Mix MastersInitiative offers certification in audio production software

Success in the recorded music industry calls for a musician’s ear, an entrepreneur’s spirit and an

engineer’s eye for detail. Now students in Cal U’s commercial

music technology program can add another piece to their portfolio: certification in Pro Tools software, the industry standard for recording, editingand mixing music and sound.

Under an agreement inked this spring, California University has become an AVID Learning Partner, an educationalprovider for AVID-brand products, including Pro Tools.

“In music, audio, TV or sports broadcasting, Pro Tools is the industry-standard digital audio workstation,” says Gregory Davis, an instructor in the Music Department and an AVID Certified Instructor.

The film industry uses it, too. For thelast nine years, every Academy Award nominee in the sound editing categoryhas utilized the Pro Tools system.

“Cal U is the only four-year college or university in Pennsylvania to offer Pro Tools certification,” says Max Gonano,chair of the Music Department. “This is definitely a career-builder for our students.”

Commercial music technology students already are using the software as part of their digital audio instruction.

The department outfitted a lab withbasic Pro Tools workstations to supportthe commercial music technology (CMT)major, which debuted in 2010. A studiowith more advanced Pro Tools recordingand editing equipment sits nearby in Gallagher Hall.

Last summer Davis trained at The Centerfor Pro Tools in Orlando, Fla., anAVID certified training location.After rigorous testing, he was certified as an instructor at theUser, Operator and Expert levels.“Having a certified Pro Tools

instructor at Cal U opens doorsfor our students,” Gonano says. Starting in fall 2012, all

commercial music technologystudents will be able to trainunder Davis’ guidance, followingstrict guidelines outlined by AVID. Hands-on experience with the

software system will continue as

they pursue their studies. Before theygraduate, CMT students will have the opportunity to take the Pro Tools certification test, a task-oriented exam designed by AVID and administered by Cal U.

“Passing the exam proves that our students are proficient,” Gonano says.“It’s a third-party endorsement that reallymeans something in this industry.

“With this certification, our graduatescan walk into any studio and show thatthey’re ready to go to work.”

Analog before digital

With multiple computer monitors anda professional quality mixing board, Cal U’sdigital recording studio is tantalizing, butCMT students don’t start there.

They are first and foremost musicianswho must audition for the program andprove themselves as performers on atleast one musical instrument.

Before they set foot in the studio, CMT students spend plenty of time in thepractice rooms.

there’s a reason it’s called the

recording arts ... we’re instructing

students in music first, then

teaching them to use the

computer as a tool in a creative

environment.

”

“

GREGORY DAVISCOMMERCIAL MUSIC TECHNOLOGY INSTRUCTOR

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Rich Baur (left) uses Pro Tools software to edit Daeshawn Ballard's digital audio tracks.

“We’re training musicians,” Gonanostresses. “There’s more to this than pushing buttons. The studio itself is another creative tool.”

He describes the ideal commercialmusic technology student as an “artist-techie-entrepreneur” equippedwith musical skills, computer savvy andgood business sense. Working with digital audio is just one part of the CMT package.

“There’s a reason it’s called therecording arts,” Davis says. “We’re instructing students in music first, thenteaching them to use the computer as a tool in a creative environment.”

Students begin recording with analogequipment, using microphones and reel-to-reel or cassette tape recorders thatcapture sounds with a high degree of authenticity. Once they master the basics, students learn to record, edit and manipulate digital sound.

“On any given day, students aredown in the music building jamming,recording, discussing music or technology.It's just such a great environment to workin,” says Matthew Poirier, a rising juniorand a CMT major.

“Learning analog technology is superimportant, because it is what all the digital things are based on. A lot of people just start with computers anddon't realize exactly what’s going onwhen they click a button or move afader. Learning the analog gear first helps you grasp the concepts.

“It’s one more advantage we willhave when we graduate.”

Training institute

Like many musicians, sound engineers often are freelancers. Spotting opportunities is part of their job.

In keeping with that entrepreneurial

spirit, the Music Department is developingplans for a Pro Tools Institute.

Designed to generate revenue, the institute would offer coursework andAVID certification exams for industry professionals.

With the technology currently inplace, and Davis as a certified instructor,the University could offer Pro Toolscourses leading to User certification.Eventually, a facilities upgrade might enable Cal U to offer Pro Tools Operatorand Expert certification, as well.

“This is not training for novices, but certification for people who already areworking with this system,” Gonano explains. With the rise of the region’s film industry and the number of musicstudios within a day’s drive of California,he envisions a robust market for the institute’s offerings.

Training at summertime sessions or extended weekend classes would offerthe same high-quality instruction provided to Cal U students.

“Of course we’ll follow the Pro Tools formula, but we don’t want this to be a series of cookie-cutter-type classes,”Davis says. “We want to make sure there is a little more personality in the instruction.”

Plans call for the institute to begin by offering weekend recording workshopsthat introduce the Pro Tools system. By summer 2013, Davis expects a series of certification courses to be in place.

“It’s such a rapidly evolving trade thatit only makes sense to have the technology developing just as quickly,”Poirier says. “Learning this technology really gives you the edge when you go to look for a job.” �

By Christine Kindl, communications director at Cal U

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What is CommercialMusic Technology?

The Bachelor of Science in CommercialMusic Technology is an interdisciplinaryprogram that draws on the expertise ofCal U faculty in the departments ofMusic, Communication Studies, AppliedEngineering and Technology, Theatre andDance, Communication Disorders, andBusiness. Applicants must be proficient inat least one musical instrument and enterthe program by audition.The CMT program prepares students

to work as recording and broadcast engineers, digital composers andarrangers, sound mixers, TV and audioproducers, and videogame engineers — all aspects of a recorded music industryestimated to contribute $10.4 billion to the U.S. economy each year.

Daeshawn Ballard