Recent News
The 10 for 10 Deal
Reserve your seat in any Pro Tools 10 course offered here in January, February or March of 2012 with a 30% deposit and get 10% off the course enrollment fee! Enter PTX2012 in when you register or call us at 858 592 0556 and mention this offer.
Pro Tools 10 classes start January 7, 2012
We're excited about all the new features included in PTX! Here are just a few of them:
-- The option to use 32-bit floating point processing
-- Multi-format audio and multi bit-rate audio in the same session
-- Significantly improved audio caching via RAM - allows for record and playback from network drives, raids, and previously unsupported USB drives
-- Realtime fades and the integration of stereo interleaved files
-- Regions are now referred to as "clips" throughout the program
-- Avid Channel Strip Plug-In included on all Pro Tools X systems
- -- Dynamics and EQ processors from the renowned Euphonix System-5 Console
-- Clip based gain, up to 36db change per clip in the edit window
-- Improvements in Audio Suite functionality (handles now included when processing and multiple Audio Suite Plug-In windows open at a time)
-- Built-in iTunes and Sound Cloud support
We've scheduled an accelerated session of Pro Tools training for the first of the year, starting with Pro Tools 101 on January 7 - 9. Click here to see the full schedule or here to register!
Our first VENUE classes!
Shane Smith, Rebecca Wilson, Jim Politte and Michael Medoza spent the week with TRAC instructor Mark Kirchner digging into VENUE Profile/Mix Rack and D-Show consoles. Our next sessions of VENUE 110V and VENUE 210V are scheduled for February 6 - 9, 2012. Click here for more info!
VENUE D-Show has arrived at TRAC!
VENUE 110V and 210V classes start on November
1st, 2011. Mark and Gary are at Avid HQ in the Bay Area this
week picking up another VENUE console, the VENUE Profile. We'll
have two full VENUE systems here in San Diego for your hands-on instruction.
Find out more about VENUE classes at TRAC here.
What TRAC students are saying about Audio Recording Techniques...
"Hands-on experience is way more interesting than sitting in a classroom!"
"Best class ever!!!"
"Caleb ROCKS! He knows his stuff. Looking forward to the rest of the classes in the Audio Production Program!"
Johannes Linstead Live Sound Record
A few weeks ago, four TRAC alumni (currently interning at Studio West) were invited to accompany Mark to a live sound record of Johannes Linstead's spanish guitar concert at Swedenborg Hall. Read what they had to say about their experiences on our blog.
VENUE Training
Starting in August of 2011 we will be offering training courses in VENUE, "the state-of-the-art live sound production environment that delivers studio-grade sound, unprecedented reliability, powerful performance and complete ease of use." Each of the two courses (VENUE 110V and VENUE 210V) will run two days each, and completion of both will earn the student a VENUE Operator Certificate! Check the FAQ page on Avid's website or contact us with any questions you might have!
March and May Pro Tools Graduates
Nelson Chandara - Operator, Music
Jake Watson - Operator, Music
Jeff Kloth - Operator, Music
Joel DeWitt - Operator, Music
Matt Heinecke - Operator, Music
Robert Hart - Operator, Music
Chris Levy - Operator, Music
Andrew Sorge - Operator, Music
Vulcho Bonev - Operator, Music
Johnathan Gazvoda - Operator, Music
Erin Tonkon - Operator, Music
Martin Fitrzyk - Operator, Post
TRAC Students mix tunes from 48-track celebrity charity event held in Malibu, California
The Recording Arts Center students Henrique Landim, John Quevedo and Matt Armstrong have been working on mixing tracks from The Open Hearts Foundation event held in Malibu California on February 19th. Performers at the event included renowned pianist William Joseph, American Idol favorite Katharine McPhee and Wallflowers front man Jakob Dylan. Four hundred people attended the event that was held at the private residence of award-winning actress, artist and philanthropist Jane Seymour and her husband, director, producer and writer, James Keach. Their son, Johnny, and his band PT5 also played at the event with special guest performer, 'Dad' (Keach) on harmonica.
"We got the request to come up to Malibu about 3 days before
the event," says Mark Kirchner, TRAC instructor and recordist
for the event. "This was somewhat short notice and it was a
bit of a scramble to get 48 channels of Pro Tools racked, tested
and ready to travel into the winter storm that brought February snow
to the lower elevations of Southern California. The snake coming
from the stage was split at the FOH position. This means we needed
to bring 48 channels of mic pre as well." 
"Due to the last-minute nature of the call, we arrived in Malibu around noon on Saturday, sound check was slated for 1 p.m., and the event was scheduled to start at 6 p.m. We completed the system set-up 10 minutes before sound check ended so we did our best to set levels after the musicians had left. On a fortunate note,
the recording system was slated to reside in a utility shed adjacent to the rear wall of the tent housing the event. The FOH location was just inside the tent wall; we were located about 20 feet from each other which was nice for sorting line issues before the show. On the flip side, the rain did not let up for the entire night
and we didn't have com or a video feed from the event so we were really flying blind in regards to what mics performers were coming up on and what was happening in the main room."
New McDSP discounts!
In addition to new price
reductions McDSP has also lowered some of their Academic Discounts. Enroll
in any class or program and you will be instantly eligible to take
advantage of offers like $89.00 for Project Studio LE!
February Pro Tools Graduates
Burcin Erdemir - Expert, Post
Andrew Casciato - Expert, Post
Adam Pezdek - Expert, Music
Armando Silva - Expert, Music
Michael Parrott - Expert, Music
William Woosley - Expert,
Music
More TRAC talent for Audio Recording Techniques
Last week, TRAC Graduate Sarah Dorian came in and volunteered her guitar playing and vocal abilities for an evening open to students (and Studio West interns interested in honing their recording chops) in Studio A. Listen to her track "Morphine", here. We try and do these kinds of events on a very regular basis - it's our way of making sure the people who have invested time into the recording programs here continue to get hands-on experience in the studio. There's no specific schedule - if you're a performer or in a band and are interested in volunteering your time in exchange for a high quality demo track or two, please contact Jesse Maxson or Mark Kirchner at 858 592 9497.
In another ART session, Studio West's "house band" (owner Peter Dyson on drums, intern Henrique Landim on bass, and intern program manager Hunter Levy on guitar and vox) performed The Undertones' "Teenage Kicks" for the students to track. Listen.
Waves kicks off 2011 with exciting new student discounts and unbundled plug-ins!
As part of their ongoing support of aspiring audio engineers, producers, and musicians, and continuing commitment to provide the highest quality tools, Waves announces new student pricing—50% off MSRP!—on selected bundles. Read more. As of Jan 1, 2011, all the plugins in Waves Signature Series, The API Collection, JJP Analog Legends, and CLA Classic Compressors are available individually. In all, there are now over 80 Waves plugins available separately, with many under $100. Read more.
Winter 2010 Pro Tools Graduates
Brendan Dane - Operator, Post and Music
Laura Brunette - Operator, Post
Ian Jimeno - Operator, Post
Edward Moore - Operator, Music
Keshlin Pillay - Operator, Music
Scott Woodruff - Operator, Music
Salvador Tercero - Operator, Music
Victor Stern Rodriguez - Operator, Music
Jerson Lafuente - Operator, Post
Kylee Lockman - Operator, Post
TRAC alum returns to help fellow students!
Dan Stelter, who joined us for several Pro Tools classes, Audio Recording Techniques (ART), Signal Processing with Waves and The Art of Mixing, will come back in this week to play for our latest group of ART students. The students will prep Dan's session, practice micing techniques and routing, and track some tunes. Stay tuned for photos!
Fall 2010 Pro Tools Graduates
Steven Schmidt - Operator, Music
Kevin Ingham - Operator, Music
Chris Wenzel - Operator, Music
Patrick Podolsky - Operator, Music
Josh Pentland - Operator, Music
John Schumacher - Operator, Music
Michael Panek - Expert, Music
Cameron Ennis - Operator, Music
John Campbell - Expert, Post
RT Morris - Expert, Music
Abbie Rutherford - Operator, Music
Henrique Landim - Operator, Music
Jerson Lafuente - Operator, Music
Kyle Salzman - Operator, Music
Brian Barth - Operator, Music
Kylee Lockman - Operator, Music
New Photos from "Audio Recording Techniques"
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The fastest way to get your Pro Tools Operator Certification
...is the 13-day "speed round" of day classes offered at TRAC. This time we start on August 7 with Pro Tools 101 and finish up with Pro Tools 210M on August 19. If you can't make it this time, check back a few weeks when we'll be enrolling for the October session!
July Pro Tools Graduates
Bradley Benson - Operator, Music
Zach Laliberte - Operator, Music
June Pro Tools Graduates
Daniel Flores - Operator, Music
Chris Sierra - Operator, Music
Barry Graham - Expert, Music
April Pro Tools Graduates
Erik Dyresen - Operator, Music
Andres Thomas - Expert, Music and ICON Mixer
Brian Pingleton - Operator, Music
Erin Eldred-Brown - Operator, Music
Greg Stone - Operator, Music
March Pro Tools Graduates
Julian Cobian - Operator, Music
Andres Thomas - Operator, Music
Matt Leigh - Operator, Music
William Wallace - Operator, Music
Pro Tools VENUE training
Starting this fall, TRAC will be offering classes and certification in VENUE. Pro Tools 110V and Pro Tools 210V will focus on the essential skills required to operate a VENUE system in a live sound environment through comprehensive, hands-on training on a VENUE D-Show or Profile control surface and cover system hardware as well as software configuration. Stay tuned for dates!
Pro Tools 130: Pro Tools for Game Audio
Now enrolling for the July session! This course provides students with exposure to the core skills, workflow, and concepts involved in creating and implementing game audio using Pro Tools systems. Covering basic sound design techniques for both Macintosh and Windows systems, session time is divided between demonstration and hands-on practice, with ample time for experimentation with sample material.
The Tuesday Tutor Series
Starting in February, TRAC will hold bi-monthly "mini-training" sessions focusing on specific topics like Beat Detective, Elastic Audio and Keyboard Shortcuts, to name just a few. These sessions will be open to any interested parties and we expect them to fill up fast! For more info call Caleb or Amy at 858 592 0556.
December Pro Tools Graduates:
Nicholas Angelo - Operator, Music
Joseph Henschel - Operator, Music
Ivan Morales - Operator, Post
The Best Moments of 2009, brought to you by your friends at TRAC:
January -- A member of our staff celebrated a milestone birthday and we all gathered at the party, which turned out to be a private concert by Glen Phillips (Toad the Wet Sprocket, Works Progress Administration)
February -- Pro Tools grads booked time in Studio West's edit suites, Studio C and Studio A, flexing their newly formed engineering muscles
March -- TRAC and Studio West kicked off the first meeting of the San Diego Pro Tools User Group and we spent the evening finding out "What's New and Great in Pro Tools 8"
April -- We closed the downtown room and refocused on our North County space, upgrading all the systems and giving the room a little more "vibe"
May -- Two more Pro Tools grads accepted internship positions at Studio West
June -- TRAC graduated it's first father/son Certified Music Operator team
July -- Another member of our staff proposed to his lovely girlfriend...and she accepted!
August -- We gathered two more outstanding engineers into the training fold and watched the stellar reviews come pouring in
September -- Audio Recording Techniques got an overhaul and an upgrade and eager students poured into Studio A to track live
October -- We logged our 150th Pro Tools class
November -- The new D-Control console was installed in Studio B, ICON Mixer classes started rolling, and everyone coveted the comfy new control room chairs
December -- We finalized plans for an all-HD training space and set the date to break ground. Stay tuned....
November Pro Tools Graduates:
Afshin Arabghani - Expert, ICON Mixer; Operator, Post
Chris Onuschak - Expert, Music
Chris Byrnes - Operator, Post
Tessi Daley - Operator, Post
October Pro Tools Graduates:
Adam Hearst - Operator, Music
Chris Onuschak - Operator, Music
Daniel Anderson - Operator, Music
Jeremy Perry - Operator, Music
Afshin Arabghani - Operator, Music
John Quevedo - Operator, Music
ICON Mixer Certification. Studio B of Studio West is now home to a brand-spanking new Digidesign ICON D-Control console, and TRAC has two talented, certified instructors to conduct the ICON Mixer Certification course. This course runs over three days and can be booked on an as needed basis, so check your schedule and give us a call!
Pro Tools 205: D-Command. This one-day course is an 8-hour training session in newly-renovated Studio B at Studio West, covering all the techniques for mixing, routing and monitoring through this work surface. Classes can be booked on an as needed basis, so call or register online to reserve your personal session!
From the Digidesign website:
The Digidesign® ICON integrated console environment has become the most in-demand mixing platform at major post-production and music recording facilities around the world, and if you’re looking to move your ICON skills way ahead of the pack, now’s the perfect time to become a Certified ICON Mixer.
Digidesign is introducing a new educational program that offers in-depth, hands-on ICON D-Control™ training by Digidesign-certified ICON instructors. Pro Tools® 310I: Advanced ICON Mixing Techniques provides proper comprehensive training, allowing you to gain invaluable insight and knowledge of ICON, the D-Control worksurface, and its integration with Pro Tools. It will also quickly elevate your ICON skills to a level that typically takes much longer when self taught. Plus, you’ll acquire all of the expertise necessary to unleash the creative power of ICON as you shape and sharpen your skills for prime time in the industry.
Dates to be added to the schedule in the next few weeks....
We've recently revamped our Audio Recording Techniques class, making it more hands-on and detailed than ever! This past weekend, TRAC students learned all about the fundamentals of recording audio...they talked about sound waves, microphones, amplifiers, Pro Tools and more. If it can be found in a recording studio, these folks learned about it! They were also invited to bring in their own gear for demos or troubleshooting. After Labor Day, the group will meet again and this time they will spend their days in the state-of-the-art studios of Studio West! They'll track a local singer/songwriter in Studio C and then step into Studio A to record drums, guitars and vocals for an up-and-coming local band.
August Pro Tools Graduates:
Josh Jimenez - Operator, Music
Nathan Singhapok - Operator, Music
Brandon Steinmo - Operator, Post
Paul Wise - Operator, Post
Ivan Torres - Operator, Post
Ron Davis - Operator, Post
Willie Elias - Operator, Post
June Pro Tools Graduates:
John Campbell - Expert, Music
Brian McGee - Operator, Music
Nader Dalloul - Operator, Music
Josh Little - Operator, Music
Sarah Dorrian - Operator, Music
Johnny McGary - Operator, Music
Chris Lazzaro - Operator, Music
McDSP has announced they will extend their summer special through July - 20% off Classic Packs and Emerald Packs!. Enroll now to take advantage of this and other discounts!
May Pro Tools Graduates:
Dave Wheeler - Operator, Post
Brandon Puda - Expert, Music
Gary Miranda - Expert, Music
Ryan Poole - Expert, Music
Martin Napoli - Expert, Music
Register for Pro Tools 110 and get a free plug-in! There are six to choose from:
Synchronic
Hybrid
SoundReplacer
Maxim
Smack! LE
DigiTranslator 2
New student discount from McDSP - From June 1 to June 30, McDSP will be taking 20% off Emerald Pack HD and Native, Classic Pack HD and Native, and upgrades to those bundles. Enroll now to take advantage of this and other discounts!
Two TRAC graduates have accepted a summer gig with the San Diego County Fair putting their Pro Tools skills to use! Operating a mobile recording studio, the grads will make it possible for fairgoers to go into a sound booth, record vocals over a song of their choice and leave with a CD. Both candidates were selected based on their skills with Pro Tools and with people...(sniff!)...we're so proud....
April Pro Tools Graduates:
Zach Maloof - Operator, Music
Kyle Humphrey - Operator, Music
Jerry Quintana - Operator, Music
Kyle Payne - Operator, Music
Benjamin Peek - Operator, Music
Hunter Levy - Operator, Music
Kyle Anastasio - Operator, Music
Ryan Huddlestone - Operator, Music
On Tuesday, March 24, TRAC and Studio West hosted the very first meeting of the San Diego Pro Tools User Group! There was a great turnout - a very diverse group of industry professionals, retailers, educators, new users and old pros. We even got to give away some cool swag from McDSP and the grand prize...a copy of Pro Tools 8! Visit www.sdptug.org for tips & tricks, or to sign up for the next meeting.
February Pro Tools Graduates:
Raven Biederman - Operator, Music
Mark Haemmerle - Operator, Music
Gerhard Guter - Operator, Music
Yoshi Kameyama - Expert, Music / Operator, Post
Peter Nagy - Operator, Music
Branson Iten - Expert, Music
Trevor Henthorn - Expert, Music
John Campbell - Expert, Music
The San Diego Pro Tools User Group is now live at sdptug.org! Stop by and trawl for tips and tricks, or join in for discounts, guest speaker dates, friendly competitions, community activities and other news about our favorite audio software.
Congratuations to Ivan Smith and Gloria Parise who earned their Pro Tools Operator certifications in Post Production last month!
A sneak peek at Pro Tools 8 On Tuesday, December 2, at 7:00 p.m., Professional Sound and Music of San Diego will present a first look at the upcoming Digidesign ProTools 8 release. Digidesign will be releasing this major new upgrade to their market-leading Digital Audio Workstation software on or about December 10. Come to the seminar and learn why this will change your music production life! Digidesign Factory experts will be there demonstrating the amazing new feature set and can show you how to pre-order your upgrade. Call (619) 583-7851 to reserve a spot at the seminar...and tell 'em TRAC sent ya!
San Diego – XETV San Diego 6 – New Home of the CW, Studio West/The Recording Arts Center and San Diego City Beat, a weekly alternative newspaper, are partnering with KPRI Radio/The Homegrown Hour and 91X Radio to promote a city-wide music contest for an original song about San Diego – the “Your Song for San Diego Contest.” The winning song will be used by XETV as a Theme Song for San Diego 6 (SD 6) and the prize package for winning writer(s) includes $2500 of recording studio time, radio air-play and appearances on SD 6 TV. Original songs may be submitted in person or by mail, on a CD, between 5:00 am, October 27th, 2008 and 5:00 pm, January 30th, 2009 (PST). Winner will be announced in February, 2009. For more details or to download an official registration form, visit: www.SanDiego6.com. Click here to check out the promotional spot being run on SD6!!
100th Pro Tools Class Celebration Winners....Congratulations to Gil Munoz, who won a free Pro Tools 101 class, and Kevin Mankins, who won $100 off his next course enrollment!
On October 27 we will start another session of Pro Tools 101 - but it's not just any session...it's our 100th class! And it wouldn't be a party if there weren't a big ol' cake, balloons, and someone in a giant dinosaur costume. Well, maybe we'll skip that last bit...but we will be partying like its 2009, so stop by the studio, join in the festivities and put your name in the hat to win a FREE Pro Tools class courtesy of your friends at TRAC!
October Pro Tools Graduates:
Greg Lammers - Operator, Music
Jennifer Amaya - Operator, Music
Laura Perlman - Operator, Music
Ryan Poole - Operator, Music
John Campbell - Operator, Music
Collin Datwyler - Operator, Music
We have a winner! Congratulations to Christy Gilardi, who won a free Pro Tools 101 course as part of the Music Connection Friday Freebie!
McDowell Signal Processors (McDSP) has just announced that they are permanently reducing the Academic Discount price of Project Studio to $95 (previous discount $295, retail $495). This is just one of the many great discounts TRAC students enjoy; if you've been thinking about getting some training let us know so we can share this discount with you!
Thanks to everyone who came to Studio West / TRAC last night for Digidesign's San Diego stop of the Raise Your Level tour! We all got an eyeful - and earful - of the D-Command, as well as a Transfuser™ demo. The folks from Digi gave away a copy of Transfuser to one lucky attendee, and David Gutierrez won a $100 gift certificate for the course or studio booking of his choice!
Summer '08 Pro Tools Graduates:
John Marinshaw - Expert (Music, Post)
Luke Parkin - Expert (Music, Post)
Andrew Bonica - Expert (Music)
Jon Imel - Expert (Music)
Dylan Watson - Operator (Music)
Edgar Robledo - Operator (Post)
Sal Agostino - Operator (Post)
Patrick Shea - Operator (Music)
Gary Miranda - Operator (Music), Expert (Post)
Willie Lee - Operator (Music)
Garrett Wysocki - Operator (Music)
Dave Stucker - Operator (Music)
Brian Edgington - Operator (Music)
Cris Mitchell - Operator (Music)
Ruth Sharp - Operator (Music)
Ian Steed - Operator (Music)
Enroll in a Pro Tools class and get 40% off Pro Tools LE! All registered students can purchase gear through the Digistore at a great discount. Some restrictions - call for details.
Congratulations to contest winner Daniel Oldham! Keep an eye on the site for more contest announcements!
April Pro Tools Graduates:
Brian Rumsey - Operator (Music)
Jon Imel - Operator (Music)
Matthew Lindblad - Operator (Music)
March Pro Tools Graduates:
Jolen Johnston - Operator (Music)
Valentino Hicks - Operator (Music)
Ben Fairweather - Operator (Music)
Raynier Franzen - Operator (Music)
February Pro Tools Graduates:
John Deskovitz - Operator (Music)
Anthony Mantz - Operator (Music)
Hope Dippel - Operator (Post)
Bret Rouse - Operator (Post and Music)
Gary Miranda - Operator (Post)
Lohit Pattanaik - Operator, Expert (Post)
Justin Carlson - Operator (Music)
Jonathan Powell - Operator (Music)
Andy Oswald - Operator (Music)
Andrew Bonica - Operator, Expert (Post)
Click here to read an article about Studio West and TRAC from the Carmel Valley Light.
Congratulations to 2008's first group of certified Pro Tools Music Operators!
Anthony Jardin - Operator (Music)
Zabie Mansoor Sharify - Operator (Music)
Jack Gunn - Operator (Music)
Brian Peters - Operator (Music)
December Pro Tools Graduates:
Craig Olson - Operator (Music)
November Pro Tools Graduates:
Asha Sukumar - Operator (Music)
October Pro Tools Graduates:
Brad Bossen - Operator (Music)
10/26/07 - Financial Aid Available!
Click here learn about acquiring a Career Training Loan from Sallie Mae.
September Pro Tools Graduates:
Michael Ault - Expert (Music), Expert (Post)
9/5/07 - Mark Kirchner recording and mixing at Love In, The Musical
Mark's Notes From the Field: "We're recording the show and will be mixing the 96-track project for the Summer of Love Surround DVD release. Last year's 80 tracks for Primal Twang was big...but this year we're up to 96! We'll use all of the bells and whistles covered in TRAC's Pro Tools Music and Post courses to spin this into an award-winning two-and-a-half-hour musical extravaganza!" Read more about Love In, The Musical here.
8/29/07 - Congratulations to our Pro Tools graduates!
Ben Cohen - Operator (Music), Operator (Post)
Joshua Odaffer - Operator (Post)
Justin Helland - Operator (Music)
Felipe Frederighi - Operator (Music)
Andrew Bonica - Operator (Music)
Pedro Miguel Carvalho - Operator (Post)
Debbie Keough - Operator (Post)
John Beattie - Operator (Post)
Ben Lazzaro - Operator (Music)