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Nolan welcomed everyone to today's Audio Engineering Society (AES) meeting.
Today Nolan started the meeting by having everyone introduce themselves by name, cycle, and the question of the week: If you could be in the room for any recording, what would it be?
Answers ranged from "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen, "Chop Suey!" by System of a Down,
any Mac Miller song, any Van Halen song, "Drunk in Love" by Beyonce, any Opera song, any
Deadmau5 and many more.
Nolan then hands the meeting over to Anthony, co-president of AES. Anthony explains
that AES is an international organization that connects audio engineers, artists, and scientists worldwide to come together and promote advances in audio and continues to spread knowledge and research. The standards committee is responsible for setting standards in the industry for professionals on all sides of the industry.
Anthony adds that AES is made for like-minded individuals who have a passion for audio, whether it is live sound, music production, broadcast, or any other profession in the audio industry. Becoming a member is very easy and it comes with so many amazing benefits.
Benefits include being able to attend AES events, discounts, tips and
information on certain topics, job opportunities and so much more. Anthony notes that the
meetings are completely free for any student to join every Monday at 6:30 p.m. But if they
would like to become a member, students will have to pay a yearly payment. Students will get a discount on their first year of $50. It will go up $25 every year until they hit their fifth year it will max out at $150 a year.
Anthony talks about AES's e-library. The AES e-library has 2,000 fully searchable PDFs
documenting research all the back to 1953 and is only available for AES members. On the AES e-library, he found a recent journal talking about head-related transfer functions. A head-related transfer function is when noise goes around our head and makes it possible for us to tell where sound is coming from.
Anthony then introduces everyone on the AES counsel. Anthony Vega and Nolan Emery
as AES's presidents. Jacob Barker as vice president. Megan Aguilar Buchert and Elijah Harley as secretaries and KJ is vice secretary. Last but not least, is Ashton Nelson as AES's Tech.
Anthony then moves on to all of the amazing announcements that CRAS has coming up.
He begins with CRAS's community night which will be held on October 28th. There will be a
"concert" held by CRAS students, and possibly a CRAS instructor or two will also perform.
There will be a raffle and food. Everyone is welcome to join. Anthony invites anyone interested in performing to talk to him after the meeting.
Next, there is a possible mic build that will be happening at CRAS. This is not 100%
confirmed yet, but Anthony encourages everyone interested to let David Kohr, a CRAS
instructor and AES Student Section Faculty Advisor, know to make this event happen. They will be able to build a guitar pedal and a ribbon microphone.
Jacob presents the free plugin of the week, the "DeeDoubler". It is a doubling plugin that
adds a doubling effect to vocals, it layers the voice using filters and phase adjustments. It is very easy to use.
Next Anthony introduces all of CRAS's subgroups. Subgroups are like "clubs" that
students can create for anything they would like. We currently have three subgroups including the "Jammers" subgroup held by Mike, "PodCRAS" held by Logan, and "Sound Design" held by KJ. Mike explains that the jammers subgroup will be starting again soon. Jammers is a group where everyone can bring their instruments and play and record what they play. Logan explains his "PodCRAS" subgroup is a podcast where the students can talk about their experience at CRAS and so much more. KJ then talks about his "Sound Design" where he will teach others how to make their samples. Rick Allen, a CRAS instructor who teaches sound design, will also be helping with the groups which will be a great way to learn tips and tricks from an instructor outside of class.
Nolan then adds an app that he heard about from Jacob. It's almost like Indeed but for
independent freelancers. It's an easy way to find a gig and they post jobs internationally. It is
called "Upwork". All you have to do is create an account put in their education and find jobs
near where they live.
Anthony then turns the focus over to Megan. Megan talks about one of the newest slides
about mental health. She explains that CRAS is not an easy program and wants to share some skills with everyone that will help them in the future, not only in school but also when they are in the industry.
Megan first shares skills that students can use if they are struggling academically.
These include going to review classes, talking to a mentor, asking questions either in or after class, and creating a study group with classmates. Then if students are struggling emotionally or mentally they can use coping skills such as going on a walk, reading, writing, drawing, listening to music, talking to a friend, or even just taking a 5-minute break to take a break from school.
Megan reminds everyone that they are not alone and to reach out when they need help. Everyone on the board wants to see them succeed and do their absolute best in this industry. Megan then informs everyone about two amazing announcements happening. On
Tuesday, September 18th herself and Jasmin Sanchez, another student, will be helping Nancy Scharlau-Murman, a CRAS instructor and Faculty Advisor for CRAS Women of Audio, will be holding a Women of Audio (WOA) meeting on mental health and wellness. Everyone is invited and welcome to join. The three major topics of conversation will be academics, social networking, and overall mental and emotional wellness. They hope this conversation will be helpful to those who might be struggling with things or just want to know they are not alone in how they feel.
Megan also announces that WOA will also be holding an event with Encore on
September 20th. Encore is an audio-visual (AV) company that works with event planners, hotels, venues, agencies, and staging customers. Encore provides in-person, virtual, and hybrid of any size, at any venue, anywhere in the world. CRAS and Encore will be co-hosting an event focusing on women working in audio/video event technology and production services. CRAS Grads Asma Eldirais and Gabriela Palomino will be sharing their experiences and advice with those considering employment in this high-demand field. There will be two time slots, the first one is 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM and the second one is from 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM. Not only will students be able to learn about Encore and hear from two former CRAS grads. CRAS WOA will also be raffling off a Blue Encore Mic for those attending the event in person! Megan encourages everyone to show up to both of the events.
Anthony moves on to the next slide about CRAS's Mentorship program. CRAS's mentors are a great resource for students with any struggle that may come the student's way. If a student is interested in getting set up with a mentor they can either reach out to Brandon Valfre, CRAS instructor and Student Academic Coordinator, or they can click on the big "M" on CRAS Connect. If anyone is interested in becoming a mentor they must be in cycle 8, have a 3.8 GPA or higher, and have 100% attendance. Normally Brandon will reach out to the student if they qualify, but if the student is interested before cycle 8 they can let him know beforehand.
Before the meeting comes to an end, Anthony wanted to share a quote from Rick Rubin.
The quote is, "Formulating an opinion is not listening. Neither is preparing a response, or
defending our position, or attacking another's. To listen impatiently is to hear nothing at all."
Anthony then invites everyone to network, and with that, the meeting comes to an end.
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