Michael Jones brings a lot of skill to the Conservatory's educational table. He teaches and administrates on the premise that attitude is just as important as signal flow. We recently had the chance to sit down with Michael and ask him about his audio experience and what drives him to be the best he can be.

Tell us how you came to work at the CRAS.

I actually graduated from the Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences in 1988. I worked as a staff engineer at a local studio and then began freelancing for a few years. During that time, I started teaching a few classes for The Conservatory. In 1992, the school changed hands. Kirt Hamm wanted to expand the curriculum, as well as the number of students the school could accommodate, and was looking for people to make a commitment to the school's future. We shook hands that day and the rest is history.

What is your background in audio and music?

I've had a life long passion for both. I started guitar at age eight and was making my first basement recordings at 12. I remember trying to convince my father to build an isolation booth in the basement, I had diagrams and everything!

After high school, I moved to Arizona to continue my education and musicianship. I graduated from audio school and interned and then worked at AAztec Recording in Phoenix. AAztec was a full-service facility providing everything from postproduction for film and video to commercial and record production. In the four years I worked there, it felt like I gained 10 years of knowledge and experience, and looking back, it did give me a well-rounded audio background. After AAztec, I freelanced at a variety of Los Angeles and Phoenix studios and had multitude of great experiences during those years.

In addition to my Conservatory education, I have attended seminars particular to SSL and Neve consoles, and am one of a handful of those certified to teach Pro Tools. I've seen the industry progress from razorblade editing to computer based digital, and am proud to say I've done both.

What is your favorite type of music to record?

From a hard rock power trio to a jazz quartet, as long as it's live to multitrack, I love it. Something about capturing the moment or the energy of a live band in a studio environment gives me a tingle every time.

What is your favorite class to teach?

All my classes associated with recording and mixing. After ten years of teaching I still love to turn the students onto new engineering techniques and then watch their reaction when they get it!

What is the most important thing a student can get from a Conservatory education?

Confidence. Each time I meet the owner or manager of a studio that places our students as well as those from other schools, I am consistently told that Conservatory grads are the most impressive because of their preparedness for real world recording situations. When you're confident in your knowledge, you can relax, be yourself and enjoy your experience; people would much rather work with someone who's cool, calm and decisive. The firm foundation a Conservatory education provides, as well as our staff's talent for placing the right person in the right situation, is the key to our students' success.