The Recording Arts Center TRAC

Mark Kirchner
Post-Production Engineer, Producer, Pro Tools Expert (Post)
Instructor: Pro Tools 101, Pro Tools 110, Pro Tools 201, Pro Tools 210P, Pro Tools 310P
Prior to moving to San Diego in 2003, Mark spent 14 years working with Digidesign in the San Francisco Bay Area. While at Digi, he managed groups in both Technical Support and Marketing Communications. In his role as Technical Marketing Manager, Mark directed and produced all of the company's product information DVDs and videos on Pro Tools. Mark is both a Pro Tools expert and certified Avid editor. He has engineered, produced and mixed post-score, ADR and ISDN dialogue sessions for top film, TV and broadcast commercial clients. Mark is also the founder of a thriving, full-service audio production and rental company, Edit System Rentals, providing Digidesign Pro Tools HD systems and Avid Meridien based Media Composers to recording studios and editorial facilities. His clients include hit television series such as Prison Break, Veronica Mars, Kings, Olivia, The Ex-List, NBC Sports and The Discovery Channel. Other clients include work on feature films such as Iron Man, Meet Dave, My Life in Ruins, 500 Days of Summer and W, and surround game mixing for companies like Volition and Activision. When he's not in the studio or teaching Pro Tools classes, you'll probably find Mark mountain biking the trails of sunny San Diego on his way to or from the beach!

Caleb Keiter

Engineer, Pro Tools Expert (Music, ICON)

Instructor, Pro Tools 101, Pro Tools 110, Pro Tools 201, Pro Tools 210M, Pro Tools 310M

Caleb is TRAC's East Coast transplant. A drummer, Caleb brings his passion for music and audio engineering as well as his experience as a Digidesign Certified Pro Tools Expert Instructor to TRAC. He taught classes in audio engineering, Pro Tools, and MIDI at the Omega Studios School for the Applied Recording Arts and Sciences in the Washington D.C. area and at Future Media Concepts in New York City. For the first 6 years of his career, he owned and operated a mobile Pro Tools recording system and worked regularly at Omega Recording Studios, Sound of Music Studios, and Dragonfly Recording Studios, all on the East Coast. He has lent his expertise to numerous tracking and mixing sessions in genres ranging from pop and rock, to classical, jazz, and even big band and orchestral recordings. Credits include: Yours for Mine, BFD "Percussion Expansion Pack" by FXPansion, a virtual instrument plug-in for which Caleb recorded all of the samples, and recording and broadcasting a live studio performance by Death Cab For Cutie. Caleb has also engineered live recordings for Matt Costa, Queens of the Stone Age, and Eagles of Death Metal. In the local San Diego scene, he has worked with The Jazz Ensemble, The Johnny V Band, and a host of other local bands and artists. Though primarily a music engineer, Caleb has also done audio work for Kashi, Red Bull, and other television commercials. He has an Associate’s Degree in Business Administration and attended Omega Studios School for the Applied Recording Arts and Sciences. Caleb is also one of the founding members of the San Diego Pro Tools User Group, a network of local San Diego Pro Tools users that hold regular meetings with tips, tricks, and demos. His sense of humor and expertise insures a fun and productive environment in the studio. When he is not recording, you can usually find him behind his camera or training for his next triathlon or marathon. Caleb’s Philosophy: “When I teach, I do not read from a book. Having everyone explore something together is a better way to learn -- I keep everyone involved. I tend to involve a lot of humor while teaching. If you are laughing, your brain is open!”

Kellogg Boynton

Engineer

Instructor, Pro Tools 101

A versatile and talented engineer, Kellogg attended Berklee College of Music in Boston and received a BAS in Sound Engineering from Ex’pression College for Digital Arts in the San Francisco Bay Area. With extensive training in SSL and Pro Tools, and talents as a guitarist and sometimes drummer, he brings a wide variety of technical and musical knowledge to both tracking and mixing sessions at Studio West. Specializing in rock genres from alternative to the heaviest rock, he particularly enjoys tracking live drums and working with bands.  Recent music credits include sessions with internationally acclaimed bands Wolfmother and Simple Plan, Frankie J, Baby Bash and up and coming producer/guitarist Tommy Andrews. Local San Diego band projects Kellogg has worked on include recording and mixing music for Jeff Berkley and Citizen Band’s upcoming live Music Video (DVD), which was filmed and recorded at Studio West, and full album releases for Nate James, Erick Macek, Christopher, Cole and Campbell, and Mordium.  Kellogg’s ADR and voiceover recording credits include Richard Dreyfus, EA Games (with Colts’ running-back Marshall Faulk), Southwest Airlines, Kashi Company and the hit TV series Veronica Mars.  A native San Diegan, Kellogg grew up in the North County coastal town of Encinitas.  Kellogg’s Philosophy: "I enjoy helping artists bring their creative vision to life on a format that can live forever. Because people will listen to the music we create time and time again, I strive for excellence in my work every time I walk into the studio!”

Paul Tye
Engineer, Producer, Musician, Composer
Instructor: Audio Recording Techniques, Signal Processing with Waves, The Art of Mixing
Paul has extensive experience as both a professional musician and an accomplished recording engineer.  He obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Music (Performance) and a Master’s in Music Education from State University of New York in Buffalo, NY.  He has over 20 years experience in teaching recording engineering programs at University of California San Diego, Cerritos College in Los Angeles and various other educational settings in California.  He has extensive experience in the design and building of recording studio systems; he was the technical representative for Otari, MCI and other professional audio companies in San Diego for many years.  As an engineer, he has extensive credits in the fields of Jazz, Classical, Gospel and Americana and has worked at all the major recording studios in San Diego. He also has extensive experience recording live events including direct to satellite transmission. 

Peter Dyson
Studio Owner (Studio West), School Director (The Recording Arts Center)
A native of England, Peter came to San Diego from the musical town of Austin, Texas in October of 2004. The third owner in Studio West's thirty-five year history, Peter spearheaded a studio expansion and remodeling project in 2005, determined to bring to fruition his vision of a world-class, fully integrated San Diego-based recording studio, comparable to the top facilities in Los Angeles. His thirteen years of professional expertise in strategic business planning, leadership training and human resources for Motorola's Semiconductor Group in Austin and his passion for music have uniquely equipped Peter to assemble a top notch team of engineers and producers at Studio West, and to identify and develop services to better meet the needs of clients. As a drummer, Peter has played and recorded with bands in both England and Austin, and has a musical taste that is as diverse as the artists who have recorded at Studio West over the years.

Amy Ziegelman

Amy brings a wealth of instructional design, organizational expertise and management experience to The Recording Arts Center. Working together with Studio West owner, Peter Dyson, Amy has helped to design course content, implement and market the training courses, and is responsible for scheduling and student registration. She also manages the TRAC team of instructors. Amy has created and delivered technical training courses in a wide variety of corporate settings, with clients such as General Motors, Toshiba and Disney. A lifetime student of music with an ongoing passion for the industry, Amy has lent her voice for background vocals on several musical projects and corporate voiceovers. Amy holds a BA in German and Philosophy from The University of Michigan.  Amy's Philosophy:  "My goal is for every individual coming through TRAC to have a 'gosh-wow!' experience.  The enthusiasm and love for music carried by every student into our classrooms needs to be celebrated and strengthened, not just by what we teach but how we teach it."