In addition to regular classes, the CRAS offers a range of optional evening and weekend courses and guest lectures including hands-on mic, preamp, DI and processor builds, instructional classes on networking, and tips on building your own studio. The Home Studio Clinic pictured above covered the gear and proper integration techniques used to put together a personal audio/music production studio. The clinic is designed to show students easy and cost effective ways to build a studio with limited space and money.  Materials are passed around so students with no construction background can get a good idea of how to build floors, walls, etc in addition to getting to actually touch materials they can use for building.

Join Sennheiser on Thursday April 5 at 5:00 PM EDT / 2:00 PM PDT for a complimentary webinar that will teach you how to effectively use equalization and compression. The webinar will be presented by Grammy-winning producer and engineer David Thoener and is brought to you by audio specialist Sennheiser as part of our Online Recording Sound Academy program. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Webinar Topics:

• Using EQ constructively
• Compressing – when to use compression and when not to
• Adding that final sheen to the mix with gentle use of EQ

Solid State Logic rolled to the CRAS recently with their brand new broadcast truck, and followed up two weeks later with a visit from their desktop audio team. Product specialist William Maynard and regional sales rep Brian Krawcykowski from SSL showed CRAS students and staff their slick Nucleus desktop console and talked about desktop workflow. The Conservatory is no stranger to SSL gear and has two SSL 4000 consoles in its A Studios at the Tempe and Gilbert locations. Students have the opportunity to work in these rooms during their 10th Cycle projects and also in classes during Cycles 6 thru 10.

See all the photos from the Nucleus event here.

The CRAS Open House is a full schedule of events and demonstrations that include:

• Hands-on demonstrations, presentations and guided tours of classrooms and recording studios
• Live recording sessions and demos showcasing the techniques and technologies students learn at CRAS
• Access to CRAS technology labs and recording studios
• An opportunity to meet with instructors, admissions reps and student financial services – to answer your questions

Reserve your place now for this special event

The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences took a select group of students to U.S. Airways Arena in downtown Phoenix to observe the setup for Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ MOJO tour concert date on September 26th, 2010. CRAS was the guest of Petty’s front of house sound engineer and 6 time TEC award winner Robert Scovill. Robert has a long history with CRAS as a curriculum developer and member of the CRAS board of directors. Students also got to meet front of house technician Jim Brentlinger and monitor technician Mike Bangs who both work for Sound Image and are graduates of the Conservatory. Amazingly soundcheck was just about to begin when the call came in that Tom Petty was ill and that the show was cancelled! While Petty fans were surely dissapointed, CRAS students still saw an amazing setup for a show that no one ever saw. See pictures of the event here or read more about the audio setup of Tom Petty & the Heartbreaker’s MOJO tour at Pro Sound Web.

Mix Nashville is the audio magazine’s yearly event that brings together the best gear, engineering, production and songwriting talent at SoundCheck Nashville. Every year, a large group of interns are invited to participate in the event working audio, video, traffic, registration and a host of other jobs that go into making a successful event.

Interns were trained on the Digico SD8 console used to run audio in the panel room. This year’s panelists included a group of Grammy winning/nominated engineers including Justin Niebank (Kenny Chesney, Rascal Flatts, Taylor Swift), Chuck Ainlay (Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, George Strait), Richard Dodd (Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Neil Young) and more.

Intern John Hash summed up his experience in an email: “Just wanted to quickly thank you for giving me and my fellow CRASmates the opportunity to work the Mix Nashville event the past two days.  I had a good time, learned some very interesting information, and also met quite a few interesting people in the span of those two days. I would welcome the opportunity to do similar things in the future.”

Mike Sokol of Fits & Starts Productions brought his No-Shock-Zone clinic to the Conservatory’s live sound room on June 3rd, 2010. Sokol, an electrical and sound expert, used various metering devices as well as his own custom built tools to demonstrate why people get shocked on stage or in studios and how to avoid it. He also shared why hum and buzz plague so many sound systems with tips to easily identify and fix those problems.

April 29th 2010, CRAS hosted a guest panel discussion with studio managers Candace Stewart (East/West, LA); Paula Salvatore (Capitol, LA); Crystal Olsen (GrooveMaster, Chicago and CRAS graduate). The three shared their experience in running a recording studio and gave invaluable insight into what to expect and how to prepare for the internship that is required after attending classes at the Conservatory. See more photos of the event here.

The 2010 NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) trade show took place in Las Vegas in April. CRAS instructors Kevin Becka and Robert Brock attended to keep CRAS’s finger on the pulse of sound in the broadcast world. While much of the NAB show is oriented toward the visual side of broadcast, it’s important to remember that video without sound is called “surveilence” That’s why companies like AVID (Pro Tools), SSL, Studer, DPA and many more are found at the show demonstrating the latest in audio for video technology. Many CRAS graduates find their way into the broadcast market working with sound for television shows ranging from sitcoms to sports oriented programming. Check out photos from the show here.