WavesLive Was Developed & Presented by Waves Audio, Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS), & CRAS AES Student Chapter Reps to Teach Live Sound Techniques Utilizing Waves Plugins & Gear
Gilbert, Ariz., Feb. 13, 2017 – The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), the premier institution for audio engineering education, and its AES Student Chapter recently opened its doors at its Gilbert, Ariz. campus to Waves Audio for WavesLive, an in-depth workshop for CRAS students and local audio pros.
“The live sound workshop was incredibly informative and insightful for our students,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “Waves designs and produces top-shelf pro audio gear. Having them come in and train our students is real-world knowledge they can take with them into the field, which is invaluable at this stage of their education. The CRAS AES Chapter is incredibly active, and it was evident here during the WavesLive workshop.”
The session was a CRAS AES event that was developed and presented by Waves and David Kohr, a CRAS instructor and CRAS Faculty Liaison AES Student Chapter. In all, approximately 200 students and local audio pros participated in the workshop.
The event began with introducing CRAS AES, where co-presidents CJ Smith and Josh Badger spoke about student AES activities. That was followed by Waves artist’s Ken ‘Pooch’ Van Druten (Linkin Park, Kid Rock, Kiss) and Eddie ‘El Brujo’ Caipo (Enrique Iglesias, Gwen Stefani) demonstrating how they mix their artists on tour using Waves plugins. Waves Live Product Specialist Kent Margraves also gave an overview of SoundGrid and DiGiGrid products as well as demonstrating some of Waves’ most useful plugins in a live sound setting.
“Education and audio instruction have always been a Waves priority and as such, we are delighted to cooperate with CRAS where students can explore the latest in cutting-edge audio technology and hone their craft,” said Mick Olesh, Waves EVP of Sales & Marketing. “CRAS is the perfect vehicle for training the next generation of sound engineers and musicians.”
There were open dialogues between Waves, CRAS instructors, and CRAS students throughout the workshop. The students were encouraged to be involved as much as possible so they could learn every facet of live sound recording.
“Here at the Conservatory, we have one of the most active student chapters of the Audio Engineering Society in North America, and its companies like Waves reaching out to us to host this amazing WavesLive event that makes getting an education from the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences so much more unique than what you can get anywhere else,” said Kohr. “Waves has some of the best plugins available and now, with the Waves LV1 software mixer, they have an amazing console as well. Waves has always been involved with the Conservatory, providing a valuable platform of education for our students.”
Besides being trained on gear, Waves educated the participants on how far live sound has come over the decades, as well as how to get established in the live sound industry and recommended reading to get ahead.
“The event was very well rounded,” added Hamm. “Being successful is not just about how to work the gear. It’s about relationships and how to work well with the artists. Waves did a fantastic job educating our students with their first-hand knowledge and experience.”
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 12, 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. Currently, a CRAS graduate has been nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award. In addition, 32 CRAS graduates worked on 35 2017 Grammy-nominated albums and songs across 35 categories, of which 11 graduates received multiple credits on nominations.
“We want everyone to see, hear, and feel how our 11-month program focuses exclusively on what a student needs to know to begin living their passion in any one of the many facets of the recording arts,” explained Hamm.
About Waves Audio Ltd.
Waves is the world’s leading developer of audio DSP solutions for the professional, broadcast, and consumer electronics audio markets. Since its start in the early ’90s with the introduction of the Q10 equalizer plugin, Waves has gone on to develop a comprehensive line of over 200 audio plugins, including industry standards like the L1 and L2 Ultramaximizers, popular vintage console models, and innovative mixing tools like Vocal Rider and the Artist Signature Series. For its accomplishments, Waves received a Technical GRAMMY® Award in 2011, and the Q10 was selected as an inductee into the TECnology Hall of Fame. In 2016, Waves released the eMotion LV1 mixer, a revolutionary live digital mixing console that provides real-time audio mixing for front-of-house, monitor, studio and broadcast engineers. Waves technologies are now used to improve sound quality in virtually every sector of the audio market, from recording, mixing, mastering and post-production to broadcast, live sound, and consumer electronics. Waves has over 20 years of expertise in the development of psychoacoustic signal processing algorithms that leverage knowledge of human auditory perception to radically improve perceived sound quality. Waves’ award-winning processors are utilized to improve sound quality in the creation of hit records, major motion pictures, and top-selling video games worldwide. Waves offers computer software and hardware-plus-software solutions for the professional and broadcast markets. The company’s WavesLive division is a market leader in all live sound sectors, spearheading the development of solutions for all live platforms. Under its Maxx brand, Waves offers semiconductor and licensable algorithms for consumer electronics applications. Waves Maxx technologies dramatically enhance audio performance and are used by industry leaders such as Dell, LG, TCL, Lenovo, Asus, Denon and more.
