IAR News Feed

Making Noise: Presence

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 11:52:00 GMT

Ryan Berry is a student at IAR in his second quarter. He is also an accomplished musician and entertainer under the name Presence. He has competed in over 25 major hip-hop battles across the country including ScribbleJam 2005 (Preliminary Champion) in Cincinnati, OH, Brainstorm 2004 (Co-Champion) and 2002 (Champion) in Seattle, WA, Chicago All City 2002 (Champion) and 2003 (Co-Champion), MTV’s “The Cypher” Pilot filmed in NYC, 2004 Breeze Battle Finalist in NYC, and 2004 Mic Control Finalist in NYC. He also started his own label, Praxis Records, and released two albums, Recreation Bait in 2004 and R.Y.E. (Ready Your Ears) in 2006. Ryan developed his latest album R.Y.E., “To offer people my interpretation of this art form (hip-hop), and hopefully accomplish that through crafty lyrics, inventive production, and a general warmth that lets who I am shine through the songs.” He decided to attend IAR for a number of reasons: “I was sick of paying other people to do what I should just take the time to learn myself! That way, I put myself in the position to make a living in the field of music as well as pursue my dreams of being a recording artist. I’m trying to gain all the knowledge I can as far as music is concerned so that the next album can hopefully draw a buzz and get some distribution.” For more information on Presence, his music and battle clips, and for booking, visit myspace.com/nyryeb.

DIY: SONY/BMG Exec Addresses Students

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:05:00 GMT

On Thursday, August 21st, IAR hosted ”Do It Yourself: The Music Business,” presenting special guest speaker Larry Hamby, Senior Vice President, Artist & Repertoire, at Sony/BMG Records. IAR students, faculty, and staff attended the event to get one-on-one with a top executive in one of the biggest record labels in the music industry. Larry gave a quick background on how he got started in the industry over 35 years ago and the range of celebrity artists, producers and projects he has worked on, including Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller.’ He told the audience that he wanted night to be a forum where they could ask him any question about the industry and he would give his honest and direct answer. The Q&A session gave students a chance to hear an industry expert answer questions that directly affect their music careers, such as is the definition of A&R and how to get into it, the state of the industry and its future, steps to get your music heard by the right people, what do you look for in an artist, and how to start an indie label. Larry gave students insight and advice for their promising careers with reference to industry resources and essential websites (musicregistry.com, pollstar.com, recordxpress.net).

In answering “What do I want in an artist,” for example, Larry said “talent, not looks; I’m looking for an act that is making noise for themselves through live shows, independent CD sales, and lots of buzz online and on Myspace.” Larry suggested that for upcoming songwriters and producers, the first step is to become a member of ASCAP or BMI: “They have a great support system to educate you, bring you into their great industry network, and help get you gigs.” The information Larry offered was invaluable and the students made sure to use up every minute of his time.

IAR Student Releases Album

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 11:53:00 GMT

IAR student Karmen Michael just released his new album titled ‘It’s Possible’ in July 2008. Karmen’s Pop/R&B music is theatrical and inspirational, “Music is not my way out…it’s how I get out!” Karmen was also a competitor in IARecords’ Next Level competition and will have a song on the upcoming Next Level 5 album. Raised in Texas, Karmen moved to New York City at age 19 to pursue his dream as a musician and entertainer. Within weeks, he was performing at local clubs, open mic nights and lounges throughout the city. Karmen created his own label, Kreative Music Group, and taught himself how to produce music, create an image, and book and manage shows. He was also working full-time in a field unrelated to music, so he decided to attend IAR, “What I know for sure is that your gut never steers you wrong. When I arrived here, it felt like I was meant to be here. I still feel like I made the right choice.” He quotes Mesta Bish, one of his teachers at IAR, “This business is about who you know and what you are working on.” Karmen states he is privileged to have met and established relationships with many of the staff and students and, “I will leave here with a rolodex of talented engineers, producers, artists, and musicians.” After speaking with the Dean of Faculty, Noel Smith, Karmen joined the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS) which hosts the Grammys and is now the student rep at IAR, “It has given me access and contacts that are out of this world and I can get other students signed up.” For more information on Karmen Michael check out myspace.com/4karmenmichael.

DIY: REASON Power User Part I

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 15:28:00 GMT

On Thursday, June 26th, current IAR students packed into a seminar delivered by Dana McCurdy, IAR instructor and electronic music specialist, covering some of the special features and advanced techniques available to the savvy “Power User” of music production software REASON. Developed by the Swedish company Propellerhead, REASON has become one of the most popular music production tools in the industry, and is a core part of IAR’s MIDI curriculum along with its companion protocol, REWIRE, which have quickly become industry standards.

Dana’s appearance was part of IAR’s “DIY” series of seminars on audio topics that are offered to our students in addition to the regular course work, and he returned to the DIY series by popular demand, to deliver a two-part seminar. In this one, Dana concentrated on techniques that will work with any version of REASON, including the simplified version known as “Reason Adapted.” Emphasizing some of the flexibility and hidden depths of this software, he showed students countless ways to customize and personalize their REASON grooves, using different modules including Redrum, Dr. Rex, NN-19, and Subtractor. Dana used Redrum to load custom sounds and showed students how to tweak those sounds by changing the pitch, length, and starting time. He encouraged students to record and import their own customized sounds and played samples of his own: a salad bowl, lamp shade, metal rack, and floor creaks. He then programmed in different rhythms and used the sounds to create a beat. Dana went on to demonstrate grooves and songs he had previously created to exemplify other creative techniques and tools such as automation, customizing REX grooves, original sound programming in Subtractor, and patching on REASON’s back panel to create unique rhythmic patterns with gates and low frequency oscillators (LFOs).

Coming soon, Part II of Dana’s DIY seminar will demonstrate some of the newer and more extensive features of Reason 4.0, the current “full” version we have been running in IAR’s MIDI labs.

Summer AFP Awards A Hit

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:15:00 GMT

Students in their 4th quarter at IAR take: Post Production-Audio, which teaches them the techniques of creating an audio soundtrack synchronized to video. Subjects include location sound production, SMPTE time code, dialog, audio bed tracks and sound effects. Students are given the chance to enter the popular Audio for Picture (AFP) Awards Festival, where they use the tools they learn in the class, choose a pre-existing video piece and recreate all aspects of the audio for it.

The AFP awards are an exciting and creative experience for students. “It’s a tremendous collection of art,” says Nell Gywnn from Student Services, who leads the AFP. Students chose from their favorite films, television shows, commercials, and cartoons. One project was a movie trailer and rather than using video from the original, the student re-created the trailer by piecing together different scenes within the film and adding unique voice-overs, music, and sound effects. An audience favorite was a spoof of the Matrix movie with an argument debating the pros and cons of digital recording vs. analog recording using improvised humorous dialog of characters during a fight scene. Thanks to all who submitted. The Summer 2008 AFP Winners are:

1st Place
Mefail Ljumanoski with “Robots”

2nd Place
Rivka Einy and Carlos Berthet with “Team America Redux”

3rd Place
Madli Kent with “Happy Tree Friends”

Outstanding Achievement Awards

ADR
Avery McFadden, Andrew Fuccillo, Brian Chirlo, Edward Long

Music Editing
Jason Earl, Chris Sullivan, Mike Weiner

Music Selection
Alexander Velez, Carlos Buitrago, Doug Schaefer, James Spring

Sound Design
Matt MacUmber

SFX
Alexis Puig, Alex Santullo

Original Score
Madli Kent, Jason Russell, Damond Thomas

Overall Post Production
Rivka Einy, Carlos Berthet

Audience Favorite
Alexy Larroy, Jackie Gonzalez

Student Company: VIP Underground

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:48:00 GMT

After walking the halls of IAR and speaking to students, it does not take long to realize that many are already entrepreneurs pursuing their own music and entertainment business ventures. Vince Austin, a student in his third quarter, has been running VIP Underground, for 2 years with partner Duane May. VIP Underground is their online social network that provides free advertising for all New York City events and hosts photos of those events. Partygoers, concert lovers, and socialites can join the website, become members, create profiles and interact with other members similar to the popular networks Myspace and Facebook.

As the President and Event Coordinator for VIP Underground, Vince is in constant contact with club owners and members of elite street teams, to learn when and where events will be and arrange for VIP Underground’s photographers to be present. Vince also maintains the website.

Vince attends IAR to learn about music production and audio engineering, and about the business of music. Vince says of his IAR experience: “I am developing a broader background of music with real hands-on experience. IAR has helped me understand what perfect sound is and what the world craves to hear. Not only has IAR taught me the fundamentals of audio engineering and production, but the school has its own great community, similar to VIP Underground, and I meet many people with a love for music and make lasting friendships that will help me with my future goals. After IAR, I plan to become an Artist Manager. Then I really want to get into publishing and distribution.” To learn more and join the community, visit vipunderground.com.

Legendary Artist Gary U.S. Bonds at IAR

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 10:54:00 GMT

On Tuesday, June 3rd, students in IAR’s Recording Workshop (RW) laid down tracks with a special guest artist, Gary U.S. Bonds. The renowned performer and songwriter has a long list of accomplishments in rhythm and blues and rock and roll. He was one of the most influential artists in the 1960’s with hits such as New Orleans, Quarter to Three, School Is Out, Dear Lady Twist, School Is In, and Twist, Twist, Señora. His later work includes collaborations with Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Steven Van Zandt who were fans of Bonds when they were developing their musical grooves. The RW instructor, Dan Grigsby, has brought other renowned artists to record at IAR, including Latin bassist John Benitez and George Clinton’s pianist Axel Tosca. Grigsby notes about Bonds’ recent appearance that “The students were so psyched. Here’s a guy who’s been in the industry forever. He’s a survivor and a celebrity but down to earth and fun, and still does his craft at a high level.”

IAR students recorded Gary, who was accompanied by his wife and daughter, as they tracked background vocals to the song “Rudy”, written by George Thiess. Beyond learning the best techniques for mic placement, using the board and Pro Tools, students witnessed how a major artist with decades of recording experience creates music in the studio and collaborates with a producer and engineer. “The students start thinking ‘I can do this. I can really do this’,” said Grigsby. IAR student Bryan Wilson remarked, “I loved being in the studio and seeing Gary and Dan work and interacting with them. When we got to mix it down, it really came together. It was an awesome experience.” For more information on Gary U.S. Bonds, visit garyusbonds.com.

DIY: Ableton Live 7 Demo

Thu, 29 May 2008 10:24:00 GMT

On Wednesday, May 21st, IAR hosted a demonstration by Ableton of their popular music production and performance software, Live, version 7. Ableton Live has become a full-service production tool for making music with the computer. The affordable package includes a variety of creative elements, such as multi-track recording, MIDI sequencing, many built in instruments and effects, and video capabilities. Ableton first explained the basic setup to run the program and what external gear is needed. Students participated in the demonstration by tracking vocals and guitar into Live, and then were taught to use functions such as warping and automation in real time. They were then shown the seemingly endless options for editing, effects, processing, and producing and Dave Hill, Ableton USA General Manager, said, “You’re collecting bits of audio and arranging it later. This is like pre-production work.”

Ableton Live has lessons and tutorials built into the program so a user can learn or refresh on any tool while using the program. Students were also shown how DJs use Ableton Live for their gigs. Dave Hill and Sam Walker of Ableton provided advice for best use with Apple and PC computers and were impressed with the depth of questions IAR students had covering sampling and chopping and comparisons to Reason software. Tekserve was also at the session and offers great deals to IAR students on the ‘latest and greatest’ hardware and software products including Ableton Live, and each student left with a free trial version of Ableton Live to explore.

DIY: DJ Workshop at IAR

Fri, 09 May 2008 10:30:00 GMT

On Tuesday, April 29th IAR hosted one of its ‘Do It Yourself’ events covering DJing. IAR alumnus and accomplished DJ, Nicholas Bivona aka DJ REACT, came back to IAR to provide students with the basics of DJing. Nicholas works at Sirius Satellite Radio as a board operator and has worked as a DJing teacher. He also DJs up and down the east coast at private events and clubs.

DJ REACT started the seminar with a demonstration of his talent spinning and scratching on turntables. He gave a brief history of his DJing career and advised students about working in the music industry. He then brought students up and had them surround him as he showed them different techniques. From the most basic steps to complex patterns and improvisation, students were shown visually and audibly how DJs create their art. Moves such as a baby scratch, tear, chops, hamster, chirps, flares and the crab were demonstrated and then IAR students stepped behind the mixer and turntables to try for themselves. Nick spoke about ‘beat mixing and trick mixing’ and the importance of counting bars to stay on time and tighten up overall technique, “You don’t have to use crazy techniques to sound good. Using the basics melodically will be crazy.” DJ REACT gave his opinion on different equipment and internet resources to use when building their libraries of music, “I have playlists for everything, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, Club Hits, Bad Boy Records. Organize it with iTunes and know everything.” For more information on DJ REACT visit myspace.com/deejayreact.

IAR Students Perform at NYC Club

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:42:00 GMT

On Tuesday, April 15th, IARecords hosted its sixth Next Level competition at Arlene’s Grocery in Manhattan. The Next Level showcase is a two-part event open only to IAR students. First, students submit their original music to be evaluated by IAR staff. Those selected compete live on stage at Arlene’s Grocery in lower Manhattan. The winner is determined by audience votes and receives a $1,000 credit towards either Disc Makers or Guitar Center. The second part of the Next Level brings all of the students who performed at Arlene’s Grocery into the recording studio to record a song for IARecords’ Next Level 5 album, which will be mixed and released later this year.

Arlene’s Grocery was packed with IAR faculty and staff, the artists’ friends and family, and students. Nine competitors took the stage to perform one song, with the genres ranging among rap, R&B, pop, heavy metal, and soul and funk. The variety of performers and high level of professionalism and talent distinguished this event over previous Next Level competitions. IAR student and Next Level participant Jer-Z remarked afterwards, “I just wanted to thank you guys so much for the opportunity to showcase my work in such a positive environment. I thoroughly enjoyed myself up there and the fact that the other acts were so impressive made for a well-rounded show!”

The winner of the Next Level 6 competition was Christina LaRocca and Heavy Weather, who performed her song ‘Fire.’ The Next Level competitors were T-Flame$ and the Funky Fresh Band, Unikson, Young & The Briz, Jer-Z, Christina LaRocca and Heavy Weather, Y.O. & B-Nice, Nameless & MindState Productions, The Crowning, and Karmen Michael. Congratulations to all competitors and thank you to all IAR student-artists who submitted.