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Malcolm Ntiappiah started today's Audio Engineering Society (AES) meeting by
thanking for everyone showing up. He explains that the Conservatory for Recording Arts and
Sciences (CRAS) hosts AES meetings every Monday night at 6:30 pm. The audio engineering
society is full of like-minded people who share the same joy and passion for audio. AES is
always creating and adapting the audio industry for the better. Benefits the students will receive if they become an AES member include access to events, discounts, information on everything and anything audio related and so much more. A student asked how to become a member, and Malcolm walked the student through each step of how to become an AES member. For students it is $50 for the first year and increases to $25 each year until you hit your fourth year, maxing at $150 a year. Malcolm reassures everyone that coming to the CRAS meetings is completely free, but if the students would like to receive all of those amazing benefits they must be a paid member.
Malcolm wanted to give one last goodbye to four of AES's recent officeholders. He
wanted to make sure they had the send-off they deserved. All four of them have played a huge role in contributing to each meeting since they became officeholders. Everyone gives them a huge round of applause for all of their hard work. Malcolm reminds everyone to give them one last goodbye before they leave.
With that, Malcolm segues into introducing the new officeholders. Nolan Emery has
become the newest Vice President. Shadowing under Nolan will be Logan Rodriguez and
Anthony Vega. Elijah Harley and Megan Aguilar Buchert are AES's secretaries. KJ Clark is Vice Secretary. Last, but not least AES's newest tech is Ashton Nelson.
The next slide provides students with all the information they would need about CRAS's
mentorship program. Malcolm encourages everyone to reach out to CRAS's mentors. It doesn't matter what problem or question they may have, the mentor team is always there to help. Malcolm shares some personal experiences of working with mentors. He explains how much the mentor program has helped him throughout his time at CRAS. He also informs everyone on how to become a mentor. These steps include getting recommended by Brandon, the instructor who runs the mentorship program, once the student reaches their 7th cycle. There are some parameters, they must have a 3.8 GPA or higher and a 100% attendance rate. Once becoming a mentor for a certain amount of time at CRAS, the student will receive a letter of recommendation. This is not only a great achievement but also looks great on a resume. Whether the student is a mentor or reaches out to a mentor for help, it's an amazing program to be associated with.
Malcolm then moves on to introductions. He has everyone introduce themselves through their name, cycle, and the question of the week: what is your favorite thing you have learned at CRAS so far, or if they are new, what is something they are excited to learn about?
Answers ranged from learning the M32 to mixing in surround sound, and even one
student said his favorite thing he learned was from Sol, in his EDM subgroup. Many students were excited to learn gaming audio, the SSL origin, mastering, and how to use Pro Tools.
Announcements include the Focus Rite RedNet certification that will be held over Zoom
on Wednesday, August 23rd at 6:30 pm. Malcom explains that the Zoom call will have a
presentation about everything the student will need. Then once the Zoom call is over the students will take a test. Once they receive 75% or higher on the test they will be RedNet certified.
Next, Malcolm reminds everyone that Brock, CRAS's director of education, will be
holding a professionalism clinic. Brock will be teaching how to make a great first impression, professionalism, behavior, and much more. It will be an excellent experience for students to learn what to expect in the industry and how their actions can genuinely affect them in the industry. This will happen on Thursday, August 31at at 6:30 pm.
AES will be also welcoming CRAS grad Noah Madrid. He graduated in October 2020.
Soon after moving to LA in May of 2021, he worked with Grammy award-winning producer
"Camper". At that exact same time, Noah was also working with Grammy award-winning mix
engineer "Morning Estrada". This event will be held on Monday, August 21st, at 6:30 pm. He
encourages everyone to come.
Malcolm moves to the next slide, showing a video of "A Day in the Life of a Broadcast
Engineer". After that is the free plug-in of the week, the Nectar Elements, Vocal Processing by iZotope. It gives vocals professional clarity and polish. It will also analyze and adapt your vocal sound, taking the guesswork out of placing your vocal in the mix and letting you make your vocals stand out in just a few clicks.
The subgroups were the next topic of discussion. These subgroups include the Jammers
subgroup by Mikey, the EDM Production subgroup by Sol, and the Sound Design subgroup by
Starr. Sadly, the EDM production and Jammers subgroup have had their last meetings this week due to Sol and Mikey being about to leave. Starr speaks about his Sound Design subgroup. The Sound Design subgroup will go over mixing techniques, how to create original stems, and so much more. Starr invites everyone to join him every Thursday at 6:30 pm. Malcolm encourages everyone to create their own subgroups since we will only have one left for a short period of time. He provides all of the information they will need to create their own subgroup.
Malcolm then hands the mic over to Megan to speak about mental health. She explains
how this topic isn't talked about as much as it should be, and she wants to be the one to talk
about it. She explains that CRAS is not an easy program, everyone will struggle at least once while at CRAS and that's ok. It's how it is dealt with that could make or break the student. She offers examples of things that can be done if the student is struggling academically which may be causing emotional distress. Those include talking to a mentor, asking questions in class or even after class, going to review classes, and studying with friends. If the student is struggling emotionally some things the student can do is use coping skills, talk to a friend, and take some time to themselves. Taking time to themselves can look like going on a walk, reading a book, drawing, or even just taking 5 minutes to practice deep breathing. Megan wanted to let everyone know that every student is not alone. It may seem like it at times, but at least one student has gone through the same experience or currently going through it. She stresses to reach out when in need of help, she and everyone else on the board want nothing but the best for everyone while at CRAS and in the audio industry.
Malcolm ends the meeting with one last slide encouraging everyone to network and meet
someone new. With that, the meeting comes to a close.
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