My internship and current relationship is with ARS Studios in the Chicago suburb of Alsip, IL. ARS was started in 1984 by the dynamic married partnership of Gary and Dina Cobb. Gary is the creative force/studio owner, and Dina the administrative director of a company that provides top quality services to projects as diverse as Aerosmith to McDonald’s Corporation. ARS also supports Chicagoland artists; covering an eclectic selection of genres such as gospel, rock, hip-hop, and commercial projects ARS promises premier quality recording, live sound solutions, audio restoration, and duplication services. Their dedication to providing quality has been a marvelous teaching device for me. and a foundation to understand what is needed to keep clients coming back.
My position is an internship/assistant engineer and I have been there since late-February of 2005. My introduction to ARS was a process that began that prior year, but at the time there was no position open for me. However, ARS did interview me and kept their promise to keep my resume on file and to contact me when a position became available. The studio has always felt like the perfect fit for me and when I was contacted to determine if I was still interested, obviously my answer was “yes.” I was able to coordinate my class curriculum at Columbia with the equipment and software used by the studio which was a huge assist because I didn’t have a home setup of my own. The studio works more like a family unit where each member is expected to support their end in terms of keeping things clean and orderly. I’m also expected to be on time for recording sessions and to insure the timely delivery of finished projects to our clients.
Specifically, as an assistant engineer, I am responsible for assisting in all aspects involving a recording session. This entails everything from setting up the microphones, and the band instruments to other essential studio equipment. Some aspects of tracking, mixing, and mastering are designed to sharpen up skills obtained in the classroom and through interaction with artists. This process will eventually give me the credibility to become an audio engineer/producer. Several avenues were presented to me during this period which allowed me to parlay my internship duties into a class project tied directly to my field of interest. ARS Studios and AEMMP Records, a student-operated record label at Columbia College Chicago, were bought together due to a course prerequisite necessitating a start to finish development of an artist/group. My responsibility was assigned to be the co-marketing/production director and I used my studio experience to master the group H20 Soul’s CD Essential. It was during this project in which I received my first “mastered by” acknowledgement. I scheduled the hours through Dina Cobb, determining the equipment most appropriate for the artist(s), and the owner - Gary Cobb, co-mastered Essential with me. This was my first opportunity to initiate my role as a potential asset to the studio in a verifiable, plausible manner.
This exposure led to many new opportunities and new artists. The venture gave me confidence and provided to new clients a way to judge both the studio and the engineer’s professionalism. I have been involved with networking the artist to radio stations, college venues, and live bookings. Another opportunity to integrate my experience with both Columbia College and ARS was seen when I was enrolled in Producing Recorded Music III (PRM III ) taught by one Kimo William; which allowed me to pursue my interest as an aspiring producer and aligning myself with another person similar to my work ethic. Being able to work with a very gifted songwriter and talented singer gave me further samples of what this future career of mine will entails. After the success of the class, this spawned a further collaboration in working on the beginning steps of producing and engineering an album.
My alliance with ARS has been a very positive occurrence because of the trust and quality inherent in the company itself. Presently I am independently working with two rock bands while continuing my internship duties with ARS. In my audio engineer position, on October 28, 2006, I worked audio on a joint taping of a PBS History Makers program that will air sometime next year. The experience gained at the Goodman Theater was the first time my skills were put to the test in a situation for television. Meeting real celebrities in a circumstance where my expertise was needed was a marvelous feeling. Just as fulfilling was the Christmas program on December 17, 2006 at St. Terrence Catholic Church in Alsip, where Gary Cobb showed me other live audio recording techniques. The variety of environments and the diversity of people working in this business have only solidified my choice, rather my passion, to work in this field.
Obviously, technology will continue to fuel the growth in this industry and it will be my responsibility to stay current both in work experience and education. As a result, this last semester I completed two software program classes at Columbia to supplement my training at ARS Studios. One was the ProTools Workshop for Producers, which was designated to showcase the operation tasks within this digital audio recording software. The second class for Hip Hop Production: Beat Making was to feature the Reason 3.0 software for demonstrating techniques to create and arrange various musical tracks. I can bring this training into the studio accordingly.
With all the knowledge that I have gained, and trying to apply it to my long range goals, each situation will continue to build a foundation for me to persist, to grow and to contribute. This career is in an industry that is constantly facing technological advancements and fast moving trends. The music business is also a legal web of regulations and protections for the artist and those who contribute to any success received from a project. It is an exciting business and my internship has allowed me to put the very classes I’ve taken into real time practice, via a first class studio.
Beyond the Master’s program at Columbia, I have been fortunate during this process to become associated with teachers and mentors; willing to share their experience and expertise with me. I believe they want to see me succeed and they have selflessly provided me with so much more than what I expected to receive. Their example is one I will carry with me as I move through this business and I hope that what I do will be worthy of their faith and respect in me.
