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Background

Josh Denhardt is a music producer, audio engineer, and instructor based in Denver, Colorado. A longtime EDM DJ for more than 10 years, Josh decided to follow his passion for music and changed course from college dropout and self-described “ski bum” to being a highly sought after musical powerhouse with a skillset that ranges from live sound and recording to producing and mixing for numerous well-known musical acts and artists including a recently completed project with Grammy nominated P. J. Olsson of the Alan Parsons Project.

As an Ableton and Pro Tools mentor with a hands-on approach, Josh Denhardt takes tremendous pride in helping various artists and aspiring music producers build their studio chops, musicianship, and professional know-how.

Background

HELLO, I’M ANDREW. I LOVE TAKING MUSICAL DREAMS AND TURNING THEM INTO RECORDED REALITY.I am a producer, arranger, and keyboardist in the greater Salt Lake and Utah Valley areas.

I love working with people with big visions. It’s my personal goal to take those visions, and bring them into the real world in creative and practical ways.

I’ve been playing keys professionally since I was 16 years old. I picked up production and arrangement before I was 18. I’ve since produced dozens of broadway musicals, albums, music for film and television, and YouTube videos for some of the largest names in the industry.

My strength is my versatility. I can visualize completed productions in their infancy. I’m highly proficient in Pro Tools, and can mix, edit, arrange, perform, or guide performers up to and beyond industry standards. If you have a project in need of such vision, give me a holler. I’d be glad to help you out!
ME IN 30 SECONDS

I began to learn of my creative abilities when I begin playing the piano by ear at the age of 13. At age 16, when I joined into a professional regional touring band, I dove head first into any and every project I could get my hands on, from website design, to music production, to booking. I attended college at Utah Valley University where I studied music and business. When I opened Sapphire Studios in 2010, I produced for several artists, including the venerable Lindsey Stirling, Donny and Marie Osmond and Merrill Osmond. I now produce music and manage the development of software for Right on Cue Services.

Today, I live my life to the best of my ability in service of others, not least of which is my beautiful and loving wife. I have a fierce love of the outdoors. I am a mountaineer, hiker, backpacker, marksman, scuba diver, photographer, and musician.

Background

Award Winning Recording Engineer, Record Producer, Recording Studio Owner Pete deBoer is dedicated to bringing artistry and technology together to create the ultimate recording experience for his clients.

A Musician from the age of 6, Pete moved to New York City in 1998 to attend the Institute of Audio Research. Pete started his career working at several prominent NYC recording studios (The Magic Shop, Electric Lady, The Hit Factory, Avatar, Sear Sound, etc.). He learned hands-on from some of the best producers and engineers in the business including mentor Ron Saint Germain (Tool, Soundgarden, 311, Jimi Hendrix, Creed, Whitney Houston, Mick Jagger)

Over 20 years experience and a masters understanding of analog and digital recording technology have led to an eclectic catalogue of credits spanning across all genres. Pete deBoer is an expert in his field and pursues excellence in whatever part he plays in the creative process of music production, engineering and mixing.

Background

Powerhouse mentors Parker Ament and Danny Ferrare of XLNT Studios (Timbaland, Borgore, Brillz, Dan Farber, Kelly Price, Larrance Dopson of 1500 or Nothin) are the ultimate example of agile, entrepreneurial music producers who’ve got their fingers on the pulse of what’s going on in electronic music production right now. The XLNT team are host of the popular YouTube web series XLNTSOUND, a must watch for those looking to capture today’s hottest sounds via plugins and specific production techniques.

Despite their easy going vibe they expect students to be receptive to learning and to take on a
“fly on the wall” posture when artists are in session in the studio. Parker says, “The first rule is: you don’t say anything unless somebody asks you. And even when they ask you, you should keep it short and sweet. You can’t kind of go on tangents, because then that might drive the session in a certain way.” In order to absorb the information that’s coming your way, he suggests “Take notes, if that’s your thing, or sit as close as you can to the screen, out of the way of the client and engineer, while really watching. Because, with every little note or trick, you’re going to be learning something new every second. Even if you think that you know everything, there’s going to be something that you didn’t know when you’re watching us or a particular engineer.”

So what do Parker and Danny look for in the Recording Connection students they train? It usually comes down to one word—passion.

“Right when they walk through the door, we can see who is passionate about what they’re doing. Even if they’re shy, we can sense the passion. And I feel like that is the most important thing. If somebody is socially awkward or they don’t really know what to say during the interview or something like that, we don’t base any of that on what we’re looking for. We’re looking for passion, we’re looking for dedication, and we’re looking for somebody that is going to create their own path. So if somebody has the opportunity to extern with us, we want them to make their own path with the opportunities that we’re showing them.”

Background

Recording Connection mentor Jason Phelps is an audio engineer, producer, and musician who’s been involved in music all his life. He’s downright passionate about recording, producing, and teaching the next generation of music industry professionals. He expects the externs he trains to bring their A-game, and to listen and learn in a proactive manner.

Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Ross Vanderslice or one of our mentors in the St. Louis area.

An engineer since 2001, Ross Vanderslice has worked with some of the biggest names in the recording industry. The experience he’s gained works perfectly with what we do at Recording Connection: pairing externs with seasoned professionals for invaluable one-on-one time with a mentor.

With multiple studios and state-of-the-art equipment, Vanderslice has worked with several Recording Connection externs. Doing it right is about so much more than having the right gear, software, or equipment. Because of his experience working with internationally-known acts, Vanderslice knows how to work with artists, how to make them feel comfortable and safe within the studio environment.

Here are some of the clients with whom Vanderslice and/or the professional audio engineers at his studio have worked:

Background

As a music producer, studio co-founder, DJ and mentor, Lucas Abend of Studio 369 (Snoop Dogg, Krewella, Sony Music) is the consummate example of the artist producer who’s constantly pushing the boundaries, breaking outdated rules and modalities and bringing the future into the now. That being said, Lucas doesn’t sustain himself on hype. Rather, he believes deeply in the importance and value of art, music making, and creative expression.

As a believer in creative expression, Lucas focuses on putting Recording Connection students’ own music and creativity at the center of the training every chance he gets. Their desire to make their own music unique helps keep them charged up for the challenges they can encounter while they learn the DAW (Pro Tools, Ableton).

“Part of it is having the challenge inspire you to keep working…That’s probably my most direct way that I’m mentoring, is helping the students find a creative workflow that works for them so that they have that motivation to spend 15 hours a week [learning]. That’s not easy. It takes some effort to spend that kind of time but once they’re spending [it], you see them get so much better. They improve so drastically that that’s kind of what makes it all worth it, is to see them improve and start to feel like, ‘Hey, actually at first when we first started I didn’t know what 4/4 meant!’”

Background

Although there are many differences between four-year universities and The Recording Connection – such as cost, length of a program, and availability, it’s the one-on-one relationship between you and your mentor that could be the most important distinction.

Sitting in a traditional school setting, students all tend to learn the same thing, usually by listening to the teacher or professor lecture from the head of the class. With Recording Connection, you’re training with a professional music producer and/or audio engineer, a mentor  who shapes the education around you.

For David Hughes, of Shine On Studio in San Francisco, developing the strengths of his externs and helping them develop in accordance with their interests and talents is what matters most.

Helping audiophiles grow into audio engineers, music producers, beatmakers, and artists isn’t something that can be done with a cookie cutter approach. Furthermore, the music business has something for everyone—many just need to find out what that something really is.

“The students I mentor at the studio are all extremely talented and gifted in many different ways,” Hughes says. “I’m seeing them mature and develop to a point where I help them focus on their strengths. I’m trying to push them in those directions, ‘That’s what you should be doing; that’s your strength.’ It’s never going to be cut and dry what you should do. It’s good to try a few different things to see where your strengths rise up.”

“Some students are good at composing. Some are good at mixing. Others are actually just good at networking. So, not everybody is cut out to sit behind the board and push buttons. A few of the students are really good at socializing and making a personal connection to people. They know how to go out and get people energized and excited about music and concerts. So I try to encourage them to focus on being out at shows and to network as they go to events.”

Understanding your strengths is what makes Hughes and other Recording Connection mentors such an important resource when working towards a career in the music industry. The technical aspects, such as learning digital audio workstations or how to properly set mics, will come in time. It’s your innate talents that can’t be taught—but we can teach you how to use them.

Opportunities in San Francisco

No matter how talented you are, success in the music business is driven as much by who you know as it is with what you know. Hughes keeps in touch regularly with his music connections and past student externs, many who have opened their own studios and launched successful music careers. He can trace much of that success back to the networking events he holds every month.

“We try to promote an audio engineer meeting once a month…That’s a big thing, to have something available for the students that are trying to come up in the industry. You can’t really succeed in this industry on your own. You do need to rely a little bit on other engineers to help you develop in the industry.

“In some situations, they might be your competitors,” Hughes continues, “But I don’t really think of them that way because everybody has their strengths and weaknesses in audio production. I have made it possible for some of the students to come and join us at these meetings and network with other engineers or music professionals in the area. This is a big door that has opened for them and I think that they are definitely taking advantage of the opportunity.”

Opportunity. That’s how Recording Connection Audio Engineering and Music Production program differs greatly from traditional schools. By working in professional, real-world studios, you could be working with an up-and-coming local band one week, international stars the next. How you take advantage of those opportunities can help determine how far you go in the music business.

Are you ready to Amplify Your Life? Apply today.

Background

Recording Connection programs are designed to put you in the middle of the action so you can soak up as much experience and information as possible. With Conrad Osipowicz, you’ll be paired with a mentor that has been in the industry for years, both in the recording studio and out.

As an audio engineer, he’s worked with The Dave Matthews Band, Dropkick Murphys, Regina Spektor, and the Pixies. He also has experience working with live audio for a large Boston radio station and helping companies test new products for music production.

“I guess I’ve always been more on the technical side of the music industry,” Osipowicz says. “I was always interested in computers and technology. I produce, too. It’s not that I exclusively engineer. I’ll produce with full bands and indie rock bands and up and coming artists here in the DC area, but I was definitely more inclined on the technical side of operations.”

Starting from the Ground Up

Although many of our externs have some experience before coming to the Recording Connection Audio Engineering & Music Production Program, it certainly isn’t a requirement. Our mentors utilize our industry-oriented curriculum to help students build a solid foundation around what the industry is looking for now, not 10 years ago. Osipowicz knows a little something about building from the ground up.

“It started as an empty room, and I slowly added equipment and software…A vocal booth from eBay, at one point the whisper room booth, a piece at a time. Just kind of recording a couple of sessions for two or three weeks and then buying a new mic on eBay. And then recording another week or two and buying a new plug-in online. Just kind of piecing together whatever I could.

The studio is honestly one of the top studios in the area…I’ve got at this point some of the best mics, best preamps, best vintage compressors. Some really unique items that you might not find at any other studio on the East Coast.”

Hands-on Experience

The most important thing is getting your hands dirty. Even with just a laptop and the right digital audio workstation, externs can start putting what they learn into practice. That’s why Osipoicz feels learning in a professional studio—not a classroom—gives people the best chance to really learn the craft.

“I am a firm believer that practicing and learning in the studio in a hands-on manner will always yield a more informed and experienced studio engineer than someone who simply learns via lectures, YouTube tutorials, discussion forums, etc…. For that reason, I often encourage my students during their lessons to record a friend’s band, or an individual singer-songwriter who might play acoustic guitar and sing, or play piano and sing.

That way, the artist can act as a guinea pig for the students, but also walk away with a professional well-mixed recording. The student gets to practice on a real recording artist in a real recording studio. Everybody wins.”

That’s what Recording Connection has to offer: Working with an industry insider on the best gear, building a portfolio, and learning how to build a studio the right way. If you’re looking to Amplify Your Life, apply to The Recording Connection today.

Background

In almost any profession, if you want to be the best, you work with the best. That’s why Recording Connection has secured some of the best audio engineers and music producers from the United States. In Washington, D.C., Mark Moreau is a two-time Grammy winner and has been working in the industry for decades.

Moreau has worked with Madonna, Rage Against The Machine, Roger Waters, and Ziggy Marley, just to name a few. As a mentor with Recording Connection, he passes that experience on to you, both on the technical side and the personal side. But, he’s careful to point out, it’s up to the student to make the most of their time with him:

“The thing that I like to see the most is that they’re just hungry for getting to the next step, and learning more, and absorbing all of that. And I think that’s a great quality and attitude that will help take them far in the long run…

The attitude of somebody who’s really open, ready to learn, eager to absorb the information and to put it into practice in their own work…. Curiosity is a big thing. When I see the students coming in, I love it when they’re full of questions like, ‘What’s that?’ and ‘Why is that going like this?’ and ‘What’s going on there?’…. You see these lightbulbs go off and the next time they come in the following week, their song that they were working on has just taken this huge leap forward.”

We’re Rooting for You

Being a mentor isn’t just a side job at Recording Connection. We are just as interested in your success as you are. Our mentors are chosen because they want to make sure the next generation of audio engineers and music producers come up with learning what the music industry needs.

“That’s neat to see and that’s a great part of being a mentor, too,” Moreau says. “Being able to help them discover those things and take it from the academic part of like, ‘This is what this thing does’ to ‘Here’s how you could actually use it for the type of music that you’re doing’ and ‘Here’s where you could get creative with it.’ That not only makes their productions better, it makes them feel better. Then they learn it on a deeper level than just like, ‘Oh, that’s what that knob does.’”

Fully Immersed from Day One

The Recording Connection Audio Engineering and Music Production Program will place you with a mentor in a professional studio from the start. The recording studio is your classroom, and the curriculum is created by mentors who understand the industry from the inside. However, as we said before, the most successful externs are those that give it both heart and soul.

“One of my (externs) Nick Leupen, is a great example of that,” Moreau says. “He’s a composer/producer in the Recording Connection Ableton Electronic Music Production Program and has an insatiable appetite for learning. He’s not only on it when it comes to the course work and being a great student, but constantly curious about tips I can give him for working with other artists, etiquette with clients, and is always looking at the bigger picture of what he needs to know for his career. That’s a great sign of future success.”

Moreau is here to help Amplify Your Life. Are you ready? Apply today.