|
Graduate Profile: Doug Robertson As a kid in Maine, Doug Robertson had the unique experience to accompany his father, a professional radio talent, to work and begin his education in the pro audio realm simply by watching his dad perform. After a few years of his dad's tutelage, he quickly became a live sound engineer, running and repairing the sound system at church. From there he started to travel with his father's band running sound for them when he was just 12 years old. Word spread quickly. Robertson soon was getting calls from other bands and clubs asking him to run front of house sound for them. From the money he made, at age 16 he and a friend opened a small project/demo studio and a sound system rental company. "I knew there was more for me to learn, so I turned to The Conservatory of Recording Arts and Sciences," Robertson continues. "What sold me on the Conservatory was that they offered Pro Tools certification. That wasn't available from any other school, so I just figured I got lucky and got accepted to the best school right off the bat. I knew a lot when I went to the Conservatory, but they took me to the next level." After graduation from the Master Recording Program, Robertson landed at New York's famed Unique Recording where he quickly jumped into the engineer's chair. "I engineered a number of sessions during the four months that I served as an intern at Unique Recording," Robertson explains. "After six weeks of interning, I was put into the rooms as an unpaid assistant until I passed a written and a practical exam on everything from studio etiquette to paperwork procedures and studio skills. After passing the tests I started getting paid for doing what I did at Unique." Since then, Robertson has worked with many famous artists and producers. His resume includes being 2nd engineer on Pink's first multi-platinum album, working with Perry Farrel, Rick Derringer, Leslie West, Vernon Read, MethodMan, Wu Tang, Ruff Ryders, Nelly, Lil' Kim, and many more. He is currently working on a project with rapper Royal Flush and regularly works with producer Dino Danelli. He also producing newcomers Arizing and is tracking and recording Dominick 's new album. According to Robertson, Bobby and Joanne Nathan, owners of Unique Recording, have given him many opportunities and encouragement when he was an intern that really helped to develop his skills. "Between Bobby, Joanne, Caleb, the entire staff at the Conservatory, and my Dad of course, there's no way I could be where I am today." |
