed in ORTF a pair of CMC6 MK21’s can be used to mic a whole orchestra by themselves. I love to place these as my room mics for acoustic guitars and strings when I want clear imaging and betting frequency response than cardioids alone can accomplish. People might cringe a little at this next one, but I heavily rely on Pro Tools’ stock plugins for eq and compression; they have a unique color and are very streamlined and intuitive. For reverb I’m a huge fan of Altiverb, I haven’t found a plugin that rivals its sound quality, intuitive interface, and versatile control features.
What/who made you join the AES?
I joined AES after hearing about the experiences of my peers who had participated in one of the New York conventions. After a little bit of research, I discovered that the benefits of AES for students and professionals alike extend far beyond the Convention floor. Since joining AES I have had the opportunity to meet with the heads of recording at several of the studios, and festivals that I had admired in my time as a student of audio recording. It was an invaluable experience to hear about their careers and their advice on the industry and career development.
Tell us about your favourite experiences at the 139th AES Convention in New York!
I would have to say my favorite experience of AES139 was the student mixers and the recording feedback that we received from each other and many of the audio professionals that we admired. It was truly inspiring to hear and see what my peers have been working on. There was so much talent there and so many of the students were making opportunities for themselves that I had never even considered possible; it most certainly set a fire under me to work harder and gave me some of the tools I need to work a bit smarter.
What is your favourite frequency?
8kHz.
What do you do when you’re not in the studio or doing anything music related?
I’m really into outdoor adventuring - camping, hiking, and climbing. I also like literature and movies.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
If the last 4 years of my life are any indication, my life in 10 years will be nothing like what I could imagine now. The opportunities I have gained and lost always take me in new and interesting directions. I’m sure that songwriting, composition and audio production will always be a part of my path, I have no Idea where that will lead me. Right now I’m focusing on honing my craft and improving myself so I’ll be ready when the next opportunity presents itself.
Could you provide us with some closing comments?
I am incredibly grateful for the opportunities AES and the student delegation have provided to my peers and I. I would also like to express my gratitude to Brandie Lane, Richard King, and Sean McLaughlin for taking the time out of their schedules to impart their feedback, advice, and improvement ideas to me. It was truly an honor to present my art to a group of such distinguished judges.
Thanks very much, Keifer, and good luck with the rest of your already quite impressive career!
Check out Keifer's work on his official website, YouTube channel, and SoundCloud page.
Posted: Monday, January 18, 2016
Hi Jimmy. Congrats again on your achievement! Thanks for taking the time for sitting down with us. 
Posted: Monday, January 11, 2016
Daniel Davidsen won the gold prize in Category 2 (Traditional Studio Recording) for his recording of Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians (listen to it here).
· Hi Daniel. Kudos on such an impressive recording, and thanks a lot for making time for us.
My pleasure.
· Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where and what do you study? What audio field are you in?
I was born and raised in Copenhagen, Denmark. Music has shaped my life for as long as I can remember. I study at the The Royal Danish Academy of Music. In 2015, I earned a Bachelor's degree in music & sound recording (Tonmeister) and currently I am pursuing my master studies.
· Are you a musician yourself? What instruments do you play and in what musical context?
I started playing piano and trumpet at an early age, and I have played in brass band, big band and military marching band ensembles. In the years 2003-2007 I joined the European Brass Band Championships.
· What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?
My passion for audio started quite unusually. I did arrangements for my Brass Quintet at the time and used the notation program Finale, but I didn’t like the horrible MIDI sounds coming out of it.
That triggered my interest in DAW’s and I ended up purchasing Pro Tools. From there I slowly began recording music.
After my high school graduation I realized that a career as a musician was not for me. I started working with Pro Tools and Logic and studying musicology at the University of Copenhagen. When I got my BA in 2011, my career dream was in the field of audio. Since then, my main platform has changed to Pyramix.
· Tell us about the production of your submission. What is the story behind it? What was it inspired by?
Music for 18 Musicians is one of Steve Reich's greatest and most difficult-to-play compositions, which was performed by an international team of handpicked professional musicians at Roskilde Festival in 2013. The ensemble's name is EKKOZONE and it was formed in 2013 by the Danish percussionist Mathias Reumert. The recordings were made during rehearsals and only intended for documentation purposes. The recorded source material is rather limited and only 1 1⁄2 take were usable at the end of the final recording day. It was only possible to obtain a satisfying musical result because of the highly repetitive musical structure. Many bars have been replaced with sometimes only a few useful figures that were available. It was all about making it organic and alive.
· How long did you work on it?
The editing took around 80 hours for the whole piece which is around one hour long.
· Was it your first entry in an AES Student Competition?
Yes, it was.
· What was your most significant/funny/inspiring experience as an audio engineer?
I enjoy communicating with musicians and composers and I’m very interested in the psychological aspects of the recording sessions. You really need to know the right way to communicate in order to get the best out of your clients and make them feel comfortable. Trust is everything.
· Accidents happen: What was your biggest mistake in a production and what did you do to redeem the situation?
One morning I discovered that cables were removed for another project. I had to reschedule the recording, which made me look very dumb.
· What’s your advice for engineers who are just starting out?
To gain work experience and volunteering, to study abroad and to gain 10,000 hours of passionate practice. Good preparation before a session is everything. Learn from your mistakes and keep asking yourself "How can I make it better?".
· Tech talk: What are your favourite pieces of equipment (microphones, outboard, plugins), and why?
Horus (Merging) - Very transparent mic pre’s and the heart of my productions for many years to come. Absolutely world class.
The Coles 4038 Ribbon microphone - Those mics give me the intimacy and warmth, which is something that can really define a good recording.
Josephson C617 - My favourite omni mics by far. Very real and balanced mic that imparts this silky smoothness.
· Can you name one or multiple of your favourite recordings or productions and tell us why you like them/what you like about them?
Because of my background, I always listen to the musical content first, and then the recording quality. It’s impossible for me to pick a favourite recording. It would not be fair to the very long list.
· What/who made you join the AES?
I have studied one year at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The teacher encouraged us to join the AES.
· What do you like about the AES? How does it help you to become a better and more successful audio engineer?
AES helped me to build a very valuable network and get inspired to keep pursuing my dream. That is exactly what I love about the AES. You get to meet colleagues from all over the world with the same passion for art.
· Tell us about your favourite experiences at the 139th AES Convention in New York!
It was such a pleasure to meet old friends, listening to the work from other students and hear anecdotes from inspiring people like Jack Douglas and Frank Filipetti.
· What is your favourite frequency?
I have no favourite frequency other than good intonation. My absolute pitch is helpful during all working processes.
· What do you do when you’re not in the studio or doing anything music related?
My prime outside interest is extra-cultural experiences and curiosity and spending time with family and love ones. I also enjoy having friends worldwide and have a passion for culture.
· Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
It is my ambition to combine job types (production, recording, editing, mixing). It is also my ambition for the future to participate in international projects and to extend my work into non-classical categories with creative opportunities.
· Thanks so much for the interview, Daniel, and congratulations again on your excellent submission. We hope to see you again soon!
Posted: Monday, January 4, 2016
Nashville-based Nick Lobel and Jesse Brock (Student Recording Competition Category 3 Silver Award winners) talk shop, AES, and more.
· Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you from? Where and what do you study? What audio field are you in?
[JB]: My name is Jesse Brock. Technically I am from Huntsville, Alabama. However, since all of my memories are in Nashville, Tennessee I consider it my home. I study Audio Engineering in Nashville at Belmont University and tracking is my focus.
[NL]: I’m originally from Kalamazoo, MI. I moved to Nashville, TN in 2013 to study audio engineering at Belmont University. Lately, I’ve been focused on production and mixing, but I love learning about the whole spectrum of audio-related fields!
· What initiated your passion for audio? When did it start?
[JB]: Being a musician first I have always been looking for ways to enhance my musicianship. I was originally a music major. After a year in that program, I decided I needed to find other avenues to better myself as a musician. I selected Audio Engineering Technology (AET) as my declared major without much thought. Taking a musical approach to engineering has really helped me enjoy my path. It is through this practice that I have developed a love for engineering.
[NL]: I fell in love with music as a kid and starting taking guitar lessons at a young age, maybe 9 or 10. In middle school I played in my first band, a garage rock outfit called Skag Nasty! I quickly realized that I needed a way to record the riffs and melodies I was writing. I saved up and got a little Tascam 4-track cassette recorder. That was really the start of my recording experience, but it wasn’t until later that realized I could pursue audio full-time as a career.
· What instruments do you play and in what musical context?
[JB]: I am the lead vocalist, lead guitarist, and primary writer for the band Lines in the Sky. I was trained on piano and can play bass, marimba, some drums, and the kazoo. I primarily write progressive music with Lines in the Sky. It is centered around a contemporary structure but incorporates influence from many different genres.
[NL]: My main instrument is guitar, and I’ve played in a handful of bands through the years. I’d really love to learn piano and drums!
Above: Jesse's band Lines in the Sky
· Tell us about the production of your submission. What is the story behind it? What was it inspired by? How long did you work on it? Was it your first entry?
[JB]: The track used for the submission was called “New Season” and is a Christmas single for my band, Lines in the Sky. We were asked by our management team halfway through 2015 to put together something for Christmas. We put the song together over the next several months and recorded it at several various places. These included the Columbia A facility provided by Belmont University and my house! We had around five sessions total for this song over the course of two weeks. Nick mixed the song over the course of a week or so. This was my first entry to the contest and also my first time coming to an AES convention. It was quite the experience.
The song itself deals with complex feelings on the Christmas season in general. We wanted to make it aware to people how silly and self-serving things have become and challenge the listener to explore new meanings for Christmas. You can check out the video for the track here.
[NL]: I had a blast mixing this track! Jesse did a great job with the initial tracking and getting great performances. Bo Brock is one of my favorite drummers and his performance on this track is stellar! My goals for the mix were to simply enhance what was already there and create some interesting/exciting moments throughout.
· What was your most funny/inspiring/significant experience as an audio engineer?
[JB]: Funny: I once heard a student ask an A list engineer “What is a ‘diaphragm condenser’?” I wanted to facepalm.
Inspiring: Early on, I had an engineer tell me to focus more on the initial performance and to avoid more editing in the box. Instead of focusing on undo embrace redo. It is a simple tracking concept but sometimes just another take is all you need. This initial realization rocked my world.
Significant: Uhm...not sure!
[NL]: Funny: Recording my friend Stephanie’s “mouth-made” sound effects of a drone flyby and explosion for a recent sound for picture project.
Inspiring: The artists I work with constantly inspire me. Lines in the Sky is one of my favorite bands, so getting to mix one of their songs was a huge honor and privilege! If I can help capture the artist’s intended vibe and create a strong reaction that’s super inspiring to me!
Significant: Since moving to Nashville I’ve had so many amazing opportunities and experiences that it’s hard to say which is most significant. Some of the highlights have been interning at Station West and Toy Box Studios, participating in the Bonnaroo Hay Bale Studio, and learning from awesome mentors like Lij Shaw, Joe Baldridge, and all of the audio professors at Belmont.
· Accidents happen: What was your biggest mistake in a production and what did you do to redeem the situation?
[JB]: In class, I accidentally trashed a mix session for a project. I didn’t realize it until I got back to the house. I thought I was going to throw up. I booked another session and got the project in on time. I learned a valuable lesson that day about double-checking my allocation and backups.
[NL]: I’ll echo Jesse’s advice about backups. I once had a hard drive fail and take down a handful of client projects with it. I hadn’t backed up in a couple weeks a lot of data had amassed on the failed drive. In the end I had to bite the bullet and pay to have the data restored in a clean room facility. I got very serious about backups and data redundancy after that!
· What’s your advice for engineers who are just starting out?
[JB]: Considering I am still getting my feet wet with engineering I don’t have much to offer. However, I think it is valuable to be comfortable with your abilities and not get too big of a head trying to make yourself look qualified. It is important to meet opportunities head on but with an appropriate attitude. However, I see countless AET students come into the Belmont program who think they are the next big thing. In reality, it is all smoke. Professionals can see right through you and will remember it. It’s a pride thing. Never be afraid to ask a question. If it hurts your pride to ask then you have some serious personal issues that you have to sort out.
[NL]: I think communication is super important. Whether you’re working for a brand new artist or an A-list producer, communication is the key to building trust and lasting relationships. Clarify expectations and resolve misunderstandings early. You don’t want your clients to have any doubts or uncertainties about the process.
· Tech talk: What are your favourite pieces of equipment (microphones, outboard, plugins), and why?
[JB]: Plugin: C4 multiband compressor. The thing shreds and is super intuitive.
Microphone: SM7. Shreds.
Outboard: Man...that API 2500 is great. Super versatile compressor. It also shreds.
[NL]: Plugin: The Waves SSL 4000 Collection is awesome! I use the channel strip plugins on virtually every mix. The Sound Toys collection is incredible! FabFilter’s stuff is amazing as well.
Microphone: I love the AEA R88 on drum overheads and rooms
Outboard: UA 1176
· Can you name one or multiple of your favourite recordings or productions and tell us why you like them/what you like about them?
[JB]: I freaking love the sound of 10,000 days from Tool. I have no idea how they got those sounds. I haven’t done any research on that album but it blows my mind every time I listen to it.
Recently, I have been listening to The Weeknd’s new album, Beauty Behind the Madness. The production is incredible. In particular, there is a track called ‘Acquainted’ that has some incredible programming. Some great people worked on that record.
[NL]: Annuals – Count The Rings. They have these incredibly dense orchestrations and arrangements with complex layered rhythmic elements, but somehow everything fits together and has its own space. Everything about that record from the writing to the engineering and mixing is inspiring to me both technically and creatively.
Above: Nick Lobel with Belmont University audio professors Wesley Bulla Ph.D. (left) and Eric Tarr Ph.D. (right). Nick also presented some research on new methods to archive analog tape recordings at the AES139 Convention - more info here.
· What/who made you join the AES?
[JB]: Nick Lobel. Haha. But for real though, I wanted to come check out the situation. I have never been to AES and I figured this would be the year to try it out!
[NL]: In my second semester at Belmont I was elected to the AES leadership committee for our chapter. This was hugely beneficial both personally and professionally. It gave me a platform to network with top industry professionals and share my passion and interests with a larger audience!
· What do you like about the AES? How does it help you to become a better and more successful audio engineer?
[JB]: The academic seminars were probably the most enlightening. It’s refreshing to see some good SCIENCE going into the field of audio. I also enjoyed meeting some of the game audio people. I am very interested in this field of audio.
[NL]: AES is one of the best resources available for aspiring audio engineers. And given the large number of chapters throughout the world, it is really easy to get involved. Like any professional organization, you get out what you put in. Over the last two years, I’ve invested a lot of time in the Belmont AES Chapter and it has truly paid off both personally and professionally.
· Tell us about your favourite experiences at the 139th AES Convention in New York!
[JB]: It was super cool meeting so many people from across the globe!
It was a pleasure getting to meet Winifred Phillips! (Composer for ‘Little Big Planet’ game franchise)
[NL]: I enjoyed nerding out over the 3D audio and immersive sound lectures!
· What is your favourite frequency?
[JB]: 10k. It sounds nice! Especially on vocal parallel compression.
[NL]: Haha...I don’t know. Maybe 60 Hz!
· What do you do when you’re not in the studio or doing anything music related?
[JB]: I’m usually reading about Star Wars. Seriously...I am a HUGE nerd. You think you know about cannon? Come at me bro!
I really spend most of my time writing and learning about audio tricks. It is my passion and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. Other than that, I’m either hanging with the team or my girlfriend.
[NL]: I love to cook! I don’t have any formal training, but there are a few chefs and cooking blogs I follow. Learning recipes is like covering songs...once you’ve got it down you can add your own flavor and make it unique. Other than that, I love exploring Nashville with my beautiful girlfriend and hanging out with our two cats, Terry and Catsy Cline.
· Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
[JB]: I hope to be producing and writing with either a publishing deal or my own production group.
[NL]: Producing and mixing full-time.
· Could you provide us with some closing comments?
[JB]: My experience at AES was incredibly eye-opening and overall positive! I have never been in the same place as so many legendary professionals. Getting to see all the different areas of the field of audio really helped my broaden my scope of potential career directions. I hope to come back next year!
[NL]: It was a huge honor to participate in the recording competition and represent my school! The Convention program was incredible with so many awesome seminars and eye-opening lectures! Really hope to continue participating in AES and attending the conventions!
· We look forward to seeing you next year then! Thanks so much for your time, and all the best for your respective careers. Happy holidays!
Follow Lines in the Sky on Facebook and check out their website; and have a look at Nick Lobel's personal website.
Posted: Monday, December 28, 2015
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iZotope gave one or two amazing software prizes to ALL Student Recording Competition winners, including several copies of Ozone, Nectar Production Suite, Alloy, Trash, and RX5!
Posted: Saturday, December 12, 2015
