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Background

Justin has been recording and mixing professionally for over 10 years. He has worked with hundreds of artists spanning many genres including various notable clients. Originally a Kansas City native, Justin lived and worked in Brooklyn, New York for 5 years. In New York, he worked as a staff engineer at Translator Audio and staff engineer/manager at The Audio Parlour Brooklyn. Justin returns to NYC a few times a year to work on projects.

Background

Donny Baker of ES Audio in Los Angeles, CA has decades of experience in the music industry, both in studio and behind the console. He spent 13 years working as a touring engineer for some of music’s most influential and dynamic artists including: Madonna, Chick Corea, Aerosmith, Herbie Hancock, and more. Donny then moved his talents into the sphere of recording and audio engineering production at ES Audio alongside CEO and studio owner Jo Ann Bush.

As a Recording Connection mentor for more than 16 years, Donny’s passionate about helping tomorrow’s audio engineers, music producers, and music industry professionals discover the very thing that sets them on fire, and use their passion along with the insight Donny’s able to provide to create a solid game plan for building their careers.

As a result of their hard work and the expert training and experience they’ve been able to receive through our mentor-led programs, a great number of Donny’s former Recording Connection students have gone on build amazing careers for themselves:

Taylor Crommie recently recorded and mixed for DJ Paul (of Three 6 Mafia). Other artists include: Kembe X, Jay Rock, Wifi Funeral, YelaWolf, Lance Skiiwalker, Eric Hudson, Rob Vicious, and Reddish Blu.

Uriel Soto Jr. aka “Junior” got hired full-time at ES Audio (DJ Paul, Yelawolf, Yung Gravy). Now, Uriel is also a Recording Connection mentor.

Skyler Felix went on to work with Disney and VH1. Credits also include a top-10 record on the UK dance charts.

Morning Estrada has recently engineered for Aminé, Rosalía, Brandy, Trinidad James, Tech N9NE, Jessie J, and more.

Articles

Video: What to expect with Donny Baker
Helping students find their place
NUGGETS OF TRUTH: Recording Connection mentor Donny Baker on what it takes to make it in recording
JoAnn Bush, owner of ES Audio in Los Angeles

Background

Everything from the blues to certain genres of electronic house music call Chicago home. And the 35th Street Studios has seen an equally eclectic group of musicians come through their doors. The Who and Crunchy Black, The Rolling Stones and Yolanda Adams, Cheap Trick and Kanye West.

Their ability to work with a wide variety of acts over the years, and housing several studios, a live sound stage, and more. It is the premier rehearsal venue in Chicago because of its size and has all of the gear to record podcasts, film, and video work. And, as one of Recording Connections mentoring studios, it’s grooming the next generation of audio engineers and music producers.

“One of the things I appreciate every day is that I am surrounded by like-minded people,” former extern Robert Avila said. “Those who have the expertise and patience to listen to a mix repetitively, and for as long as it takes, to accomplish what needs to be done. The qualities I see in my peers at the studio are great. Everyone at 35th Street Studios has their unique background, style, and personality type; nevertheless, they work together seamlessly- true teamwork- and I’m more than happy to be involved.”

Work with Professionals

With our ability to place externs inside real-world studios, we feel our programs have a little something more to offer those looking to make it in the music marketplace. Using the latest hardware and software, our mentors will show you how to set up a studio, get the most out of an act’s material, and how to use the most up to date recording software.

But it goes beyond knowing how to operate a digital audio workstation or knowing which mic to use. The Recording Connection gives you something very few universities or trade schools can: connections. Other schools may bring in guest speakers for an hour or two. The Recording Connection will give you the opportunity to work alongside those already in the industry.

With these opportunities, you can start to build your brand from within the business. Many of our externs find work immediately after completion of the program, often at the very recording studios they learned in. How many schools can say that? Not many. After all, they aren’t looking for beat-makers, audio engineers, or music producers.

Many Recording Connection mentors are, however. We have helped hundreds of externs find work after completing their program. Some stay with their mentors, others are referred to other studios, and a few have even opened their own studios. They create music, beats, or samples that are used in video games, television, and film.

The one thing they all had in common when they walked through the 35th Street Studio doors, or any of our more than 250 locations in the United State, was pure passion. Learning how to engineer music isn’t a hobby at Recording Connection, it’s a way of life. Are you ready to Amplify Your Life? Apply today.

Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Zack Phillips or one of our mentors in the Bay Area.

Discovering his love of music while growing up in New York City in the ‘80s, Zack Phillips’ approach to music is “part science, part mysticism.” Gaining experience as a DJ and live sound engineer, Phillips received a formal education in audio engineering.

From there, Phillips honed his craft working at several studios before finally establishing his own studio: FreqLab Recording. In addition to recording, editing, mixing, and production, Phillips also works on developing the artists he works with, exploring innovative and inventive ways of engineering audio. Phillips has worked with a wide range of artists, including Talib Kweli, The Kooks, and Blue Hawaii.

You’ll be working in a state-of-the-art facility renovated by Phillips himself. While he made sure to design the studio to get the most out of the space, he also wanted to make it as comfortable as possible for engineers and artists alike.

If you study at the San Francisco Recording Connection, you’ll be working with people as passionate about music as you are. Up and comers, established stars, and other entertainment entities such as Comedy Central or Electronic Arts. But you won’t be watching TV or playing video games – you’ll be coming to work hard every day.

Background

For Andy Shoemaker, Grammy-nominated audio engineer at Rax Trax Recording and Recording Connection mentor, it takes more than being a superstar with the gear. The best audio engineers and music producers also know how to take care of their clients.

“The way young engineers get early opportunities often comes from a situation where they can fill in at a time of need,” he said. “But before I start saying, ‘Hey man, can you do this session?,’ I need to see, technically, they know enough of what they’re doing to trust them enough not to screw up and also that I don’t fear that they’ll conduct themselves in a negative way with a client.”

A bad demeanor on one side of the glass will lead to very little action on the other side of the glass. At the start of your career, musicians don’t come to you – you have to bring them in. Think of it as being a salesperson. You may have the best product, but if you’re lacking in the personality department, you’re not going to be very successful.

“There are people that I think of very highly, like, ‘Man, this guy is great. He knows what he’s talking about,’” Shoemaker said. “But I just don’t know that I can hand him a session because his people skills are a bit lacking. If someone can’t read the artist and interact with them based on what the artist needs, then it isn’t a good fit between engineer and artist.”

It’s About More Than The Gear

With the Recording Connection Audio Engineering & Music Production Program, you’ll learn what you need to know about digital audio workstations (DAW) like Ableton Live or Logic Pro. As Shoemaker explains, however, it’s just one tool. There’s only so much that can be done with sub-par performances.

“So much of the tone comes from the player,” Shoemaker said. “Artists themselves contribute so much more of the tone than we want to give them credit for a lot of times. I think as engineers, it’s easy for us to idolize equipment. It’s easy for us to idolize microphones and preamps and compressors, and those are all really important parts of the chain, but it comes down to the source.

“All those tools are going to help you capture the source in a more interesting or more pleasing way, but they themselves won’t change the source. If you don’t have that sorted out, then you’re going to be struggling with it regardless.”

Get What You Need From A Pro

At a traditional four-year university or trade school, you may get enough experience on a DAW, learn about music theory, or even work with other students to create music. But we feel it just can’t compare with the immersive experience you get when working one-on-one with an industry insider in a real-world setting.

“I went through a traditional four-year style school,” Shoemaker said. “In my final semester, I started an internship and I found that I was learning a lot of things that I’d never learned about in school. I was three semesters in at my school before I was doing some of the stuff that I might have my students do in their first week of the Recording Connection program.

“There are a lot of different audio programs out there. How effective any program is going to be for you personally really depends on what you put into it. You could really dive into any program and get something out of it, but I think Recording Connection provides an opportunity to do that in a different and more efficient way because it isn’t isolated from reality.”

Are you ready to get what you need to Amplify Your Life? Apply to Recording Connection today.

Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Steve Catizone or one of our mentors in the greater Boston area.

From Aerosmith to Wyclef Jean, Steve Catizone knows the ABC’s about working with international superstars. Catizone ran Sanctum Sound in Boston for more than a decade before moving across the country to give the West Coast and Los Angeles a try. Now he’s back on the East Coast with Infinite Recording in the Boston Metro area.

No matter where he is, Catizone looks forward to working with the next generation of audio engineers and music producers. He knows what to look for in a Recording Connection extern and doesn’t take long for him to spot those that have what it takes to make a career in the music industry.

And it has nothing to do with their previous musical experience or technical mastery of a digital audio workstation. A previous student, Scott Johnson, impressed Catizone enough to hire him to work at his state-of-the-art second studio, even have him run a tracking session with British pop-dance superstar Charli XCX.

“He just made himself available for things whenever and wherever he needed to be,” Catizone says. “Luck is preparedness meets opportunity, and anytime I’d ask him to come in to shadow or assist, he was there. I told him, ‘It’s like anything else, she’s like anybody else. She wants to come in, she wants to do her thing; just do your thing.’”

For Catizone, the Recording Connection Audio Engineering and Music Production Program offers an advanced way to teach those up-and-comers who want to make a name for themselves in the industry. Although major audio schools may have a “name,” they don’t always graduate students who have the conceptual side of things down, or know their way around a professional recording studio.

“He said he wasn’t really getting much experience with them at all,” Catizone says, speaking of former student Melvin Perdomo. “And it’s funny because I went through some simple concepts with him, and it was obviously stuff that they didn’t hit with him.”

Besides, it isn’t always what you know, but who you are. Like Johnson, Catizone could tell right away that investing in Perdomo would pay instant dividends.

“His temperament is perfect,” Catizone says. “He’s a go-to guy. I kind of knew that he was going to work out from the start, and I was pretty much right. So three sessions in, I was like, you know, ‘We need somebody to help out.’ And he’s very chill and laid back. He’s perfect.”

Making Connections

A third extern, Shardinee Fort, was brought in to help with an audio recording of author/columnist David Savage. She had the right temperament for the job, so Catizone knew she’d be perfect.

“I needed someone who could help out and just be, you know, have a pleasant disposition and be in the studio as well,” Catizone says. “She sat in and made herself available for whatever technical stuff needed to be done.”

All of that is to say: when you apply to Recording Connection, you get more than a one-on-one education from an industry insider, you get the chance to prove your worth to a potential employer or reference. Those opportunities just aren’t available at most universities or trade schools.

Former Catizone extern Jordan Schuh took advantage of the connections he made. Now he runs his own studio. The exposure he received with Catizone and Recording Connection was invaluable.

“I guess the best thing I can say about Recording Connection is that it proves its name,” Schuh says. “In other words, what I valued most about the experience was the connections with real people in the recording industry.”

Are you ready to amplify your life? Apply Today.

Articles

Recording Connection mentor Steve Catizone on creating opportunities for his students
Recording Connection mentor Steve Catizone talks studio etiquette

Background

After starting his career in New Jersey and New York, Sheldon Ellerby moved South to hip-hop hub Atlanta. First with The Writer’s Room and now with Private Sound Studios, Ellerby provides externs with a little of the old and a little of the new.

As an audio engineer or music producer, you need to have the right combination of both. Technology is constantly changing how we make music, making it more accessible for everyone instead of a select few. Digital Audio Workstations allow you to make music in the studio, in your home, or on a bus.

But it won’t change the theory of music, how soundwaves travel, and the overall fundamentals of audio engineering.

“My approach is really to give them an understanding of the principles of recording,” Ellerby said. “I like to go back to not just the start, but to even eras where you had The Beatles, James Brown, the Motown era. Everybody has the same principles of recording, and we still use those principles to this day.”

While Ableton Live or Logic Pro has made it easier for the masses to make music, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good music. So many new music makers want to run before they can walk, with no foundation or understanding of the music in place. Digital audio workstations are great – but there’s a lot of work to be done to get the most out of the software.

“I try to get people to understand that it’s more than just running a program,” Ellerby said. “Anyone can push a couple of buttons and say they’re engineers. But if you don’t know how to identify distortion, ‘Am I getting a good signal?’ or ‘What mic should I use?’ ‘Does this mic complement his vocal tone?’ I get into helping them build a real foundation and understand the how’s and why’s of what they’re doing.”

Love What You Do

You’ve come to Recording Connection because you want to make a career in the music business. But it takes more than “want.” There’s a determination that comes with establishing yourself in the industry and even more dedication to stay there.

“What drives me more than anything is passion,” Ellerby said. “The passion to learn, always wanting to know more. One thing I really pass onto a lot of the students is never stop learning. You have to continue to learn because everything is always like a constant evolution with the technology.”

The Recording Connection will give you the tools and the education you need to build a solid base. You will build your brand while expanding your portfolio. Learn how to move around the studio, interact with the talent, and how to market yourself. But what will you do with this opportunity you’ve given yourself? Are you ready to Amplify Your Life? Apply today.

Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Bernard Johnson or one of our mentors in the greater San Diego area.

Bernard Johnson didn’t follow the usual path to becoming a Recording Connection mentor in El Cajon, Ca. He discovered a love of mass media as a 14-year-old, entering a certification program to find out how it all came together.

After finishing the program, he began co-producing a top-ten music show in Detroit and received an award for exemplary airwave checks from the Michigan Broadcast Association. Then his career took a turn: Johnson entered the military.

After a 20-year career in the military, often leading departments with 90 people, Johnson returned to what he loved as a teenager, earning a masters in audio production. While the military can be quite regimented, Johnson was attracted to the freeform method of instruction that Recording Connection offered students. As he knows better than most, the standard course isn’t always the best course.

“When I saw (Recording Connection) model, I was like, ‘Wow, this is it. I love it.’” Johnson said. “And it allows students to have the opportunity not to feel cemented to something like, ‘This is what you need to do, this is the direction and the route you need to do it.’”

The Recording Connection Program gives you access to a professional engineer, fully-functioning studio, and hands-on education, it could also earn you a career. The Noize Factory is a perfect example of that: Johnson hired one of his former students (Efrain Matias) as a staff engineer.

But you have to work for it. Recording Connection students must be willing to put in the time, effort, and focus to get the most out of it. Johnson expects nothing less.

“I do want to say commitment, passion, perseverance, and finishing until the end,” Johnson said. “They’re not just doing something for money or just doing it ‘just because.’ They’re literally passionate about it.”

Articles

Recording Connection mentor Bernard ‘IQue’ Johnson Shares His Smarts & Hires from Within!
Recording Connection grad Goes to NAMM, Gets Hired, Gets Going in Audio!

Background

For Wyatt Oates, it doesn’t matter if you already know a digital audio workstation inside and out, or if you’ve worked with multiple bands, or even cut a few demo tracks before. As a mentor, the technical side of making music, building a brand, and working on a portfolio will all come in time.

It’s the little things that show Oates everything he needs to know about a new Recording Connection intern. How an extern holds themself in the studio, how they interact with others, just their overall demeanor.

“The very first thing would be being on time,” Oates said. “The next thing I’m going to notice is attitude. And then it’s just walking through what they’re trying to do, try to get a feel for them.”

And when it’s time to get to work, how do the externs act? Even a technical genius on the gear needs more than being a technical genius on the gear. Local, regional, or national acts don’t want to work with a robot, they want to work with someone who makes them sound better. Who can feel the music and make the needed adjustments.

When an artist is in the studio, this is the time for the extern to take a step back and watch the professionals at work. Learn when (and why!) they push, pull, or just sit back when the artist gets in a groove. Although this is a fully immersive, hands-on learning experience, there are times when it’s best to observe.

“A good, safe starting point is being a fly on the wall, and don’t interject your opinions into what the producer is doing, for example,” Oates said. “It’s just bad form. Don’t solicit people right off the bat if you have your own music, your own productions. Treat them like normal people.

“Obviously, introduce yourself,” Oates continued. “And if they seem like a hand-shakable person, shake their hand or whatever the proper greeting is in that culture, and don’t overdo it. You should sit either at the console or back of the room, you know, leaving the sweet spot, so to speak, for the producer, engineer, artists. And just hanging out and paying attention.”

But Oates also believes you need to make yourself useful. Once you’ve learned the DAW and other technical aspects, you’ll begin to sit in on some sessions. Until then, learn to follow the cues your clients give you.

“Trying to be as proactive and predict the needs of the artist, producer, and engineer as much as possible,” Oates said. “So if you hear that somebody is coughing and is obviously thirsty, then offer to run and get them a water, and go do it.”

Take advantage of the opportunities

Stay alert during the process – the entire process. You never know when the chance to sit down and get to work will present itself. Getting the opportunity to put into practice what you’ve been learning is one of the most important parts of any Recording Connection program.

“I’ve seen a few people fall into the trap of putting their headphones on and just rocking out to some music while they’re in session,” Oates said. “You lose a lot of opportunities to be proactive and to really help the session along. I guess how I’d sum it up is, help the session along. During a recording session, do everything within your power to help the session along.”

Hands down, it’s Hands-On For The Win

“I’ve always loved the (mentor) model,” Oates said. “I came up through it myself. That’s how I learned engineering, producing, songwriting, all of that. So anytime I got a chance to help an intern or an assistant engineer up under me along the way, I always did.

“So when I found out about the Recording Connection and one of the guys called me from there to see if I would be interested in mentoring, I jumped on it,” Oates continued. “One of the things that I thought was really cool about the Recording Connection was the fact that they focus on that model. I’m just a fan of it because it works. The real-world experience is always better than classroom experience for these kinds of careers.”

Are you ready to start your real-world experience? Amplify Your Life and Apply Today.

Background

Learn from Recording Connection mentor Joey Heier or one of our mentors in the New Brunswick area.

Audio engineer and studio owner Joey Heier has been in the business of making music for decades. With a client list that includes names like Christina Aguilera, B.o.B., Jill Scott, and Dru Hill, Joey knows what it takes to work in music. Furthermore, he has a zeal for sharing his passion for audio with newcomers.

So much so, that he’s gotten the nickname “Uncle Joey” from our students. He maintains contact with literally dozens of our graduates, many of whom have gone on to build great careers in the music industry.

We recently asked Joey Heier why he loves mentoring for Recording Connection. Here’s what he said:

“It’s a tremendous passion for me. I enjoy doing this so much. I have a style that I believe in. I talk with my students about a textbook answer that they’re probably going to forget immediately, and then give them an ‘Uncle Joe’ definition that’s two or three words that they’re going to remember immediately. Then they’re going to understand what the textbook definition is by hearing it in a simpler fashion.

“I have great kids that come in and really, really want to do this… I have an outstanding job, and there’s no reason why I shouldn’t do it with a smile. And that doesn’t happen with every kid, naturally—it really depends if they want to do it. But if they want to do it, I am so honored to have the opportunity to teach, and I think that’s why it works well for me.”

Articles

NUGGETS OF TRUTH: Recording Connection mentor Joey (“Uncle Joe”) Heier talks about the importance of hands-on training and his passion for teaching

Background

RENEGADE EL REY, an audio engineer/producer with Stankonia Studios, the legendary studio started by Outkast, has been a Recording Connection mentor for a few years now. He has hired past externs and regularly keeps in touch with other students who are busy making a name for themselves in the business.

Like many of our mentors, he is more interested in working with externs that have the drive and determination to succeed rather than any particular technical skill. Digital Audio Workstations can be taught – having the right attitude can’t.

Making yourself necessary during the Audio Engineering and Music Production Program is a great way to get in the good graces of your mentor. Yes, you’re there to learn, and your mentors are there to teach. But they’re also there to work.

By taking cues from the mentor, and the artists they work with, you’ll learn more about the industry than you will from almost any book. When RENEGADE EL REY was coming up, he made himself necessary in the studio. Engineers, producers, and studio chiefs remember that.

“As far as the actual, physical work that was done, I made myself valuable,” RENEGADE EL REY SAID. “And that was one thing that my professors always told us was to always make yourselves valuable, make people want to need you for whatever the case may be, and that’s exactly what I did.”

The Recording Connection offers one thing most traditional universities or trade schools just can’t: Opportunity. By making yourself available, your mentor, other staff, and their clients will remember you as the one they can rely on for anything.

“I learned how to do several things, and that was just something that I always did,” RENEGADE EL REY said. “I don’t write my rhymes, my lyrics, but I keep pens and pencils, just different things that people need. So whenever they need something, they think to call you. I just made myself that guy, and it just took off from there.”

Make Your Own Name

That’s how he made his connections and earned his shot at Stankonia. But it’s more than just making sure everybody else has what they need. The Recording Connection program wants to help you get what you need: a job making music in the industry.

We can give you the tools, but you have to put in the work. Both in the studio with your mentor and on your own. If you wait for things to happen for you, you’ll be waiting a long time.

“Oh yeah, definitely,” RENEGADE EL REY said. “I’ve always been the type to look ahead and try to say, ‘Okay, what’s going on next and where do I need to be?’ Because things don’t happen overnight. I’m always trying to reach out to the type of people that I need to reach out to ahead of time. You’ve got to get the ball rolling one way or the other.”

The Recording Connection will place you in a one-on-one situation with music producers like RENEGADE EL REY, but what you do during that time will determine how far you go in the industry. Our most successful graduates go on to find work in the studios where they externed, other studios, and even starting their own studios.

Will you make yourself available, invaluable, and teachable? That’s what our mentors are looking for. If you’re ready to Amplify Your Life, apply today.