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Issue #44 – Mentor News
by L. Swift and Jeff McQ
Songwriter, composer, arranger, producer and engineer, David Mikeal of StudioLive USA in Oviedo, FL (in the Orlando area) has been a Recording Connection mentor for 18 years! He’s a class act who believes in the value of being a consummate professional, something he stresses with his apprentices.
“My background is mainly rock music, but being a multi-instrumentalist I enjoy doing a lot of EDM tracks for younger artists,” says David. “It is much quicker and easier to track virtual tracks if you can really play a keyboard. Every chance I get, I try to persuade the younger artists to learn how to play an instrument if they don’t already.”
At StudioLive USA, apprentices have plenty of opportunities to learn, with plenty of ongoing projects keeping the calendar full. Current and recent clients include Hispanic Christian artist Jon Montalban and well-known blues-rock/country group Simple Southern Boys. “We also will be tracking some horns next week for a song on an upcoming Don Henley album,” he says.
David’s reputation as one of our most in-demand mentors has been well-earned. Apprentice Steven Sauers [in pic] even relocated five months ago from Wisconsin to Orlando just to study with him. Another graduate, Garin Thomas, stayed on at StudioLive USA to become David’s main engineer! “Great guy,” David says of him. “All the clients love his demeanor.”
We asked some of Dave’s other apprentices to share their experiences. Here’s what they told us…
Sebastian Lefeld recently graduated from the program. “I’ll never forget the first lesson [David] ever taught me,” he says. “When you are part of a project, you give it your all; not only because you want it to sound good, but because your name is on it. The project represents you. Now that I am a graduate and am currently transitioning into the professional part of the industry, I understand what he means.
“It has been a true pleasure to be a part of this program and sharpen my skills to master my craft,” Sebastian continues. “As a mentor, he is hands on and always full of good stories. More importantly, as a colleague, he is nothing but devoted to every project he takes part in.”
Jason Hoanshelt has already graduated from the bachelor’s program, and is coming back to do the master’s program with David! “Training with David at StudioLive USA has been a mind opening experience,” Jason says. “He has useful knowledge thru tons of experience. Sometimes during a lesson, David will talk about personal experiences from his past. He’ll stop himself and apologize about how he feels he’s ‘rambling on,’ but the information he gives while he ‘rambles on’ is priceless. [He’s a] natural born audio teacher.”
David Mikeal is just one of many top-shelf music professionals who train our students one-on-one and help them break into the industry. To learn more about apprenticing with David Mikeal or one of our other mentors, click here.
or call (800) 755-7597
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