Please fill out the following information, and RRFC Admissions will contact you to discuss our program offerings:
Issue #52 – Job Opportunities & Student Successes
by L. Swift and Jeff McQ
By any standard of measure, guitarist Dominic Cerna is on his way up in the music industry. His Texas-based electro-rock act The Taking has worked with major L.A. music producers, the band recently landed a national management deal, and their highly anticipated debut album is slated for a February release. On top of all that, he’s anticipating a growing family, as he and his fiancée are expecting their first child. What more could a guy want?
Apparently, more.
“I’m a recording artist myself,” says Dominic, “and I’ve always been on the artist side of things, [but] always wanted to be on the engineering side of things, too.”
His desire to learn more about the engineering/recording process was piqued while The Taking was in Los Angeles working in the studio with producer Jeff Blue (Linkin Park, Hoobastank, Macy Gray). “Just watching the way they work as far as Pro Tools and Logic Pro X, they just really inspired me to do the same thing, you know…I just learned so many new tricks and just wanted to take it to the next level, as far as the engineering side, so I said, ‘What better way to do it than put myself into school and learn the ropes from ground zero?'”
Admittedly, going to school was going to present some challenges. In addition to recording and preparing a debut album for a major release, and the upcoming changes in Dominic’s family life, The Taking was being courted for a national management deal with T.J. Sagan, who manages major metal act Disturbed. “[T.J.’s] brother actually was driving out in LA and happened to hear us on the radio,” says Dominic. The band soon signed with T.J., opening the door to reach a wider audience (and of course, a greater time commitment).
In his search for an audio engineering school that would fit his unique situation, he came across the Recording Connection, where he was offered an apprenticeship in the studio with Mark Sinko of Salmon Peak Recording in San Antonio. The opportunity to learn in a recording studio near where he lived, he says, pretty much sealed the deal for him. “Mark Sinko’s place is literally ten minutes down the street from my place,” says Dominic. “This option was just clearly so much better, a lot more convenient, and I think it really worked really well in the end.”
Another aspect of the program that helped Dominic immensely was the availability of the curriculum online, so he could study remotely when not working in the studio with Mark. “It really helped a lot,” he says. “I would study all day, all night…I could be anywhere I wanted to and still learn everything, and do everything I had to do.”
Of course, Dominic’s passion for making it in music isn’t hurting his chances either, and despite all that he’s juggling, he’s making it work because he sees the end goal. “I barely graduated high school,” he says. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a doctor or a lawyer—music is all I know. So, and now that I have a baby, my goal is to just excel in it. If I’m going to do this, I’m going to do this all the way. I’m not going to do any shortcuts here.”
Dominic Cerna is an excellent example of how hard work and dedication can take you far in the music business, and his in-studio apprenticeship with the Recording Connection can only add to that success.
The Taking’s self-titled debut album, engineered by Dominic and the band, will release on February 7th on iTunes and major streaming outlets (Spotify, Rhapsody, etc.). You can also find them at reverbnation.com/TheTakingBand and soundcloud.com/The-Taking.
Congratulations, Dominic! You’re doing us all proud.
or call (800) 755-7597
RRFC is education upgraded for the 21st century.
Get the latest career advice, insider production tips, and more!
Please fill out the following information, and RRFC Admissions will contact you to discuss our program offerings:
Stay in the Loop: Subscribe for RRFC news & updates!
© 2025 Recording Radio Film Connection & CASA Schools. All Rights Reserved.