Martin Atkins is an interesting guy. He’s played with John Lydon’s post-Sex Pistols band, Public Image Ltd (PiL). He’s also drummed for Ministry, Pigface and NIN. Atkins is currently teaching his fourth year at Columbia College in Chicago where he instructs the course “The Business of Touring.” He recently visited the CRAS where students engaged him in a podcast interview and then he later lectured for a larger group. Check out the interview on the CRAS website.

photo caption: (l to r) Kevin Burgin, Rupert Neve (Rupert Neve Designs) and CRAS Director of Education Kevin Becka

When you’re up and coming, no matter what the industry, hearing the voices of experience from the lips of those who came before you is worth its weight in gold. That’s why the Conservatory has regular guest lectures from the best and brightest in audio. The CRAS has hosted Rupert Neve, Eve Ana Manley (Manley Labs), Brad Lunde (Las Vegas Pro Audio), Martin Atkins (Pigface, NIN), Craig Schumacher (TapeOp) and Ed Simeone (TC Electronic) to name a few. The current guest roster planned for 2007 will invite Grammy nominated producer DJ Vudu Spellz and audio legend Bob Heil to the school to talk to students about their experiences in audio, from different generational perspectives.

photo caption: TC Electronic chairman Ed Simeone and student Krystle Sanno preparing to Podcast

Ed Simeone’s list of audio experiences and skills are extensive. He’s a tube-gear nut, has been a keyboard tech for some of the top players in music and is an avid HAM radio operator. If that wasn’t enough, Ed is the Chairman of TC Electronic USA, the company that sells high end audio processors, Lab Gruppen, TC-Helicon and Dynaudio products. He recently brought his Reverb Master Class to the Conservatory where he takes reverb from its inception (it started in B.C. if you can believe it!) to the modern day. The Conservatory certifies students on TC’s System 6000 and M3000 and has TC gear in many classrooms and studios. Simeone is part of our guest lecture program where industry pros are brought on campus to impart knowledge and talk to students about jobs in audio.

photo caption: Audiokinetic’s Simon Ashby lecturing students on the ins and outs of game audio

Simon Ashby and Geneviéve Laberge from Audiokinetic, makers of the Wwise audio pipeline solution software for game creation, visited the Conservatory to give a guest lecture to an assembly of over 350 students. Ashby and Laberge also participated in a Podcast that is now live on the Conservatory’s website. Students Emily Cohen and Margaret Decker interviewed the duo, then edited the Podcast in Pro Tools, gaining valuable experience in the innerworkings of audio for Broadcast. Later that day, Ashby addressed students on how audio for games both mimics and is vastly different than audio for post, the ins and outs of working on a game creation team and more. His lecture will soon be offered in a serialized Video Podcast sponsored by the Conservatory. Students currently use Wwise as part of their 9th Cycle audio for games curriculum. The Conservatory is the first educational facility in the world to integrate Wwise into any curriculum.