SPARS (Society of Professional Audio Recording Services) has elected new board members including new president Kirk Imamura of Avatar Studios, New York; CRAS Director of Education Kevin Becka and CRAS Board of Directors member Candace Stewart of East West Studios, Los Angeles. Others elected include Jessica Dally, live sound and post editor and mixer, Los Angeles, CA; Dave Hampton, engineer, educator and author, Los Angeles, CA; Mark Rubel, Pogo Studio, Chicago, IL and Rick Senechal, Microsoft Studio, Redmond, WA. Re-elected to the Board were Trevor Fletcher, Hit Factory-Criteria Recording, Miami, FL; Scott Phillips, Blackbird Studios, Nashville and Sherri Tantleff, Full Sail University, Winter Park, FL

“There was a very active field of 16 candidates running for nine open seats representing three different membership categories. SPARS president Kirk Imamura says : “I am honored and excited to serve as the new President of SPARS. SPARS and our industry are each going through a challenging transition.” READ MORE

(Internship coordinators Jayson Khademi and Greg Stefus on either side of graduates Micah Gerlach & Jared Hirshland @ Bomb Shelter Studios)

Every January thousands of people connected to making, selling or buying anything related to the process of making music gather in Anneheim California for a gearfest called the Summer NAMM show. NAMM is also a great excuse for internship coordinators Jayson Khademi and Greg Stefus to travel to SoCal to rub shoulders with CRAS graduates, studio owners and managers. This year the dynamic duo visited grads working in their element at facilities such as Stone Temple Pilot’s Bomb Shelter Studios and Roundabout, a post production facility that employs 6 CRAS grads. See more photos from Jayson and Greg’s trip here.

Students get ready for the first tracking session on the API Legacy Plus in Gilbert.

The massive process of replacing not one, but two large format analog mixing consoles is beyond its halfway point. The first of two 48 channel API Legacy Plus consoles has successfully replaced the venerable Neve VR at the Gilbert location by completing it’s first week of duties under the hands of CRAS instructors and students. Check out photos of the Gilbert console swap and shots from the first sessions here.

The second API Legacy Plus rolls into Tempe Studio C.

With the first API up and running in Gilbert, attention can be turned to the Tempe facility where another API Legacy Plus has just been rolled into Studio C at that location. There’s still much work to do, but in the capable hands of the CRAS techs Jeff Harris and Cory Smith it’s now a matter of days before the first session on the second of these phenominal sounding consoles. See the progress of the Tempe console swap here.

For 2011 CRAS has upgraded the amps used with the state of the art L-Acoustics Kudo speaker system used at the Gilbert location’s live sound room. The 6 new L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers each provide 4 channels of output and contain all of the digital signal processing for filters and time alignment. The LA8′s receive their audio and control commands via a digital network and the LA Network computer software provides single point control over the entire system. Better yet, the new amps have made the already phenomenal Kudo speaker system sound even better! Check out more photos of the new amplifiers.

Conservatory administrator Kirt Hamm showing off the APSA award for best wild card practice.

On May 21st, 2010 the Arizona Private School Association (APSA) honored the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences with a best practice award for its 1 to 1 laptop program.  In 2007, CRAS introduced a computer program that placed an Apple laptop in the hands of every student, dramatically enhancing the opportunity for learning, communication and most importantly, the potential for employment. The 1:1 Laptop Initiative represents one of the biggest evolutionary steps in the school’s history and has re-shaped the Conservatory’s learning environment. To compliment this program, the Conservatory simultaneously launched CRAS Connect, an online learning management system (LMS) designed to support and extend the in-classroom experience, and develop a greater sense of community between students and faculty. While the laptop initiative and CRAS Connect could each be viewed independently as examples of best practices for higher education, it’s the symbiosis between them that demonstrates the sweeping change CRAS has made to the academic landscape for students, instructors and administration.

CRAS instructor Robert Brock (top row - right) with the rest of the ADE advisory board members in front of Apple's headquarters.

In 2009 CRAS instructor Robert Brock was accepted into Apple’s ADE (Apple Distinguished Educator) program which recognizes educators who integrate technology into the curricula and their learning environments in meaningful ways. Brock’s ADE application centered around the Conservatory’s integration of its 1:1 laptop program, where every enrolled student receives a MacBook computer. Brock has since been named as a member of the ADE advisory board and this week he attended his first board meeting at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino California. As a board member he will help to shape the direction of the ADE program, its online community and contribute to the planning of the summer institutes which gather ADE’s from across the country for a week of technology centered professional development.

Today Peachpit Press ships Logic Pro 9 Advanced Music Production by David Dvorin with Robert Brock. This book serves as Apple’s official text for the Logic Pro 9 Level Two certification. The Conservatory played a big role in this book with CRAS instructor Robert Brock working as a contributing writer and CRAS graduate Brandon Jaehne offering-up an original song for one of the books tutorials.

Brock found Jaehne’s song Gibsonia posted on CRAS Connect, the Conservatory’s online system for enrolled students which features a discussion forum where students can post projects they’re working on for other students to listen to and review. Jaehne and fellow CRAS student Matthew Craft had recorded the song in their apartment during their first weeks at school using the MacBook laptop, Logic Pro, Fastrack Pro audio interface and the microphone they had each received when they started school. Brock felt Gibsonia was perfect for an exercise he was writing for the book which involved how to move projects between Logic and Pro Tools. Drums were later added to the song which were performed by CRAS music director Joe Morris and recorded by CRAS students as part of a session/class in the Conservatory’s Studio D at the Gilbert location.

The Conservatory currently offers Logic Level One certification as part of an optional incentive based program where students that meet certain academic criteria can receive the level one book and take the certification test at no cost. A program to offer Logic Level Two certification based upon this new book will be available later this year.

Mike Jones with the Fender G-DEC 3 at the NAMM show

CRAS director of education Mike Jones can finally talk about what he’s been doing in his spare time while at his home studio for the last several months. It turns out he’s been mixing away for Fender in order to provide recording and mixing services for audio loops that are part of their new G-DEC 3 guitar amplifier which was just announced at the NAMM show. Mike mixed tracks from artists such as Eric Johnson, Hatebreed and Sepultura. CRAS instructor Chris Gough also provided his own musical content for the amp which was recorded in Conservatory studios with the help of CRAS students. In addition CRAS students Jacob Dalton and Eric Molinari also happened to be interning at Fender headquarters and put many hours into testing the amp while providing feedback to Fender. Check out the Fender G-DEC 3 amp and hear what Mike and the rest of the CRAS gang have been up to.

CRAS interns Stephen Hernandez and Danielle Walker work at the SPARS booth at the NAMM show.

In January the Conservatory descended on the 2010 NAMM show. CRAS directors, internship coordinators, teachers, techs, students and graduates mingled in and out of the massive trade show. CRAS sponsored a class in cooperation with SPARS (Society of Professional Audio Recording Services) in NAMM’s new Hot Zone, and provided multiple current students as interns for the event. Oustide of the show, CRAS internship coordinators toured LA area studios and met with studio managers to further foster the great relationship CRAS has with the audio community. See photos and videos from the fun here.