Recording Arts 2021
Recording music has become a common activity, especially when we've all been stuck at home the last year! But many wonder why their recordings don't share the same qualities as those by their favorite professionals. In this weeklong workshop, we'll examine that question and improve our skills together. High-quality recordings don't necessarily require expensive equipment and fancy studios if you maximize your skills and gear.
This course will examine each element of the process: microphone behavior and placement, recording technology employed to store and modify the recordings, and the loudspeakers and room used for monitoring. We'll also consider the auditory system and how electrical signals eventually become the music we hear; for example, why does louder always seem to sound better? And we'll consider qualities of the music itself that influence the recording process.
We'll use Pro Tools as our default recording platform — but allow for students to work with their favorite recording software — and see how setups can be optimized for a smooth workflow. We'll also discuss how the recording process might influence the arrangement of the music we wish to deliver at the end. That can avoid some of the "We'll fix it in the mix" issues commonly encountered. Both instructors have extensive professional and academic experience with music creation, performance and recording — and still think it's fun! Each student will have individual attention to help them develop a recording and mix of their own work. We will share everyone’s work at the end of the course.
About the instructors:
Jay Kadis was audio engineer at CCRMA from 1988 to 2018, where he taught sound recording classes and wrote "The Science of Sound Recording" in 2012. He has made recordings and written and performed original music with bands since high school. His academic background includes neurophysiology, electronics and computer science.
Cory Cullinan is a Recording Academy (Grammy) Board Member; a Recording Arts faculty member at University of Colorado Denver; the chart-topping recording and performing artist Doctor Noize; an oft-commissioned composer for stage, screen and orchestra; the owner of Reach Studios in CO; a regular workshop teacher on Doctor Noize tours; a former award-winning high school arts department head and music teacher; and a graduate of the Stanford Music Department and CCRMA with Distinction & Honors. He also holds a Masters in Recording Arts from CU Denver.