Features some of NESCom's executive board members with Vance on March 23, 2001. (Left to Right) Dave MacLaughlin, Vance Powell, Ben Simpson, Brandie Rita, and Joe Visciano.
On Wednesday, March 23rd, Grammy winner Vance Powell visited
NESCom. Vance held two demo sessions with select students in which he
gave advice and later played some multi-tracks from projects he had worked on, including insights into his process.
Vance first informed us that there are no rules in the studio, however, he
does provide "Three Industry Rules" for assistants and/or interns:
1. Listen to Everything: Listen to the band, the artist, each individual
instrument, producer, and every other surrounding.
2. Be Prepared for Anything: An assistant or intern should be
prepared to perform a task when asked.
3. Say Nothing: An assistants or intern's opinion does not matter
unless asked. Assistants/interns are not paid for their opinion.
During the session, he also stressed the importance of decision-making.
The decisions that go into capturing one amazing take are far more important
than recording ten takes of a performance to piece together later. On the topic of
performance, Vance motivated us to be fearless when recording or mixing
and that perfection isn't always key.
Later in the evening, Vance revealed more information about his past in
the audio industry. Some of these included memorable stories from his days at Blackbird Studios, some of his favorite pieces of outboard gear and microphones,
and his love for the nonlinearities of tape saturation and spring reverb.
Towards the end of the lecture, Vance gave us some life lessons to increase our chances of success in the industry. One piece of advice he shared is that if an opportunity comes your way, it's generally in your best interest to capitalize on the opportunity. What's the worst that can happen?
NESCom's AES students took his words of wisdom to heart and will take Vance's advice well into the future.
