When the Conservatory picked someone to design their live sound curriculum for the Master Recording Program II, they went to the master. Well-known sound engineer Robert Scovill is a pro's pro. Having toured with Def Lepard, Rush, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and more, makes him a veritable storehouse of live sound knowledge. However, he's more than that. As a producer and recording engineer in his own right, Scovill brings a cornucopia of experience to the table. As a result, his approach when writing the 48-hour live sound curriculum, was to marry live sound and recording. The ultimate goal of the program is to create a graduate with the skill to work at a high level in either the recording studio or live sound venue.

The proof is in the pudding as they say; so how do CRAS students who choose live sound as a career fare in the real world once they graduate? Graduate and live sound engineer Eddie Mapp is proof-in-the-flesh that a Conservatory education paves the way for students to make it in the audio workplace. Mapp has mixed FOH with Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde, among others, and has recently returned to CRAS to take the JBL Smaart training program the school offers. Mapp: "I thought the program was great, it really gave me a chance to get in there and see what everything was about. Even outside of class there were always opportunities to be around and learning."

A recording school is only as good as its gear, staff and curriculum and the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences scores high marks in all categories.