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Issue #37
by L. Swift and Jeff McQ
As Graylyn “Gino” Claiborne was finishing up his Recording Connection apprenticeship at Metro 37 Studios in Detroit, MI, he got the opportunity of a lifetime when his mentor Kevin Sharpe offered him a permanent position as a staff engineer at the studio!
“The job was offered to me on a random day I was at the studio for class,” says Gino. “Kevin told me everyone liked me and they wanted to bring me on board! I was very excited about it and I still am. I think what influenced their decision was the fact that I’m an artist and producer myself, so that does nothing but add to the experience and the know-how for engineering and creating a comfortable environment for clients.”
While already gainfully employed at this point, Gino is showing no signs of slowing down on his studies or his musical projects. He’s currently working on a project called Visions, and is continuing with Recording Connection into the Master’s program.
“The knowledge I have received from RRFC was absolutely amazing,” he says. “There’s still so much for me to learn but I have definitely benefitted from this program.”
As excited as we are for Gino, his success story is one among many. The mentor-apprentice approach helps many of our students get hired by the studios where they are learning—after all, you’re basically training for the job! To learn more about this remarkable on-the-job training approach and how it can help you, click here!
Connect with Gino Claiborne: Twitter | Instagram (@GinoThaPharaoh) | SoundCloud
Well it’s been nearly 12 years since the AES Convention came to Los Angeles. After three full days of talking music and meeting even more of the audio pros who make the LA music scene so legendary, Brian and Jimi were proud to help wrap things up as co-hosts of the 6th Annual Afterglow which was held on the rooftop of The Standard hotel, amidst breathtaking views of downtown LA.
Sponsored by Vintage King, The Recording Connection, AVID, Gearslutz and the Focal Press, Afterglow was an evening filled with fun, cocktails and conversation—a most fitting way to celebrate AES’s return to LA. Brian and Jimi hope an enjoyable time was had by all who attended. Let’s do it again, shall we?!
Remember to get your entries in for this month’s INSTAGRAM CONTEST! Tag us in your candid Instagram photos taken in your mentor’s studio, and win!
We’ve upped the prize value this month, and we’ve changed the rules a little—so read carefully! Here’s what to do:
All disciplines included: Recording, Radio, and Film!
Share inspiring and unique, fun, exciting candid photos on Instagram of you, your mentor, the studio, or people you’re working with.
To submit, post your photos to Instagram including the following TWO TAGS:
#recordingconnection, #filmconnection OR #radioconnection
(whichever is appropriate); AND
# [name of the city where you apprentice]!
Tag us in as many photos as you’d like! Each properly tagged photo counts as a contest entry. BOTH City and Program Hashtags MUST be present in order for the photo to be considered.
Winner will receive a $100 Amazon gift card!
Doug Boulware has a unique perspective on how RRF’s on-the-job training approach really works. After helping out our apprentices as a Student Services advisor for RRF, Doug is now on staff with Donny Baker at ES Audio in the Glendale/Burbank (in Los Angeles County), one of the Recording Connection’s most acclaimed mentor studios.
“It’s been cool to be on the other side of things and see the nuts and bolts of how effective this model of teaching can be,” says Doug. “There are some really talented kids in this program.”
One thing in particular Doug has noticed while working with RRF apprentices, both in the office and in the studio, is that the more time our students spend in the studio (even beyond their classes), the more quickly they advance in their careers. Doug shared with us recently about his experiences with two recent Recording Connection graduates who’ve worked at ES Audio—Jesse Rhodes and Andrew Flores—who are now excelling because of the time they spent getting involved at the studio. We’ve let Doug share about these two below in his own words.
Jesse was a student with the Recording Connection about 3 years ago. After basically camping out at the studio during his time as a student, Donny offered him a permanent gig. Jesse is a talented songwriter/producer/engineer. He was able to take the things he knew about music going in, and after becoming one of the fastest Pro Tools operators I’ve ever seen, is now able to be completely fluid as both an engineer and a producer. Jesse has been my head engineer for the last several months on all my production gigs. I have since tried to work with other engineers and nobody clicks with me like Jesse. He is everything you want as an engineer, because we are at the point where he knows what I am going to say before I say it!
Since Jesse got the gig at ES Audio, he has worked with some major names as well! I know for sure he has worked with T-Boz from TLC and many others…About a year ago Jesse started working on his own songs, and then he partnered up with a vocalist who frequented the studio Rannveig Amundsen to create the indie/electronic rock duo Dire Docks… All of this is through connections made through Recording Connection.”
Patrick Heaney has been one of the Recording Connection’s most acclaimed mentors for several years. Specializing in EDM music engineering and production, Patrick has worked with the likes of Skrillex, Deadmau5 and Icona Pop, with clients from other genres that include Cage the Elephant, Manchester Orchestra and Tegan and Sara. Recently, Patrick signed on as Head Engineer at the coveted Phaser Control Recording Studio in San Diego, offering our apprentices a whole new experience in music production capabilities.
Hailed as the only studio of its kind on the West Coast, Phaser Control was specially designed by noted studio architect Rod Gervais. The facility also offers an array of quality rehearsal rooms that are available to rent monthly. Phaser Control’s recent clients include Metric, Little Monsters, Silversun Pickups and James Mercer of The Shins, among others.
We’re excited for this new location, and we look forward to what our EDM apprentices will accomplish under Patrick’s leadership in his new digs!
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