Gilbert, Ariz., May 29, 2019 – Top shelf gear? Check. Five-time GRAMMY Award-winning mix legend? Check. It’s a unique combination that has given Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu) students a head start in not only learning what professional audio engineers utilize every day in world-class studios, but also an opportunity to hear directly from Chris Lord-Alge. The multi-GRAMMY Award-winner helped create the new Waves Audio CLA MixHub software and, on May 9, he shared his engineering tips as well as his early career inspirations during a recent event at the CRAS Gilbert, Ariz. campus. It was experience and learning tool CRAS’ students will never forget.
“We can’t thank Waves and Chris Lord-Alge enough,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “CRAS and Waves have a successful history together, and to be able to host such a workshop for the CLA MixHub plugin with none other than Chris himself was an amazing opportunity for our students.”
Waves Audio, in collaboration with Chris Lord Alge, have released the world’s first ever multi-track plugin with the CLA Mix Hub. CRAS opened its doors not only to its students, but the general public as well, free of charge as Chris Lord-Alge explained, in person, his approach to mixing and walked attendees through his mix workflow with the new plugin.
“[The workshop] went very smooth and was very professional,” said Lord-Alge. “[CRAS] has a great campus.” Lord-Alge presented to and spent time with attendees for three hours during the event.
This was a unique opportunity to meet Lord-Alge as he opened a mix, shared his mixing methodology, and detailed his EQ, compression and “bucket” workflow. Attendees learned directly from him about how to best utilize CLA MixHub to mix “in context” and emulate his killer-sounding analog console setup. Attendees also enjoyed a Q&A session with Lord-Alge.
“The event went really well…I was very happy with both the turn out, and how Chris and Waves were received,” said Michael Adams, Director of Education and Training, Waves Audio. “I truly hope everyone left knowing something new that they could use in their audio projects and mixing. We at Waves have an immense respect for the work that CRAS does, and the efforts made, to both educate and prepare their students for the world that they will face after graduating. I believe that this is a very real world education that also helps establish a pride in students work, manners, and the right attitude for the work force.”
CRAS student Zackary Shreves said meeting Lord-Alge at the reveal of the CLA Mix Hub was one of his favorite highlights at CRAS. “Before the event, I had the honor of meeting the legendary mixing engineer one-on-one,” Shreves explained. “Chris was full of energy and super knowledgeable and was just like a kid in a candy store. Having him explain his new plugin from Waves in person was terrific! He went through all the new features as well as answering questions about his mixing style and, of course, the CLA Mix Hub. Overall my experience with hanging out with him is something I will always remember here at the Conservatory.”
Added David Kohr, CRAS AES faculty advisor, “Waves has been a major supporter of our student section of AES here at CRAS since our section formed in 2008, and they have been involved with the Conservatory for much longer than that. Every year, Waves hosts an AES event here at CRAS and this year they brought an industry icon with them, Chris Lord-Alge. We can’t thank Waves enough for the love and support they have shown us and we would like to give a special thanks to Michael Adams (Waves Director of Education and Training) and mix legend CLA for hosting the event.”
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, Audio Post for Film and TV, Music Production, Commercial Production and Video Game Audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have excelled in their individual fields. 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. For over three decades, CRAS has set the standard in Audio Engineering Education, and is continuously seeking avenues that will keep with the spirit of constantly seeking to raise the bar. 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.
For more information on CRAS, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-866-757-3059, or email info@cras.edu.
About Waves Audio
Waves is the world’s leading developer of audio plugins and signal processors for the professional and consumer electronics audio markets. Heard on hit records, major motion pictures, and popular video games worldwide, Waves’ cutting-edge software and hardware processors are used in every aspect of audio production, from tracking to mixing to mastering, broadcast, live sound, and more.
Waves offers Native and SoundGrid audio plugins in VST, TDM, RTAS, and AU formats for Pro Tools, Logic, Cubase, Ableton and other popular hosts.
About The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences
Based in the heart of The Valley of the Sun with two campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz., The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) is one of the country’s premier institutions for audio education. The Conservatory has developed a unique and highly effective way to help the future audio professional launch their careers in the recording industry and other related professional audio categories.
-30-
