CRAS Connects With Famed L.A. Studios for StudentsConnecting with potential internship providers and full-time employers is vital prior to graduation for students in the pro audio industry. When a student’s school takes the initiative to visit with these professionals on the students’ behalf to begin, nurture, and grow those relationships, that’s when they know their choice of a top-tier educational institution goes far beyond the classroom.

And that’s just what members of the Internship Department and Student/Alumni Services Department with The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), the leading institution for audio engineering education, recently completed with visits to 21 leading Los Angeles-based recording studios over a three-day period.

“We just visited one of the top markets for the audio industry, where a large majority of our students and alumni relocate for their careers,” explained Rachel Ludeman, CRAS Employment Coordinator. “One of our main purposes for our travels is to connect the face with the name, give CRAS an actual personality, and not just be another school bombarding them with phone calls and emails wanting to place students with them. Those we visit with always appreciate our willingness to travel to them and discuss not only what they can do for our students, but, just as importantly, what our students can do for them.”

CRAS creates genuine relationships and connections with management in order to better understand what their needs are, dissect their business model and how they operate, and what makes them unique. That way, CRAS can better create a harmonious, mutually beneficial relationship, and provide them with the best interns and employees possible.

“Working with Rachel and CRAS hasn’t just been a genuine pleasure, but it has also served as a truly valuable resource for us at Formosa Interactive,” said Nick Mortillaro,Senior Recording Engineer, Formosa Interactive Los Angeles. “We've hired numerous CRAS grads onto our voiceover team in both freelance and full-time capacities, and I’ve been nothing short of impressed with the consistently high caliber of folks that Rachel has referred to us. Not only have they shown up with the relevant knowledge and skills, but also a hunger and drive to keep learning, which is always great to see. CRAS is doing something right, that's for sure.”

Formosa Interactive is home to the world’s best creative talent, leading edge technology and workflows, and a player-first culture that creates end-to-end creative content for global developers and publishers on every screen and platform.

Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator said that CRAS also takes note of industry trends and equipment these facilities are currently using. “CRAS is always striving to be one step ahead and want to see where the trends are, so we can better educate our students to be ready for the workflow out in the real world.”

Beyond visiting with an enormous amount of facilities in a short time span, CRAS also makes it a point to connect with its alumni during these meetings, and reconnect with its community. As a result, CRAS held a meet-up at a local LA tavern during this most recent trip, and were incredibly overwhelmed by the turnout where nearly 100 graduates attended.

“CRAS was the best decision of my entire life and it took me to places I never thought I'd be,” explained Robert Kupsch, assistant engineer at Formosa Interactive and a 2022 CRAS graduate. “I’m incredibly thankful for all of the help and support for all the staff members at CRAS. We couldn’t do it without them!”

Added Conor Lynch, CRAS Director of Student Services, “This event is always successful because it gives our graduates a chance to network with each other, reconnect with their CRAS family, and discuss what that next gig/connection may be. We actually had three graduates obtain work because of this particular get-together, and a student got their internship lined up because of a graduate they met there. This was networking at its finest!”

CRAS members on the trip are also all graduates of the program, so they understand the gear selection the studios have that CRAS interns and grads work with daily.

“I know I can speak for all of us that we truly get excited when we can see how things are put together in these facilities first hand,” said Ludeman. “I think this is also recognized by the management, and they notice that we understand and appreciate the craft on a deeper level. I'm always blown away by the affect CRAS has made in the audio industry, and this specific trip to LA was truly remarkable. With more than 30 years of educating audio engineers, our footprint is becoming immense. It has become commonplace to run into numerous CRAS graduates working in the field, wherever we go. Our alumni are proud to be CRAS and I’m thrilled to be a part of that movement.”

The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.

CRAS structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by its small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings. CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades. The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.

The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools Ultimate, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment.

For more information on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-800-562-6383, or email to info@cras.edu.

Image caption: (l-r) Rachel Peller (CRAS Internship Coordinator), Eric Fleming (CRAS Internship Coordinator), Rachel Ludeman (CRAS Employment Coordinator), Robert Kupsch (assistant engineer at Formosa Interactive and a 2022 CRAS graduate), and Conor Lynch (CRAS Director of Student Services & Internship Coordinator) at Formosa Interactive during CRAS’ Internship Department’s and Student/Alumni Services Department’s recently completed visits with 21 leading Los Angeles-based recording studios.

What should the music industry learn from the world of e-Sports?On this 'cast Tim Ingham, founder of Music Business Worldwide, is joined by Maria Egan, the Global Head of Music – as well as events – at Riot Games.
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Raised fees are “shattering” Discogs’ community, sellers sayRising fees are “shattering” Discogs’ vinyl community, The Verge is reporting.
In recent years, Discogs has been huge among vinyl collectors and music fans, the platform giving them the chance to buy even the most obscure records and look up information about numerous artists and releases too.

READ MORE: Early Indian electronic music found on tapes in a university cupboard released in a compilation

“Some people just buy records for the album art hanging on the wall,” says Doug Martin, who’s been selling on Discogs since 2020, in comparison to Discogs users. “These were real fans listening to real music who cared about the format and the medium. That’s what attracted me in the beginning.”
But while Discogs has been a huge part of the internet for music aficionados, many sellers are unhappy with rising fees and restrictions, and the slightly outdated feel of the site.
One seller from Connecticut tells The Verge, “I’ve made my living with this company for the past decade. It’s just the frustration that you have no control over what they’re doing, and it doesn’t even make any sense.
“They’re under the impression that they’re the only game in town. The fees were relatively low, but now that they’re higher, there doesn’t seem to be a reason to use that anymore.”Indeed, one seller based in Europe says that he does 80% of his business on Discogs, and makes around €20,000 a month on the site. However, his sales have halved over the past year, and he’s in the process of ditching the site and building his own.
Issues first began when Discogs raised its fee from 8% to 9% in May, and began charging the same fee on shipping costs too – making international transactions, often popular on the site, more difficult.
Discogs suggested that sellers use a tool it had created to raise the prices of all of their products by the same percentage, or offer free shipping. Doug Martin, another Discogs seller, says of their communication with sellers, “It’s like, ‘I said what I said, and we’re done.’ Well, you’re really not, because we all have to live with this and so do you.”

The post Raised fees are “shattering” Discogs’ community, sellers say appeared first on MusicTech.

Cherry Audio PS-3300 Synthesizer A Legendary Giant Reborn PS-3300 is an exactingly faithful virtual analog emulation of the colossal and ultra-rare semi-modular analog polyphonic synthesizer released by KORG... Read More

Ghost & Golden Master from Endorphin.es With the upcoming launch of the Ghost and Golden Master Pedals, Endorphin.es are bringing the capabilities of two of their popular Eurorack modules to guitarists.

Warner-backed generative AI startup from co-inventor of Siri starts record labelAn AI startup co-founded by the inventor of Siri and backed by Warner has started its own record label, per Music Business Worldwide.
LifeScore Music, co-founded by Tom Gruber, launched the record label Kaleidoscope which is set to feature music that’s composed and performed by artists but then “amplified with LifeScore’s generative AI technology”.

READ MORE: Spotify “Supremium” subscription pricing and further details unveiled

The team at Kaleidoscope work with sound designers and experts around the world to create what it describes as ambisonic recordings, which are interwoven with musical elements to create a “sense of time and place”.
Mary Lockwood, LifeScore’s Chief Audio Officer, asks, “What if you could take the tracks you love so much and experience them in a totally new, different way?
“Whether we’re working with an artists’ existing catalogue, or creating our own new music, the original compositions always remain at the centre of the creative process. The technology is simply there to bring in a surprise factor at the end – to create an experience that’s still uniquely that artist’s music, but coloured by something new and delightful.”
The new record label is set to release a number of albums later this year, beginning with five wellness-focused releases. Riverside Flow was made for yoga, while Skywalk is based around the rainforest, and Castles In the Sand is a beach soundscape.
Twilight Jungle is tailored for sleep, lasting eight hours, while Alpenglow evokes the image of walking through the mountains.
Kaleidoscope is also set to launch collaborations with artists, and will release new music each Friday throughout October. Last Friday (6 October), Riverside Flow was released.

According to LifeScore, the process of making music starts with raw materials sourced from some of the best studios around the world, as well as master recordings provided by artists.
The recordings are then transformed with AI, with remixes and alternate versions made, and many of the releases supporting activities such as sleep, energy, relaxation, and focus.
The post Warner-backed generative AI startup from co-inventor of Siri starts record label appeared first on MusicTech.

Denis Porfiryev RMSC RMSC is a simple ring modulation sidechain VST3 plugin. YouTube/hvrurQpSXpQ Read More

Danny Tenaglia is auctioning off 50 years’ worth of studio and DJ gearVeteran house music producer Danny Tenaglia is auctioning his personal collection of music production, DJing gear and records amassed over the space of 50 years.

READ MORE: Moog CEO “reached out to Uli Behringer” to try and sell company, Behringer claims

Revealed in a post to Instagram last week, the 62-year-old Music Is The Answer producer told fans he planned to auction off the collection through the selling platform, Amplifyd, urging people to only make bids through the platform instead of messaging him directly.

Included in the auction so far is a Roland TR-909, an EMU SP-1200, a PLAYdifferently MODEL 1 6-Channel Analogue DJ mixer, a Roland Juno 106, an Oberheim DMX Midi and loads more, including a Waldorf Microwave XT synth. According to Tenaglia, a select number of his colossal record collection will added “eventually”.
In a recent Instagram post made since launching the auction, he writes, “Reading all the positive comments surrounding the equipment auction made this week very special. It was so nice to reminisce about my journey with these pieces of equipment and reaffirmed my belief that now is the right time to pass them on to new owners who will continue to appreciate them and hopefully get great use out of them creating bombs I can drop at my gigs!
“I’m very happy to see that things are running smoothly on the @amplifydhq website. And I do appreciate all of the personal messages regarding interest in some of the gear, but it’s becoming a bit overwhelming. I hope everyone can get a small piece of this collection.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Danny Tenaglia DJ (@dannytenagliaofficial)

According to Tenaglia, some of his record collection will also be sold. If you’ve ever seen videos of his impressive basement, where the collection is kept, you’ll be all too aware of how huge this is. The record collection covers three walls and an additional shelf.
Tenaglia is not the only producer deciding to sell his cumbersome collection of hardware. Dive creator Tycho recently posted a ton of gear to Reverb.com, with the collection coming to $160,000 overall.
Unlike Tenaglia, Tycho’s reasons are not related to retirement. In a recent interview with MusicTech, he cited a shift to software as the reason. “I’m definitely a plugin junkie; my gear lust has switched from hardware to software,” he said. “I’ve used a lot of software in the past; it’s not like I just started using software instruments. But I force myself to… if there’s a software equivalent of a tool or an instrument, I’m going to use that instead of the hardware, no matter what.”
Are you interested in getting your hands on some of Danny Tenaglia’s gear collection? Head to amplifyd.com to put in your bid.
The post Danny Tenaglia is auctioning off 50 years’ worth of studio and DJ gear appeared first on MusicTech.

Yamaha’s new Montage M synth packs in 400 notes of polyphonyYamaha has unveiled the Montage M, a virtual analogue synth and workstation set to follow up 2016’s Montage and be reminiscent of the brand’s 1977-launched CS-80.

READ MORE: This Blue Marble Synthesiser only works in space – here’s how you can help get it there

Aimed at professionals, the Yamaha Montage M most notably includes the brand’s new AN-X engine. This creates warm analogue-style synth sounds, providing three oscillators with five waveforms (Saw 1, Saw 2, Triangle, Square, and Sine), a noise generator, two filters with ten types, and a cool ageing feature to simulate vintage sounds.
This engine is featured alongside an improved AWM2 engine, built for playing realistic sounds such as piano or strings accurately. Yamaha’s FM-X engine is also built-in, which apparently “rekindles the Yamaha legacy of expressive and dynamic FM Synthesis”. Altogether, you’re offered up to 400-note polyphony. This is a vast upgrade from the original Montage’s 256 notes.

It comes in the form of three models: the 61-key Montage M6, the 76-key Montage M7 and the 88-key M8x.
The Montage M8x is presumably aimed at professional pianists, as it’s the only model in the series use GEX Action, a technology that allows for Polyphonic Aftertouch – the same found in Yamaha’s revered CS-80 and DX1 synths. This allows for individual modulation of held notes with pressure. It also offers key repetition behaviour you’d find in grand pianos.
With USB audio and MIDI connectivity, the Montage M also features 9.97GB of preset WaveROM, 16 libraries, 3.8GB of user flash memory, and a VCM rotary speaker emulation.
The Montage M is available for pre-order now. The M6 costs $3,500/£3,219, the M7 costs $4,000/£3,629 and the M8x costs $4,500/£4.049.
MusicTech is not yet aware of a set shipping date, but you can head to Yamaha to find out more and pre-order yours.
The post Yamaha’s new Montage M synth packs in 400 notes of polyphony appeared first on MusicTech.

Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor Is FREE Until October 31st!
Universal Audio offersthe Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor as a FREE download until October 31st! It’s been a rare period for Universal Audio plugins! First, we had the big flash sale at Plugin Boutique, and now UAD is going one better, with the only thing better than a big sale is giving stuff for FREE! Universal [...]
View post: Universal Audio Teletronix LA-2A Tube Compressor Is FREE Until October 31st!

Early Indian electronic music found on tapes in a university cupboard released in a compilationA compilation showcasing India’s history of electronic music through the 1960s and ’70s has been released by the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
The tapes were recovered from a cupboard at the university in 2017, and released on 29 September as NID Tapes: Electronic Music from India 1969-1972.

READ MORE: Moog CEO “reached out to Uli Behringer” to try and sell company, Behringer claims

In 1969, over 20,000 people came to the university to hear the groundbreaking Moog synthesiser, which was shipped from the US alongside a dual ring modulator, a bode frequency shifter, and tape machines.
The late American composer David Tudor conducted workshops on them, and musician Paul Purgas, who found the lost tapes, was there himself. Once he found the tapes, he reassembled and digitised 19 tracks across 27 tape reels.
He described it as a “victory for good record keeping”, via The New York Times, as he took details from handwritten notes and brought together music made from both the Moog and homemade equipment too.
In the compilation, there are field records, tape collages, soundtracks and other recordings. Purgas describes them as taking on a “dreamlike” quality, showcasing a “perfect, utopian moment of India post-independence”. Among the composers featured are Atul Desai, Jinraj Joshipura, I.S. Mathur, Gita Sarabhai and S.C. Shama.
Meanwhile, it’s set to be accompanied by a book from Purgas, entitled Subcontinental Synthesis: Electronic Music at the National Institute of Design, India 1969–1972. It’s set for release on 7 November, and features essays and handwritten texts from the same period.
You can view the tracklist below:
1. S.C. Sharma – After the War
2. Atul Desai – Compositions
3. S.C. Sharma – Dance Music I
4. Gita Sarabhai – Gitaben’s Composition
5. David Tudor – Tape Feedback with Moog
6. Jinraj Joshipura – Space Liner 2001 I
7. S.C. Sharma – Electronic Sounds Created on Moog
8. S.C. Sharma – Dance Music II
9. I.S. Mathur – My Birds
10. I.S. Mathur – Moogsical Forms
11. Gita Sarabhai – Gitaben’s Composition II
12. I.S. Mathur – Once I Played a Tanpura
13. S.C. Sharma – Electronic Sounds Created on Moog II
14. Atul Desai – Recordings for Osaka Expo 70
15. S.C. Sharma – Wind & Bubbles
16. S.C. Sharma – Dance Music III
17. Jinraj Joshipura – Space Liner 2001 II
18. I.S. Mathur – Shadows of the Show
19. I.S. Mathur – Soundtrack of Shadow Play
The post Early Indian electronic music found on tapes in a university cupboard released in a compilation appeared first on MusicTech.

Yamaha unveil Montage M synthesizer range The latest generation of Yamaha's flagship synthesizer range is powered by a new AN-X engine that recreates a range of classic analogue sounds, boasts up to 400 note of polyphony and provides a wealth of modulation options.

Public Enemy ‘It Takes A Nation’ 35th anniversary re-issue includes bonus tracksPublic Enemy are set to reissue their 1988 sophomore album, It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. The record celebrates its 35th anniversary this year.
The reissue is also being launched in honour of the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop genre, and it lands on 10 November.

READ MORE: Grandmaster Flash to host masterclass and Q&A in celebration of 50 years of hip-hop

The release can be purchased as either a two or four LP set, with the latter set containing bonus tracks from the deluxe CD including instrumental and acapella mixes. It also includes linear notes from founding members Chuck D and Flavor Flav.
“Thanks to Run-DMC, LL Cool J and Whodini, we knew that hip-hop albums could explode on cassettes,” says Chuck D in a statement (via NME).
“At about the same time, [The Bomb Squad producer] Hank Shocklee was the manager of a record store, and he would point out how rock bands like Iron Maiden, The Rolling Stones, and even Bruce Springsteen were getting the most out of the album concept.
“So, we took that and went further with It Takes a Nation, approaching it like a rock band. It ended up becoming a part of rap’s evolution from a singles-driven genre into the dawn of rap’s album age.”
Back in June, Hank Shocklee explained how he used sampling techniques in Public Enemy. “Everything that we wanted to do had to be made from records. So, that taught us a certain understanding of textures,” he said in an interview with Reverb.com. “We never looked at records as something to jack. We looked at it for what kind of a texture that we can extract from it.”
He later added, “In other words, it’s creating our own instrument out of the sound, as opposed to having the sound become the instrument.”
You can pre-order the 35th-anniversary edition of It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back now on either black or translucent red vinyl via store.udiscovermusic.com.
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Does culture become a commodity, or do commodities become culture?“A hobby is now a side-hustle. A little dance has to become a viral trend. What is original today will be mainstream tomorrow, and old the day after that.” by. Continue reading
The post Does culture become a commodity, or do commodities become culture? appeared first on Hypebot.