Steve Kolakowsky is a freelance engineer and producer based out of northern New Jersey. Music has been his passion for his entire life. He is an avid drummer and percussionist, and has played with several local bands and orchestras. In 2000, Steve made his first foray behind the glass and was immediately hooked into the world of production, going on to record with various local bands. In 2003, he decided to pursue his ambitions and was accepted at Berklee College of Music in Boston. He graduated from Berklee in 2007 with a Bachelor of Music in Production and Engineering. He honed his abilities with studies in both analog and digital recording, mixing, mastering, acoustics, MIDI and post production. He has crafted his art through assisting and studying with such consummate engineers and producers as Ron St. Germain, George Massenburg, Jeff Lagent, Mark Wessel, Price Charles Alexander, Jason Corsaro, Mary Campbell, Stephen Webber, Eric Reuter, Jonathan Wyner, Kostadin Kamcev, David Kowalski and Carlisle Young.
He has had the pleasure to work with such varied and accomplished artists as Living Colour, DMC, Wiz Khalifa, Pop Evil, Will Calhoun, Jadakiss, Estelle, Bob Babbitt, Scarface, Alex Marshall, Bill Warfield, Chance Taken, Chris Bowen, Cosmic Debris, Dave Cavalier, Detonator, Dive, Don Kincaid, Doug Wimbish, Enemy of Everyone, The Glickman Bassoon Ensemble, Greensky Bluegrass, Hazard Adams, Infamous Plague, Jay Watts, Mike Shiavo, Off The Record, Reese Chubbs, Sendero, Sick Mind, Six Years After, Skylar May, Soulbite, The Space Puppets, Sun 5, Will Ferguson, With Snack, and The Vetts; composers Chris Opperman, Donaldo Garcia and Zac Armgard; institutions such as The New York Philharmonic, Berklee College of Music's Performance Division, the Ringwood Friends of Music, and the South Shore Conservatory; producers and production companies including Adrian "Dr. A-Hawk" Melendez, Caté, Carlos McKinney, Grand & Warren, Jim Bonnefond, Junior Sanchez, Lofey, Marcos Carnaval, Myles William, Pierre Marceau, Rich Fabrizio, Rick Iantosca, Sharif "Reefa" Slater, Tony Solis, ATM, Chino Music Group, DUMP Records, En Victoria Records, EP Entertainment, M2P Records and Urban Legendz, commercial work for Adidas and Icebreakers, and has even worked in post production as a sound fx editor for Miramax's "Gone, Baby, Gone"
He is an AES fellow, a BMI songwriter and Voting Member of the Recording Academy.
2007 Bachelor of Music, Music Production and Engineering
Berklee College of Music
Freelance Audio Engineer 2003-Present
Worked in Studio, Live, and Corporate settings. Jobs have included all aspects of engineering, system design and integration, setup, support and end-user training.
Companies I have worked with include:
Kilroy Records, Saint's Place, Barbershop Studios, Soundelux, Blue Jay Studio, Proper Rocker Studio, Mozart Studios, PonderRosa Studio, CMT Sound Systems, Concert Audio, Zenrgy Productions, Bruce Sound, Premier Sound and Light, SMS Music, Berklee College of Music, Performance Division
Studio Manager and Chief Engineer 2012-2014
440 Sound Studios Woodland Park, NJ
Managed day to day operations of the multi-room commercial recording facility including: booking, client relations, scheduling staff and technicians, interviewing and hiring interns and assistants, general studio maintenance, as well as engineering sessions.
Sales and Training Manager 2007-2012
Guitar Center Totowa, NJ
Key-holding manager in charge of day to day store operations for a multi-million dollar retail store. Duties included training of all sales associates; ensuring a harmonious work environment for employees; interviewing, selecting and on-boarding of new hires; overseeing sales; and inter/intra-store customer relations. Also, in charge of implementing and interpreting new rules, plans and regulations from corporate head quarters.
Supervisor 2005-2007
Berklee College of Music Boston, MA
Oversaw the day to day up keep of the computers and audio equipment for Berklee's Performance Division. Responsible for scheduling and training subordinates. Addressed troubleshooting issues including training of end users when necessary.
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