Audio Pro International Rising Stars 2014 supplement by Kelly Ann Sambridge

in association with

The future’s bright? You bet it is B

ĂĐŬ ŝŶ ϮϬϭϮ͕ ǁĞ ĚĞĐŝĚĞĚ ƚŽ ĞǆƉĞƌŝŵĞŶƚ ǁŝƚŚ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ Ă ůŝƩůĞ ďŝƚ ĚŝīĞƌĞŶƚ͘ We knew that ƵĚŝŽ WƌŽ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟŽŶĂů readers enjoyed hearing from some of ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ĞǆƉĞƌŝĞŶĐĞĚ ĂŶĚ ŝŶŇƵĞŶĐŝĂů ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌƐ͕ ƉƌŽĚƵĐĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ƐŽƵŶĚ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞƌƐ ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚůǇ ĂƌŽƵŶĚ ʹ ƚŚŽƐĞ ǁŚŽ ŚĂĚ ďĞĞŶ ƚŚĞƌĞ ĂŶĚ ĚŽŶĞ ŝƚ͕ ĂŶĚ ƌĞŵĂŝŶ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƚŽƉ ŽĨ ƚŚĞŝƌ ŐĂŵĞ ʹ ďƵƚ ǁŚĂƚ ĂďŽƵƚ ƚŚĞ ǇŽƵŶŐ ŵĞŶ ĂŶĚ ǁŽŵĞŶ ǁŚŽ͕ ŝŶ Ă ĨĞǁ ǇĞĂƌƐ͕ ĐŽƵůĚ ĮŶĚ ƚŚĞŵƐĞůǀĞƐ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ͍ tĞ ƌĞĂůŝƐĞĚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ǁĞƌĞ ǀĞƌǇ ĨĞǁ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƟĞƐ ŽƵƚ ƚŚĞƌĞ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ͛Ɛ ƵƉͲĂŶĚͲĐŽŵĞƌƐ ƚŽ ŝŶƚƌŽĚƵĐĞ ƚŚĞŵƐĞůǀĞƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌůĚ ŽĨ ƉƌŽ ĂƵĚŝŽ ʹ ĂŶĚ ǁĞ Ăůů

&RQJUDWXODWLRQV WR WKH ÀQDO 0DNH sure you don’t miss this year’s Pro Sound Awards, as that’s where we’ll announce the winner of the Rising Stars Award – chosen from this very list. ŬŶŽǁ ŚŽǁ ŚĂƌĚ ŝƚ ŝƐ ƚŽ ŐĞƚ ŶŽƟĐĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ʹ ƐŽ ǁĞ ĮŐƵƌĞĚ Ă ŶĞǁ ŽŶůŝŶĞ ƐĞĐƟŽŶ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ZŝƐŝŶŐ ^ƚĂƌƐ ŽĨ ŽƵƌ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ ǁŽƵůĚ͕ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ǀĞƌǇ ůĞĂƐƚ͕ ďĞ Ă ŶŝĐĞ ǁĂǇ ŽĨ ŐŝǀŝŶŐ ƚŚĞŵ ƐŽŵĞ ŵƵĐŚͲŶĞĞĚĞĚ ƉƵďůŝĐŝƚǇ͘ tĞ ƌĞĂůůǇ ĚŝĚŶ͛ƚ ƐĞĞ ĨŽƌĞƐĞĞ ŝƚ ŐŽŝŶŐ ŽŶ ƚŽ ďĞĐŽŵĞ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ƉŽƉƵůĂƌ parts of the API ƐŝƚĞ͕ ǁŝƚŚ ďƵĚĚŝŶŐ ƉƌŽƐ ĨƌŽŵ Ăůů ƐĞĐƚŽƌƐ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŵĂƌŬĞƚ ĐůĂŵŽƵƌŝŶŐ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĐŚĂŶĐĞ ƚŽ ďĞ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞĚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ƐĞƌŝĞƐ͘ WƵƫŶŐ ƚŚŝƐ ŝĚĞĂ ŝŶƚŽ ƉƌŝŶƚ ǁĂƐ ƚŚĞ ĐůĞĂƌ ŶĞǆƚ ƐƚĞƉ ĨŽƌ ƵƐ ĂŶĚ͕ ĂƐ ǁĞ ƉƌĞĚŝĐƚĞĚ͕ ǁĞ͛ǀĞ ŚĂĚ ĂŶ ĞǆĐĞůůĞŶƚ ƌĞƐƉŽŶƐĞ͕ ǁŚŝĐŚ ŵĂĚĞ ŽƵƌ ũŽď ŽĨ ǁŚŝƩůŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĞŶƚƌŝĞƐ ĚŽǁŶ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĮŶĂů ϱϬ ǀĞƌǇ ĚŝĸĐƵůƚ ŝŶĚĞĞĚ͘ Ɛ ǇŽƵ͛ůů ƐĞĞ͕ ƚŚĞǇ͛ƌĞ Ă ǀĂƌŝĞĚ ďƵŶĐŚ͘ zĞƐ͕ ƚŚĞƌĞ͛Ɛ ĂŶ ĂďƵŶĚĂŶĐĞ ŽĨ ůŝǀĞ ƐŽƵŶĚ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌƐ͕ ďƵƚ ǁĞ͛ǀĞ ĂůƐŽ ŐŽƚ ƚĞĐŚŶŝĐŝĂŶƐ͕ ĐŽŶƐƵůƚĂŶƚƐ͕ ĂĐŽƵƐƟĐŝĂŶƐ ĂŶĚ ĞǀĞŶ ƚŚĞ D ŽĨ Ă ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵů ŵĂŶƵĨĂĐƚƵƌĞƌ ŝŶ ƚŚĞƌĞ͘ /͛Ě ůŝŬĞ ƚŽ ŽīĞƌ ƚŚĂŶŬƐ ƚŽ ĞǀĞƌǇďŽĚǇ ǁŚŽ ŶŽŵŝŶĂƚĞĚ͕ ĂŶĚ Ă ďŝŐ ƚŚĂŶŬ ǇŽƵ ƚŽ ŽƵƌ ŚĞĂĚůŝŶĞ ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌ ƵĚŝŽůŽŐŝĐ͘ ŽŶŐƌĂƚƵůĂƟŽŶƐ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ĮŶĂů ϱϬ͘ DĂŬĞ ƐƵƌĞ ǇŽƵ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ŵŝƐƐ ƚŚŝƐ ǇĞĂƌ͛Ɛ WƌŽ ^ŽƵŶĚ ǁĂƌĚƐ͕ ĂƐ ƚŚĂƚ͛Ɛ ǁŚĞƌĞ ǁĞ͛ůů ĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞ ƚŚĞ ǁŝŶŶĞƌ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ZŝƐŝŶŐ ^ƚĂƌƐ ǁĂƌĚ ʹ ĐŚŽƐĞŶ ĨƌŽŵ ƚŚŝƐ ǀĞƌǇ ůŝƐƚ͘

Adam Savage. Editor, Audio Pro International adam.savage@intentmedia.co.uk

www.audioprointernational.com

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

A word from our sponsor A

The emergence of serious talent in this industry is something that needs to be nurtured, supported and given the recognition it deserves.

s a leading provider of pro audio sound equipment for professional ŝŶƐƚĂůůĂƟ ŽŶ ĐŽŶƚƌĂĐƚŽƌƐ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ĞĂƐǇ ƚŽ ƐĞĞ ǁŚǇ ƵĚŝŽůŽŐŝĐ ŵŝŐŚƚ ǁŝƐŚ ƚŽ ĂƐƐŽĐŝĂƚĞ ŝƚƐĞůĨ ǁŝƚŚ ϱϬ ZŝƐŝŶŐ ^ƚĂƌƐ͘ ^ƵƉĞƌĮ ĐŝĂůůǇ ƐƉĞĂŬŝŶŐ͕ Ă ƐƵĐĐĞƐƐĨƵů ĐŽŵƉĂŶǇ ƉƵƚƐ ŝƚƐ ŶĂŵĞ ƚŽ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ƵŶĚĞŶŝĂďůǇ ƉŽƐŝƟ ǀĞ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞƌĞďǇ ŝƐ ƐĞĞŶ ĂƐ ǁŽƌƚŚǇ ĂŶĚ ŐŽŽĚ ĂŶĚ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ďĂƐŬ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ŐůŽǁ ŽĨ ŝƚƐ ŐĞŶĞƌŽƐŝƚǇ ŽĨ ƐƉŝƌŝƚ͘ ůů ŶŝĐĞ ĂŶĚ ŶĞĂƚ͕ ƚŚĞŶ͍ ƵĞ ƵĚŝŽůŽŐŝĐ͛Ɛ ƐĂůĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŵĂƌŬĞƟ ŶŐ ŵĂŶĂŐĞƌ ŶĚǇ >ĞǁŝƐ͕ Ă ŵĂŶ ĨŽƌ ǁŚŽŵ ƐƵƉĞƌĮ ĐŝĂů ůŝƉͲƐĞƌǀŝĐĞ ŝƐ ŶĞǀĞƌ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ĚĂŝůǇ ŵĞŶƵ͘ ŵĂŶ ŵŽƌĞ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶĂƚĞ ĂďŽƵƚ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƟ ŶŐ ĞŵĞƌŐŝŶŐ ƚĂůĞŶƚ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ĂƵĚŝŽ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ ǁŽƵůĚ ďĞ ǀĞƌǇ ŚĂƌĚ ƚŽ Į ŶĚ͘ /Ĩ Ă ǁŽƌĚ ĨƌŽŵ Ă ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌ ŽŌ ĞŶ ĐŽŶƐƟ ƚƵƚĞƐ ůŝƩ ůĞ ŵŽƌĞ ƚŚĂŶ Ă ďůĂŶĚ ƉůĂƟ ƚƵĚĞ Žƌ ƚǁŽ͕ ƚŚĞŶ ƐƉĞĂŬŝŶŐ ƚŽ ŶĚǇ >ĞǁŝƐ Žī ĞƌƐ ƌĂƚŚĞƌ ŵŽƌĞ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ǁĂǇ ŽĨ ƉĂƐƐŝŽŶ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŵŵŝƚŵĞŶƚ͗ ͞dŚĞ ϱϬ ZŝƐŝŶŐ ^ƚĂƌƐ ŝŶŝƟ ĂƟ ǀĞ ďǇ ƵĚŝŽ WƌŽ /ŶƚĞƌŶĂƟ ŽŶĂů ŝƐ ƌĞĂůůǇ ǀĞƌǇ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ŝŶĚĞĞĚ͘ dŚĞ ĞŵĞƌŐĞŶĐĞ ŽĨ ƐĞƌŝŽƵƐ ƚĂůĞŶƚ ŝŶ ƚŚŝƐ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ ŝƐ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ƚŚĂƚ ŶĞĞĚƐ ƚŽ ďĞ ŶƵƌƚƵƌĞĚ͕ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚĞĚ ĂŶĚ ŐŝǀĞŶ ƚŚĞ ƌĞĐŽŐŶŝƟ ŽŶ ŝƚ ĚĞƐĞƌǀĞƐ͘ ƚ ƵĚŝŽůŽŐŝĐ ǁĞ ĂƌĞ ĐŽŶƐƚĂŶƚůǇ ƐƚƌŝǀŝŶŐ ƚŽ ĚĞůŝǀĞƌ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ƉŽƐƐŝďůĞ ĂƵĚŝŽ ŽƵƚĐŽŵĞƐ ĂĐƌŽƐƐ ƚŚĞ ŵŽƐƚ ĚŝǀĞƌƐĞ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ůŽĐĂƟ ŽŶƐ ŝŵĂŐŝŶĂďůĞ͕͟ ŚĞ ƐĂǇƐ͘ ͞dŽ ĂĐŚŝĞǀĞ ŽƵƌ ĂŝŵƐ ǁĞ ŶĞĞĚ ĂŶ ŝŶͲĚĞƉƚŚ ƚĞĐŚŶŝĐĂů ƵŶĚĞƌƐƚĂŶĚŝŶŐ ŽĨ Ă ŚƵŐĞ ƌĂŶŐĞ ŽĨ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͘ /ƚ ĨŽůůŽǁƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƚ ŝƐ ĂďƐŽůƵƚĞůǇ ĞƐƐĞŶƟ Ăů ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ĞŶĚͲƵƐĞƌƐ͕ ŝŶƚĞŐƌĂƚŽƌƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶƐƵůƚĂŶƚƐ ǁŝƚŚ ǁŚŽŵ ǁĞ ǁŽƌŬ ĂƌĞ ĂďůĞ ƚŽ ĐĂůů ƵƉŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƚĂůĞŶƚƐ ŽĨ ƐŝŵŝůĂƌůǇ ĞǆƉĞƌƚ ŝŶĚŝǀŝĚƵĂůƐ͘ dŚĞ ZŝƐŝŶŐ ^ƚĂƌƐ ŝŶŝƟ ĂƟ ǀĞ ƌĞŇ ĞĐƚƐ ĂŶĚ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ ƐĂŵĞ Ɵ ŵĞ ĞŵƉŚĂƐŝƐĞƐ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĞĚ ƚŽ ƐƵƉƉŽƌƚ ƚŚĞ ͚ďƌŝŐŚƚ ǇŽƵŶŐ ƚŚŝŶŐƐ͛ ǁŚŽƐĞ ĐƌĞĂƟ ǀĞ ĂŶĚ ƚĞĐŚŶŝĐĂů ĂďŝůŝƟ ĞƐ ĐŽŶƐƟ ƚƵƚĞ ƚŚĞ ĨƵƚƵƌĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ŝŶĚƵƐƚƌǇ͘͟ ŶĚǇ >ĞǁŝƐ ƚŚĞŶ͕ ĐůĞĂƌůǇ ĨĞĞůƐ ƚŚĂƚ ƚŚĞ ĐŽŶŶĞĐƟ ŽŶ ǁŝƚŚ ZŝƐŝŶŐ ^ƚĂƌƐ ŝƐ ƐŽŵĞƚŚŝŶŐ ƌĂƚŚĞƌ ŵŽƌĞ ƐƵďƐƚĂŶƟ Ăů ƚŚĂŶ Ă ŵĞƌĞ ĞŶĚŽƌƐĞŵĞŶƚ͘ Ǉ ƐƉŽŶƐŽƌŝŶŐ ƚŚŝƐ ŝŶŝƟ ĂƟ ǀĞ͕ ƵĚŝŽůŽŐŝĐ ĞǀŝĚĞŶƚůǇ ďĞůŝĞǀĞƐ ŝƚ ŝƐ ƉůĂǇŝŶŐ Ă ƉƌŽĂĐƟ ǀĞ ƌŽůĞ ŝŶ ƐƚƌĞƐƐŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ĨƵŶĚĂŵĞŶƚĂůůǇ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ŶĂƚƵƌĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ǁŽƌŬ ŽĨ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞƌƐ͕ ĞŶŐŝŶĞĞƌƐ ĂŶĚ ĐŽŶƐƵůƚĂŶƚƐ͘ ,Ğ ĐŽŶĐůƵĚĞƐ ŝŶ ƚǇƉŝĐĂůůǇ ĞŶƚŚƵƐŝĂƐƟ Đ ĨĂƐŚŝŽŶ͗ ͞dŚĞƐĞ ĂƌĞ ƚŚĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǁŚŽ ĂƉƉůǇ ƚŚĞ ǀĂƐƚ ĂƌƌĂǇ ŽĨ ĂǀĂŝůĂďůĞ ƚĞĐŚŶŽůŽŐǇ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ ďĞƐƚ ǁĂǇ͕ ƚŚĞ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǁŚŽ ƚĂŬĞ ǀĞƌǇ ƐĞƌŝŽƵƐůǇ ƚŚĞ ŶĞĞĚ ŶŽƚ ĨŽƌ Ă ƐŽůƵƟ ŽŶ ďƵƚ ĨŽƌ ƚŚĞ ƌŝŐŚƚ ƐŽůƵƟ ŽŶ͘ /Ĩ ŝŶ ƚŚĞ s ƐŽůƵƟ ŽŶƐ ƐĞĐƚŽƌ͕ ŚĂƐ ƚŽŽ ůŽŶŐ ďĞĞŶ ƚŚĞ ƉŽŽƌ ƌĞůĂƟ ŽŶ ŽĨ s͕ ƚŚĞŶ ŝƚ ŝƐ ƚŚĞ ĞǆƉĞƌƟ ƐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ ZŝƐŝŶŐ ^ƚĂƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ ŝƐ ŐŽŝŶŐ ƚŽ ĚĞŵŽŶƐƚƌĂƚĞ ŶŽƚ ŽŶůǇ ũƵƐƚ ŚŽǁ ŝŵƉŽƌƚĂŶƚ ƉƌŽƉĞƌ ĂƵĚŝŽ ƐŽůƵƟ ŽŶƐ ĂƌĞ͕ ďƵƚ ũƵƐƚ ŚŽǁ ŐŽŽĚ ƚŚĞǇ ĐĂŶ ďĞ͘ KƵƌ ĞƚŚŽƐ Ăƚ ƵĚŝŽůŽŐŝĐ ŝƐ ďĂƐĞĚ ŽŶ ƉƌĞĐŝƐĞůǇ ƚŚĞƐĞ ƉƌŝŶĐŝƉůĞƐ ĂŶĚ ƐŽ ŝĨ ĞǀĞƌ ƚŚĞƌĞ ǁĂƐ Ă ĐĂƐĞ ŽĨ ƉƵƫ ŶŐ ŽƵƌ ŵŽŶĞǇ ǁŚĞƌĞ ŽƵƌ ŵŽƵƚŚ ŝƐ͕ ƚŚŝƐ ŝƐ ŝƚ͊͟

Andy Lewis, Audiologic andy@audiologic.uk

www.audioprointernational.com

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

DIMITAR ANGELOV

Sound Engineer at Centre Stage

imitar Angelov’s ears were trained from a young age as a classical pianist, and from his first time in a recording studio at age 11 he became fascinated by what the engineers were up to. Originating from Bulgaria, Angelov won a full scholarship to study a degree in music at the University of Central Arkansas.

During this time he again found himself in studios and became more intrigued by the engineer’s job than the musician’s, and so began pursuing a career in audio engineering after leaving uni. Now a jobbing London engineer, Angelov is capable of handling a variety of roles, from rock n roll to corporate. His previous positions

include deputy production manager aboard the Arcadia, a Carnival cruise ship, which saw him mix everything from musicals to comedy via cabaret. He was then able to bag himself a full-time engineering job with PA company Centre Stage. Prior to this he was a mainstay in the Eighth Day Sound warehouse.

lucky enough to land an intern position at The Works studio in Dublin with engineer Paul Ashe Browne, where he learned a lot and gained valuable experience. He is currently focused on a project that he helped conceive while working at Flux Studios in New York. Named Press Record, the project involves Ball and

a team of three other young professionals recording and filming local acts playing live in the studio, with Ball carrying out the music and video editing duties. He is also proud of having once assisted on a U2 record, and previously toured the world with the band as a technician for around 18 months.

ROBIN BALL

Producer and Engineer

obin Ball has worked with many artists over the last few years on both sides of the glass in various different roles, including producer, engineer and musician (drummer). Ball was trained at both the Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA, and SAE Institute’s London branch, after which he was

LOUIS BARTOLINI

Producer, Engineer and Mixer

Warriors, but Bartolini says his greatest achievement so far would have to be producing and mixing rapper Mark Battles’ I Got A Feeling. He also believes that his collaboration skills are what sets him apart from the rest. “Being a producer, and even more so as an engineer/mixer, you have to understand that

graduate from SAE San Francisco in 2012, Louis Bartolini has worked with a number of well-known American hip-hop stars, such as Wale. He was recently tasked with putting together Marshall Payne’s Protect Our Ground, which went on to become the official anthem of basketball team Golden State

www.audioprointernational.com

it’s about the artist. You might not always agree creatively but knowing how to compromise and reach a middle ground in the studio is key,” he said. “Making records takes a huge amount of trust and respect from both the producer and artist. Maintaining that respect is what I feel makes or breaks records.”

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

VICKY BATRAK

Freelance Sound Engineer

which she followed up with a broadcast assistant role on XFM’s Winter Wonderland, featuring Ed Sheeran, Chase & Status and Maverick Sabre. In September 2011 Batrak began trading under the name Little Door Audio, and shortly afterwards began shadowing at Granada TV. She also works out of the studios at

ince graduating from SSR Manchester in 2009, Vicky Batrak has gone on to build a successful career in audio, specialising in live sound, postproduction and studio work. Soon after finishing her studies, Batrak gained her first job as a sound assistant on the XFM/ HMV Next Big Thing Festival,

SSR to record and mix various bands, solo performers and spoken word artists, and was a Foley recordist and audio mixer for a few independent short films and online TV series. Her biggest job came in the summer of 2012 in the form of a commentary control room installer / operator role at the Olympic Games.

CRIS CALLEJO

Freelance Sound Engineer

and is also getting along well in the corporate world – her most high-profile event so far being a summit of world leaders. She has spent time on board P&O ship Aurora as deputy production manager and has fulfilled the roles of production manager – with Mexican band Zoe and the UEFA Trafalgar Square

ris Callejo is one of those people who inspires confidence when they walk through the door. After finishing her studies in 2013, she waltzed onto the London scene and became a highly sought-after engineer. She is a regular at venues Village Underground, Red Gallery and The Garage,

celebrations in 2013 – and stage manager with aplomb. She also regularly delves into the world of artist liaison and duty manager at venues. She has a Distinction Live Sound Diploma from Alchemea and won internships at Estudio Uno and The Lobby Post-Production Studio – both in Madrid, Spain.

JAMES COGHLAN

Freelance Systems Tech/Monitor Engineer

that he really decided that the audio business was right for him. Coghlan proceeded to apply for a place on the Sound, Light and Live Event Technology degree course at the University of Derby, from which he graduated with a First Class Honours Degree. He now operates mostly as a systems tech and monitor

ames Coghlan began his career in audio when he was 17 – building and flying PA systems at Cambridge Corn Exchange. Soon after he started, he went freelance and started amassing contacts with a number of small PA firms around the area. He then went on to mix monitors for local companies, and it was then

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engineer. Coghlan is proficient with analogue and digital mixing systems from a range of manufacturers, and has worked with production companies such as B+H Sound Services, On Event Production and SFL Group, as well as at venues and festivals like Nottingham Rock City and End of the Road.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

GARY CURTIS

Sound Engineer for Rudimental

ary Curtis emerged from London’s Alchemea college – the best place in the UK to prepare for a career in live sound, according to the engineer – in October 2010 with a Live Sound Diploma and a genuine thirst for live sound experience. After graduating, he proceeded to work his way up through the

audio industry, working at venues all over the UK capital until his skills were noticed and he started getting regular offers of touring work. He’s since been out on the road with rock group Saves The Day, festival favourites Rudimental, singer-songwriter Ella Eyre and American garage punk band Radkey, doing indoor

and outdoor shows across Europe and beyond. Notable recent shows involving Curtis include the Main Stage at The Calling Festival in London and Rock Werchter in Belgium – another Main Stage job for the engineer. He continues to hone his skills working in various London venues and for a range of PA companies.

AMANDA DAVIS

FOH Engineer for Janelle Monáe

she was offered the job. Her new role has already offered a number of huge opportunities, her favourite being when she got to mix Prince back in December 2013. Monáe was support act for the pop legend, who opted to sing his opening song with her. Davis also ranks the recent UK tour among her biggest

manda Davis is the FOH engineer for Grammynominated American R&B and soul star Janelle Monáe. When Davis heard that the singer was on the lookout for a female engineer through Monáe’s tour manager, a friend of hers, she applied immediately. After a “pretty unorthodox” interview,

achievements so far, which required her to tackle three sold-out shows back-to-back in Birmingham, Manchester and London. She graduated from SAE Atlanta in 2010, but impressed the campus directors so much that they asked her to join the Institute as its first female instructor, teaching Music Theory.

DAVE DEARING

Freelance Live Sound Engineer

for The Pretty Reckless, followed by a stint mixing FOH for Glamour Of the Kill. Another highlight was taking control of the FOH mix at Sonisphere 2014, despite the presence of a huge tent pole in the middle of his mix position. Later on in the year he teamed up with Pete Waterman and his newly signed band JamJar – an

n the past 12 months, Dave Dearing has been given numerous chances to work with new acts and develop his skills and techniques. This includes a trip to the US and Canada with Heavens Basement, followed by a sold-out headline tour with the band earlier this year. Next he found himself working the stage

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acoustic three-piece. Recently he has been working for a handful of audio companies, allowing him to mix a variety of bands at FOH and monitor world, while maintaining the role of a system technician, which he says has given him a better understanding of modern PA systems, and made him a better engineer.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

CAESAR EDMUNDS

Sound Engineer at Assault and Battery

Assault and Battery in London. He was also the recipient of the Sennheiser Studio Excellence Award in July 2013. Edmunds says one of his proudest moments was being involved with the mixing of the new Led Zeppelin live album: “Alan Moulder would go around midnight and leave me to print stems for the 5.1 mixes. I

any studio engineers will spend much of their careers seeking an opportunity to work with Flood and Alan Moulder, but that’s the situation Caesar Edmunds found himself in just one year after graduating from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts. Edmunds is now an integral part of the team at

would work until 8am, when my brain stops working, then recall at where Alan had stopped and head to bed,” he said. “Later in the evening, Jimmy Page would come into the studio for an hour or so. After dinner I would then take a short nap and repeat for the next couple of weeks. I still can’t believe it happened.”

MICHAEL FITZSIMONS FOH Engineer for Dinosaur Pile-Up

shows across Europe (Sweden, Switzerland, Germany and France) and a weekend at Glasto with Australian singer-songwriter Vance Joy – the first artist he has worked with from outside the UK. More recently, he was able to fulfill a dream of visiting Japan – again with Dinosaur Pile-Up – at the Summer Sonic festivals

t’s been a very busy year so far for Sunderland’s Michael Fitzsimons, including a third tour of the US with his main band, alt rock outfit Dinosaur Pile-Up; a session mixing monitors at the Winter Olympics in Sochi with electropop group Fenech Soler, who headlined one of the medal ceremonies; numerous

in Osaka and Tokyo. Fitzsimons says he’s lucky enough to have used “pretty much every decent system out there,” which has allowed him to develop his own brand preferences in terms of consoles and loudspeakers. Avid Profile or Midas PRO2 desks, with d&b audiotechnik J-Series, in case you’re wondering.

STEPHEN FLOWER

Audio Engineer, Lead Audio Programmer and MD of Audient

Audient and its new direction in the USB audio interface market. His area of specialism is design and manufacturing, but he is also adept at recording, web design, media creation, IT management, product design and programming. Still under 30, he has been the driving force, lead designer and programmer of Audient’s

tarting out as a keen musician and progressing through a Music Technology degree, Stephen Flower found himself working for Audient during his summer breaks, building consoles and working in tech support. In eight years, Flower has risen through Sales and Support to become the vision behind

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award-winning iD22 interface. Flower has a great understanding of the quality level and features that audio creation professionals require to do their jobs in an increasingly competitive marketplace. According to his colleagues, he also has a thirst for new knowledge and is always hungry to learn more.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

JAMIE GARVOCK

Audio 2 at Walt Disney Theatre

amie Garvock is an audio engineer from Dundee, Scotland. Over the past year he has built on his existing festival and touring experience – he was involved in setting up for artists such as Stevie Wonder and Bruce Springsteen – gaining employment with the Walt Disney Company as an entertainment

technician. Garvock was given his own venue to run on one of the Walt Disney Cruise Lines ships, where he is responsible for audio, lighting and maintenance. He supplies technical support for shows of various types – cabaret, live music, game shows, presentations, seminars – which has helped him broaden his

knowledge. Recently, he was promoted to Audio 2 for the ship’s onboard Walt Disney Theatre, working on Aladdin and other musicals. When back in Scotland he can be found engineering at local venue 20 Rocks, as well as doing local shows with the likes of Kasabian, and short tours with local bands.

PHIL GORNELL

FOH Engineer and Owner of Steel City Studio

aving been “blessed” with an impressive audio career so far, sound engineer Phil Gornell has spent the past six years touring the world with UK metalcore group Bring Me The Horizon, and has also worked with a string of other well-known rock bands, including New Found Glory and All Time Low. In this

TOM GUDE

time Gornell has seen BMTH’s live production gradually develop, and the same can certainly be said for the Yorkshire outfit’s fan base. He is now spending more time sitting in “the big boy’s chair” at his Sheffield recording facility Steel City Studio, which has been running for three years, and has been used to create a

Design Engineer at Funktion-One

hen Tom Gude came to the end of his yearlong industry placement with Funktion-One, he was reluctant to return to uni and complete his degree. At the hands of some gentle direction and the promise of a full-time position at the end of his studies, he headed back to finish what he had started,

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number of successful records, including BMTH’s latest album Sempiternal – a chart-topper in Australia – and various voiceovers. Gornell is popular with some of the UK’s top rental companies too, including Adlib, whose client manager Phil Kielty has described him as “an exceptional young engineer.”

Read more about Tom: http://audioprointernational.com/news/tag/rising-stars

scoring a first class degree in the process. Tom is comfortable with taking the lead role in a project and is also equally comfortable with working as part of a team. Over the last four years he has worked on extremely important projects – the Mega Bass Horn custom designed for Sochi’s Toboggan Run and the PSM318

DJ monitor to name two. He has also been instrumental throughout the design, development and testing of the new large-format touring system from the company – Vero. “He rises to a challenge and takes it all in his stride” and has “fantastic qualities,” says the firm’s cofounder Tony Andrews.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

BEN HAMMOND

FOH Engineer for Deaf Havana and Saxon, Owner of The Vegas Rooms

udio engineer, studio boss and Allen & Heath (A&H) endorser Ben Hammond has been with the brand for two years, in which time he has toured extensively with the likes of Saxon, Fozzy and You Me At Six. He has also recently set up The Vegas Rooms, a recording facility based at The Chairworks

in Leeds, UK – Hammond’s new base for the mixdown of live materials and other projects. Described by A&H as “one of the most hardworking engineers on the road,” Hammond is also Deaf Havana’s FOH engineer of choice – the fast-rising rockers have relied on him since early in their career. Having progressed

from their pop-punk roots, Deaf Havana’s live show increasingly features a complex stage lineup of electric and acoustic instruments with string sections and choirs added in on larger dates. In July 2014, Hammond took his iLive on tour with No Devotion, which includes five former members of Lostprophets.

NEIL HAYNES

Owner of The Parlour studio

ou don’t necessarily need a full audio education to progress in this industry. Neil Haynes didn’t do any relevant formal studying, but now heads up The Parlour in Kettering – a successful operation that caters for everything from heavy metal to German dance music. A few years ago, he assumed home

recording duties for the band he was with, and “kind of picked it up from there with a lot of trial and error.” The Parlour has gone from strength to strength over the years, with well-known metal producer Russ Russell joining the team as Haynes’ business partner, hence why The Parlour is now doing particularly well with

heavier clients specialising in that particular genre. Haynes says artists love coming to The Parlour because they do “a great job for a reasonable fee.” He claims to treat every project “as if it’s the most important project of the year; my clients always get 100 per cent from me because I love doing what I do.”

JAMES HILL (QJLQHHU DW &RUSRUDWLRQ 6KHIÀHOG DQG 6WHHO &LW\ 6WXGLR

ames Hill’s audio career started at Huddersfield University, where he studied Popular Music Production. After two years he gained a placement at music venue Corporation in Sheffield. After returning to uni for his final year he became the main engineer at local hotspot The Parish while completing his

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studies. Back in Sheffield, he soon joined the sound engineering team at Corporation and remains one of the main engineers there, working in rooms ranging from 200 to 1,000 in capacity, mixing FOH and monitors for local, national and international touring bands. He also freelances at West Street Live, The Harley and The

Washington in the city. In 2013 he started working as a studio engineer at Steel City Studio alongside Phil Gornell. Having started as an assistant, he now records, mixes and produces bands himself. Finally, Hill mixed FOH for pop rock band Room 94 on their UK headline tour in February and March.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

BEN HOBBS

Freelance Sound Engineer

with Grouplove and Portugal. The Man, tackling venues from Seattle to Washington DC. Other bands and artists previously mixed by Hobbs include Young The Giant, Funeral For A Friend, Mike Skinner (The Streets) and We Are The Ocean. Through hard work and many sacrifices, mainly his own bed and home comforts,

t just 24, Thames Valley University graduate Ben Hobbs is making a name for himself as a freelance sound engineer, and currently works with a variety of signed artists. Having spent the past three months working all over the US, Hobbs is now midway through the Honda Civic Tour

Hobbs has put his skills to the test at venues, festivals and studios all over the UK, Europe and US doing what he loves doing in front of crowds of up to 15,000, often surviving on nothing but soggy cheese sandwiches and coffee, apparently. Let’s hope this recognition helps him get a proper meal for once.

MATT HOGAN

Producer and In-house Engineer/Mixer at Buffalo Recording

S-based Matt Hogan has been hooked on music since he was very young. With no access to money or studio time when it came to recording, Hogan figured out how to overdub tracks and mix on basic software mainly through trial and error. Later on, in High School, he set foot in a real studio for the

first time and was fascinated by the gear, which was when he decided to pursue a career in recording. After graduating from the Berklee College of Music, Hogan began working with independent artists – particularly songwriters – all over the United States, from Boston to Los Angeles, specialising in recording,

mixing, vocal production, artist development, composition and sound design. He then bagged an internship at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood while honing his live sound skills at weekends, before joining Buffalo Recording in California as an inhouse engineer and mixer earlier this year.

SCOTT HOWARTH

FOH Engineer for Mallory Knox

cott Howarth’s career has gone from strength to strength in the short while that he has been a touring sound engineer – just three years. He now works for international acts, as well as major upcoming artists and some well-known names from across the music industry. The past 12 months have seen

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him work with rock bands Mallory Knox, LetLive, We Are The Ocean, Bury Tomorrow, Decade and a group called penguinsrising – made up of members of The Who, Primal Scream and the Amy Winehouse band. He has mixed at venues such as Alexandra Palace, Brixton, Manchester Apollo and the Main Stage at

Reading and Leeds festival. He typically works with up-andcoming acts. As Howarth’s main band, Mallory Knox, continues to grow in popularity, with a second album on the way, the engineer is being given more chances to work on some larger production tours after spending over a year honing his skills on smaller shows.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

LAWRENCE KENDRICK Engineer at Jungle

awrence Kendrick joined Jungle, the London-based specialist in sound design and music services for TV, radio, online, cinema advertising and broadcast, three years ago after receiving a First in Sound Engineering and Production from Birmingham City University. He quickly progressed from

runner to sound engineer. A keen musician with an ear for detail, Kendrick’s mixes for clients such as Nickelodeon, Discovery, the RSPCA are known for being creative and clean. He recently worked with the Discovery Channel on a spot featuring quick cuts of nature documentaries overlaid with digital facts and

figures. Extensive slow-mo of quality footage gave him plenty of options for sound design, resulting in a “really exciting mix.” According to Jungle, Kendrick’s diligence with his clients and his love of sound design often shine through in his work, and his clear knowledge of DSP and recording give him the edge in the studio.

DORNY MAYES

Studio Engineer at Linear Recording

orny Mayes is as an engineer at Linear Recording in Sydney, Australia, alongside producer Chris Vallejo – producer of Passenger’s acclaimed album All the Little Lights, which features the hit single Let Her Go. After spending time in the UK, the US and Germany as an artist working with Mike Crossey (Arctic

Monkeys, Jake Bugg), Andy Green (Keane) and Peter Hoffman (Tokio Hotel) Mayes returned to Sydney to take up the position at Linear. Having recently had a custom 1975 Neve 8068 installed – one of the finest consoles in the world, in his opinion – Mayes sees the studio as a great place to work and continue learning his

craft under Vallejo. And Mayes isn’t the only audio professional in his family – his cousin is Peter Mayes (PNAU, Empire of the Sun, Elton John), who he claims to have learnt a lot from. The Rising Star has now begun teaming up with local Australian bands, giving them the chance to record in a “world-class studio.”

ALEX MCCALL

Head of Sound at Reel Pro-Motion

lex McCall was appointed Head of Sound for media and filming company Reel Pro-Motion as a result of the work he carried out for director Doug Ellingford. McCall quit a successful career in sales in order to study production and start a new career doing what he loves. Ellingford calls him “a tireless

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worker and a perfectionist with sound – often mailing finished audio tracks through to him at all hours.” McCall sound engineered at Love Supreme Jazz Festival 2014 and has recorded numerous voiceovers and produced highquality idents and background music for Reel Pro-Motion, while also mixing and producing music

for numerous artists. McCall also negotiated to get himself on the Sontronics microphones artist liaison programme. According to Ellingford, almost all of McCall’s earnings go back into studio equipment so he can improve his inventory or add to his mic collection, which shows the love he has for his craft.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

LEE MCMAHON

FOH Engineer for And So I Watch You From Afar and Dry The River

fter graduating from the Liverpool Institute For Performing Arts and relocating to Northern Ireland in 2012, the last two years have been “a blur” for Lee McMahon. With his experience split between studio and live environments, McMahon made the decision to go down both paths simultaneously. Studio

wise, he has worked with bands from England and Northern Ireland, mainly as a producer/ engineer/mixer. Recent projects include EPs for Fall Of Every Sparrow, Arctic Tern, We Were Beautiful and Carnival Kids. McMahon has also assisted/ engineered on albums for And So I Watch You From Afar (ASIWYFA),

Cashier No.9 and Antlered Man. Recently, his focus has switched more towards live, mainly touring as a front of house engineer with ASIWYFA, doing shows and festivals worldwide. McMahon has also started to mix FOH for London folk rock band Dry The River – a band he has been with throughout the Summer season.

ALEX MILLER

Chief Engineer and Technical Manager at Castle Rock Studios

fter finishing the Audio Engineering Techniques and Technology course at SSR in 2011, including the six-month Live Sound Engineering diploma, Alex Miller has progressed to become an Avid certified Venue Operator and Pro Tools Expert. Miller lectures on SSR’s Home Recording and Music

Production Techniques course, and works at SSR Manchester as one its most respected and sought-after engineers. Miller has also moved on to work as the chief engineer and technical manager at Castle Rock Studios in Alderley Edge, Cheshire, which has seen him work on a wide range of projects with artists and

producers including Matt Healy (The 1975), Jonathan Ansell (G4) and Andy McPherson (The Who, Buzzcocks, Debbie Harry, Saxon). As a freelance engineer, Miller is currently producing the second album for Ten Foot Wizard – the follow-up to 2013’s Return To The Infinite, which he also produced and engineered.

CARLOS MOSQUERA

Academic Director of the School of Arts and Music Production at El Sistema

arlos Mosquera is a Sound Engineering graduate from the Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, and is currently working in Venezuela as the academic director of the School of Arts and Music Production at El Sistema, where he teaches young musicians to become sound engineers. As a recording/mixing/

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mastering engineer Mosquera has worked across a wide range of genres, for artists such as Bob Mintzer, Groove Academy, Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra, Katrina Heenan and the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Brass Ensemble. As a live sound engineer Mosquera has mixed a nationally broadcast concert

in Venezuela, where Gustavo Dudamel conducted the Lara’s Symphonic Orchestra. In addition to these Mosquera has worked with several bands as a freelance sound engineer on the live stage at Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, as well as being the FOH engineer for a number of bands in Venezuela.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

LIAM NOLAN

Engineer at Metropolis Studios

iam Nolan joined the Metropolis Studios family in 2009, and has become one of its most popular engineers, working with a vast range of artists and producers across a plethora of genres, including Cheryl Cole, Adele, Paloma Faith, Lana Del Rey, Roger Daltrey and Example. Prior to Metropolis he was part

of the team at The Roundhouse, where he was an assistant in the studios there, and helped out with some of the live events. One of his projects spent the beginning of 2014 at Number One for four weeks – Clean Bandit’s Rather Be single. He is credited for his contribution to the electronic group’s debut

album, New Eyes, too. Nolan has also worked closely with Metropolis’ chief engineer Sam Wheat on the live-to-vinyl recording technique with artists such as Foals, Ellie Goulding, White Lies, James Morrison, Manic Street Preachers, Kaiser Chiefs, The Bees, Example and The Drums.

PAUL NORRIS

Engineer at Metropolis Studios

Club, Ellie Goulding, Foals, Robyn, The Coral, The Drums, Duke Spirit and White Lies. He has since engineered for a number of highprofile artists such as Ed Sheeran, David Guetta, Cheryl Cole and Little Matador (Snow Patrol side project). He has also assisted on sessions with Alicia Keys, Amy Winehouse, The Fall, Il Divo,

ince moving to Metropolis in 2011 Paul Norris has developed into an experienced engineer, and was awarded his first Grammy this year for Rihanna’s Unapologetic album. Norris’ first ever Metropolis session was for SEAT’s On Track series of live-to-vinyl cuts, with artists including Bombay Bicycle

James Morrison, Bullet for My Valentine, God Damn, Magnetic Man, Mika, Morning Parade, Neil Diamond, Nitin Sawhney, One Direction and Snow Patrol, and has worked with producers/ songwriters Mark Ronson, Paul Butler, Paul Epworth, Rodney Jerkins, StarGate, will.i.am and many more.

BRYONY OCTOBER FOH Engineer for Foxes

ryony October started out working as a backline tech for her favourite band, The Levellers, mixing any support band without an engineer. She has been on the road ever since as an engineer and tour/production manager. At 20 she was supervising sound on Later With Jools Holland and at 23 mixing monitors on Tim

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Burgess’ solo project on the Rolling Stones tour. At 24 she toured the US with The Delays, supporting Franz Ferdinand, and later on she mixed FOH for The Noisettes, culminating in two sold-out nights at Camden Roundhouse. During 2011/12 she took on FOH duties for Billy Ocean and his band. Whilst firmly

embedded in female-fronted pop, touring the world with her current artiste Foxes, October has also kept one hand on the folk scene, working with Cara Dillon, Laura Marling, Jonny Flynn and newcomer Marika Hackman. She says she is proud to be one of few female engineers thriving in this male-dominated industry.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

MATTHEW PARISI

Principal Engineer for Mike Stock

atthew Parisi is a 26-yearold audio engineer and producer based in Brighton, UK, who has worked in recording studios since the age of 14. He is currently principle engineer to British songwriter Mike Stock – formerly of Stock, Aitken and Waterman – working from his private studios in West

Sussex. With Stock, Parisi has worked on projects such as The Go!Go!Go! Show, a pop group aimed at young children, and his recordings and mixes are aired daily on the Nickelodeon Jr. channel. Along with some new signings, such as some previous The Voice contestants and a couple of artists Stock had hits

with in the ‘80s and ‘90s, the pair are about to start writing and producing albums for two “platinum-selling artists.” Parisi has begun embarking on a career as a producer and writer, too. Parisi writes and produce for a number of up-and-coming artists, one of which recently struck a deal with a major label in the US.

Film at the London Independent Film Festival. After uni he joined Hackenbacker as a runner, where he had the opportunity to assist Nigel Heath during the mix of an episode of Downton Abbey. Since then, he has worked at ENVY Post Production and Grand Central Recording. In his short career so far, Pearson has had the pleasure

of working on films featuring James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie and Mike Tyson. He is currently working on several projects in a variety of roles, including Supervising Sound Editor on feature film Brief Intermission by Misha Vertkin and Dubbing Mixer on wrestling documentary Nine Legends by Dave Sinnott.

FRED PEARSON Freelance Sound Editor

red Pearson studied Sound Technology at LIPA and graduated in 2011. Whilst there, he set up the company Arrowhead Audio SFX, which sells royalty-free sound FX. The first short that Pearson mixed while at university, Endless by Matt Bloom, was nominated for or won 29 awards, winning Best Horror

RYAN PENNY

Consultant at RH Consulting

hen looking for a candidate to join RH Consulting, principal Roland Hemming approached LIPA for a Sound Technology degree graduate who had done the course but then realised they didn’t want to be a sound engineer. He was sent just one name – Ryan Penny. Hemming soon found out that

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Penny was the only person to graduate from the course with a first class degree in the past three years. Penny quickly grew into a consultancy role at RH, and has carried out a wide range of tasks. He almost single-handedly re-wrote a manufacturer’s DSP training course, which is now being translated into a number

of languages, and he’s created over 30 application example drawings for another firm, explaining how their products work in hotels, bars, gyms, clubs and other settings. He has also conducted country audits, where RH has visited a territory and assessed the current state of its professional audio market.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

ANDY ROBINSON

FOH Engineer for Wolf Alice

ince being featured in Audio Pro International’s online Rising Stars column in January 2012, when he was working at the O2 Academy Leicester and studying, Andy Robinson has finished university and gone freelance. Although he still regularly works at the Midlands venue, his services are also

required at Birmingham Academy and Stage Audio Services from time to time. His main role, however, is front of house engineer for indie band Wolf Alice. So far this year, Robinson has mixed them at a number of major support shows with The 1975 and Manic Street Preachers, in high-capacity locations such

as London’s Brixton Academy and Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff. He also recently completed a headline UK tour with the group, as well as a busy festival season that saw them head to Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds. Other well-known acts that Robinson has done short runs with include Foals and Ghostpoet.

live room acoustics inspired by vintage analogue studios with digital control room technology – a vision that resulted in a Mercury Prize nomination for Golden by Kit Downes, and saw Paul Weller praise a 30th Anniversary recording of the Style Council’s The Paris Match as “absolutely stunning!” Ross and

Astar have become the producer and studio choice of many independent artists and labels. The facility caters for a wide range of genres from classical to jazz, rock and pop – all recorded and produced by Ross, who also operates a successful graduate placement programme with the University of Huddersfield.

ANDY ROSS

Owner of Astar Studios

ancashire-based Astar Studios is celebrating its sixth anniversary this year. The studio, owned by international songwriter and producer Andy Ross, was purpose-built inside an industrial unit in Heywood, and designed with the emphasis on what matters – the recording environment. Ross has combined

SAM SAVILE

Freelance Sound Engineer and Production Manager

ollowing his completion of the BSc (Hons) Studio & Live Music Production course at SSR in 2014, Sam Savile has progressed as a London-based freelance sound engineer and production manager. Studying primarily under the supervision of Martin Desai, head of audio at SSR Manchester, and head

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of live sound Jay Beard, Savile has been noted as a dedicated, enthusiastic and committed engineer in both studio and live engineering environments, and this summer has been going through an extensive festival season with shows throughout the UK and Europe. This includes working Glastonbury’s Pyramid

stage, as well as mixing for Crystal Fighters, VV Brown and many more. Savile is also one of the directors at Kingston-based Triplex Productions, providing production management and resources to clients throughout the music industry, along with a number of corporate and religious events.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

MARK SCURR FOH Engineer

ark Scurr started his career in the music industry in the way that many sound engineers do – as a musician with a talent for the technical side of things. He soon realised he had an interest in the intricacies of live sound, and so set about gaining knowledge and experience, working in small venues where

his attention to detail and personable nature soon led to regular touring work. Since then he has toured around Europe, America, Asia and Australia with The Shout Out Louds, Cloud Control, Local Natives and These New Puritans. Notable shows include Local Natives at Fuji Rocks, These New Puritans at

the Hollywood Bowl (supporting Bjork) and a recent show at the Barbican with These New Puritans mixing and recording a concert featuring the band augmented by a full orchestra. He enjoys the challenge of collaborating with creative people who push his skills further than if he worked alone.

PETE SEDDON

Systems Technician for Franz Ferdinand

ete Seddon has been a systems technician for Franz Ferdinand for more than three years now, and is currently midway through a worldwide festival tour which is scheduled to hit South America later this month. He also recently filled in as PA and RF technician for the UK Little Mix tour. Seddon is

another graduate from the Live Sound Engineering course at School of Sound Recording (SSR), during which time he was able to hook up with Wigwam Acoustics – where he still carries out freelance work – as a warehouse technician while getting on with his studies. After finishing the course he spent more time at

Wigwam, and got the chance to tour with huge acts such as Radiohead. Next, he took on a Project Manager role at Tube UK, before deciding to go it alone as a freelance engineer. Last year, he teamed up with Adlib for Elvis Costello’s tour of the UK and Europe, where he held the position of monitor engineer.

the Official Amazon Download Chart in Germany and recorded, produced and mixed a song called We Will Be Strong, which was presented to US President Barack Obama at his second inauguration. Creating the song involved recording over 2,000 people in a football stadium. Sheil also mixed and mastered Parker

Ighile’s charity single Heaven’s Playground, which legendary producer Quincy Jones listened to and was apparently very impressed with. The song was recorded for the victims of the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting in Connecticut, USA. There’s plenty more, too, which we simply can’t fit in here.

BRIAN SHEIL

Producer and Engineer

n his short audio career so far, Irish producer and engineer Brian Sheil has already been nominated for two MPG Awards in 2013 (International Producer of the Year and International Engineer of the Year); recorded, produced and mixed You Sleep With Angels by Brendan Keeley, which reached Number One in

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audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

CULUM SIMPSON Engineer at Jungle

ulum Simpson joined London post house Jungle three years ago as a runner. He quickly earned a place in transfer and soon became the ‘go to’ sound designer for the company’s VFX department, gaining enough trust to be let loose on prime time title sequences for the BBC and Endemol, spots for

Viacom and running track-lay for episodes of Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton’s Inside No. 9. When promoted to a full-time engineering role in January 2014, he already had an impressive body of work to his name, which has continued to grow with projects for big-name brands such as Hellmann’s and

Pepsi, as well as promotional material for some of the UK’s top broadcasters. Jungle says it’s his manner in the studio that sets him apart from the pack, and that he strikes a perfect balance between professionalism and familiarity, going the extra mile to make time in the studio fun as well as productive.

AJ SUTHERLAND

Live Sound Engineer, Tour Manager and Backline Technician

lready an experienced FOH/monitor engineer and backline tech, touring all over the world with wellestablished artists, AJ Sutherland has developed extensive knowledge of topics such as radio frequencies, speaker system design, mixing consoles, digital playback systems, musical

instruments, accounting and management. Sutherland’s current roles include tour manager for Modestep, FOH engineer for Screaming Maldini, Monitors for Kiesza and backline technician for Alex Clare. He has toured the UK, Europe, South America, North America and Japan, taking in Glastonbury, V,

T in the Park, Wireless, iTunes, Parklife Weekender, Summertime Ball, Reading & Leeds, Oxygen, Rock Am Ring, Rock Im Park, Pukkelpop, Coachella, Ultra, Lollopalooza and Elextrox. He also has a knack for corporate events, hire, installs, teaching, production managing and building custom audio/stage setups for bands.

EDWARD SUTTON

Sound Engineer at Soho Square Studios

d Sutton has packed a lot into his career so far for someone under the age of 30. Sutton started out as a singer/guitarist in a chart-topping band, The Noise Next Door, before moving onto working in live sound for venues and large events, such as Glastonbury. Following the completion of a Diploma in Sound

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Engineering at Alchemea, he then embarked upon a career as a sound engineer at London’s Soho Square Studios. Since joining, Sutton has totted up an impressive credit list including projects for a number of BBC children’s animation series and leading broadcast production companies, with Maverick TV,

Foundation TV, RDF Media and the Al Jazeera Network being just a few examples. Alongside this, Sutton engineers sessions with top advertising agencies in the city for radio and TV campaigns. He is frequently requested for by name at Soho Square Studios thanks to his creative flair and technical expertise.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

MARTIN SWAIN Recording Engineer

artin Swain is based in the UK’s South West, and has already worked with numerous punk, rock and metal bands. A guitarist of 12 years, Swain realised that a career in audio was for him when he began recording ideas for a project through a cheap cassette deck. It got to the stage where he wanted

to record these ideas properly, so he saved up some money and bought an original Tascam US-144 audio interface and Shure SM57. Since then, he’s been hooked on recording. Recently, Swain recorded a local band called Light Fire Down, who had just released their new EP, and metalcore group WeWhoDare. As most of

his work is done on the move, Swain says he has the ability to get studio-quality results in a lessthan-ideal scenario under quite a strict timeframe. He also claims to be a specialist in mic choice and placement, knowing which microphones will yield the best results for the sonic signature the band are looking for.

JASON THOMAS

Sound Engineer at Britannia Row Productions

ason Thomas bagged a coveted one-year full-time position at Britannia Row Productions after completing the company’s new Live Sound Technology course with the highest final grade. Since graduating he has worked on a number of shows, with the main highlight being the time he worked as FOH technician

for Florence and the Machine at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland. Before deciding to switch to the world of live sound, Thomas was as a studio engineer in London, where he spent much of his time as an assistant. He was previously in charge of a record label and management firm as well. It was when he started

working with bands that he began to take more of an interest in live. He has also filled the role of system/stage technician for X Factor winner Sam Bailey, and PA/ front-of-house/stage technician for the Chingford Big Weekender festival, which featured performances from Soul II Soul and Sister Sledge.

CHRIS WALLS

Acoustic Engineer and Founder of Level Acoustic Design

hris Walls is an acoustician and studio designer responsible for designing a host of top recording spots in the UK and beyond, including the Tileyard Studios. Walls began his career in studio design at Munro Acoustics, eventually becoming principal acoustician. While at Munro, Chris was instrumental

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in designing music studios for U2, Coldplay, Basement Jaxx, Pendulum and Zane Lowe; post and broadcast facilities for the BBC, Dolby, Goldcrest, Prime Focus and Sony and concert halls such as the Grand Palace Theatre in the Kremlin. Late last year, Walls left Munro to form Level Acoustic Design, where he

continues to design studios for artists, producers and the post production industry, with the first wave of Level-designed studios now coming to completion. Current projects include studios for The Prodigy, Manchester Metropolitan University, as well as ongoing work with producers Rob Swire and Mark Ronson.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

STEVE WEALL

Freelance Monitor Engineer

teve Weall has been working as a freelance live sound engineer for the past six years. It was while completing a degree in record production in 2007 that he found himself drawn towards the live music industry and started working as a house technician at Southampton 02 Guildhall, which is where he gained a huge

amount of experience and still occasionally works today. He then began touring more as a FOH engineer with bands across UK and Europe, and somewhere along the way he found himself mixing his first monitor gig at Brixton Academy for Taylor Hawkins and The Coattail Riders. Since then he has been mixing

monitors almost exclusively, with the majority of his time being spent on the road with Blood Red Shoes and Crystal Fighters. He still regularly mixes FOH for a variety of other bands, with past and present credits including Bury Tomorrow, Canterbury, We Are The Ocean, Blitz Kids and Itch (formerly of The King Blues).

JOHN WEBBER

Mastering Engineer at AIR Studios

Four Seasons performed by top Venetian orchestra Interpreti Veneziani. He is believed to be the youngest mastering engineer to record direct to disc in the modern era. He’s also cut vinyl releases and reissues for Neon Neon, George Michael’s recent Number One album Symphonica, Ghostface

or the past 14 months John Webber has been employed as a mastering engineer at AIR Studios in London, after seven years working freelance at Blue Pro Mastering. He recently cut AIR’s first ever direct-to-disc recording live from Studio One, onto a Neumann VMS-80 lathe, for the vinyl release of Vivaldi’s

Killah and BADBADNOTGOOD. Webber worked with AIR’s Geoff Foster mastering the iTunes/ CD release for Clint Mansell’s Noah Soundtrack. Other past clients of Webber’s include Matt Cardle, Audio Bullys and Marc Almond, for labels such as EMI, Parlophone, Mute, Sony BMG and Universal/Island.

ALEX WILSON-THAME Engineer at Jungle

aving completed a degree in Music Production at the Academy of Contemporary Music, Alex Wilson-Thame joined Jungle three years ago, and has blossomed into a creative, talented engineer, according to his employer. Jungle says his aptitude to think in an impeccably creative manner inside the studio

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is truly reflective in the work he produces – constantly thinking outside of the box, trying to push the boundaries of sound creation. He has handled projects for Virgin, Nickelodeon, Honda, Sony PlayStation, as well as awardwinning short films and charity radio and TV adverts. Recently, Wilson-Thame completed the

sound design for an animated film called Lost Property, which has been shown at film festivals around the world. He is also an accomplished musician in his own right, playing guitar and piano professionally for many years – as well as writing and publishing a book on the psychoacoustics of horror film compositions.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

DAN WILLETT

Sound Engineer at Univibe Audio

an Willett didn’t exactly take a conventional route into the field. He started taking music lessons from a very young age, developing a musical ear and studying theory from very early on, but his interest in audio engineering didn’t take off until after he left school. Willett took a part-time BTEC diploma in

recording techniques at Walsall College – one night a week for a year, learning the fundamentals of mic placement, signal routing etc. Although it wasn’t much, he says, it showed him the ropes and allowed him to find the right path. Around the same time, the practice room Willett’s band had been using – he’s also a session

bassist for hire – came up for let. He decided to take it on, filling the space with some basic recording equipment. Now he’s in charge of the studio business at Univibe Audio in Birmingham, having been there since 2008, recording bands such as Bovine, Dharma Sunset, Demons of Ruby Mae and Young Kato.

RAPHAEL WILLIAMS

Monitor Engineer for Tinie Tempah

aphael Williams has achieved a lot for his age. At just 14 he started his own recording studio working with semi pros, which is when he learnt how to mix. He continued to get work experience from the ages of 17-20 from Bethel Convention Centre in Birmingham, Urban Voice (choir project) and a local PA company,

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Precise Audio Live. Shortly after finishing uni he began working with Tinie Tempah, who he has been with for four years. Williams has also worked alongside London Community Gospel Choir (LCGC), Wretch 32 and James Arthur. One of his career highlights was when he was asked to manage LCGC’s live recording

at Soundbank Centre in May 2013, when they achieved the Guinness World Record for having the largest number of gospel singers. From the age of 17 he has production managed and FOH engineered an event called Midnight Oil Summit, an annual Christian gathering of young people from across the UK.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

Q&A: BIMM’s Adam Bushell &ROOHJH 0DQDJHU RI %ULJKWRQ ,QVWLWXWH RI 0RGHUQ 0XVLF·V ÁDJVKLS IDFLOLW\ RQ KRZ WKH VWUHQJWK RI BIMM’s Live Sound and Music Production courses prove it’s about more than just music education... Tell us a bit about your Live Sound Engineering and Music Production courses? We currently offer a one-year Level 3 Diploma in Live Sound Engineering and Tour Management, and we’re just about to enrol the second cohort of students onto our new threeyear BA (Hons) in Music Production course. Our Diploma in Live Sound Engineering has been running at BIMM for over ten years now and offers a practical education experience designed to prepare aspiring professionals for the many different situations they’ll find themselves in as a tour manager or live sound engineer – roles that are often taken on by the same person. It’s all about developing both the specialist skills they’ll need, and the transferable skills to be able to adapt to different situations.

industry. Our course development teams are made up of individuals at the top of their fields, whose experience is central to the development of curriculum materials. We are very conscious of the changing nature of the industry in general, not just in the technological sphere. In addition to tapping into our ‘in-house’ knowledge, we like to corroborate that with various industry colleagues and associates not directly involved with the BIMM curriculum delivery. In that regard we regularly hold ‘Industry Advisory Panels’ made up of colleagues and partners from different areas of the music industry, who can offer their thoughts and insights pertaining to a particular area of interest or development, relative to where the industry is at, and where it’s going.

What sets BIMM apart from other educational establishments? All courses at BIMM have been structured to best reflect what goes on in today’s constantly evolving music industry. BIMM has always been about providing that link or stepping stone for those people wanting to make a career from music – to spend the majority of their time doing something they love – so our focus has always been to hone the required skills, and go further to ensure they get put to good use. Another major factor in the delivery of our courses is that all of BIMM’s tutors are active music industry professionals who have worked at the highest levels of the industry. They come with all that experience and knowledge, which brings added context and depth to the curriculum.

relationship with Brighton Electric Recording Studios, where we run some of our delivery, to give students a sense of what it’s like working in a professional studio environment. Brighton Electric is a fantastic facility, and they’re currently expanding to offer even greater flexibility for our students. In-house we have two fully equipped Mac suites, spec’d with professional high-end software (Ableton, ProTools, Logic, etc.) to ensure our students are working with industry-standard software across multiple platforms. Our Live Sound desks are a mix of both analogue and digital equipment, again providing students with the opportunity to work with the various types of equipment they’ll encounter in the real world. All our PA installations are modular and designed to be disassembled and put together, to further develop understanding.

What facilities do you offer audio students? We like to balance our delivery between time spent working in-house, and in out-sourced, real-world establishments. We have a close

How do you ensure that your courses remain up to date with recent technology trends? As mentioned before, all those who teach on our courses are professionals in the music

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What would you say to those who believe real-world experience is more important that a formal music/audio education? As everyone who works in the music industry knows, and any other industry for that matter, there is no substitute for real-world experience. What BIMM aims to do is better prepare young people and educate them to the realities of the industry they want to be in, rather than them having to work it out for themselves, as my generation had to. The importance of real-world experience is certainly not lost on us, and the whole approach of BIMM is to deal with the realities of the industry, and not dress it up. BIMM does not sell dreams of industry stardom – if anything it dispels that and looks firmly towards sustainable careers, whether that be as a successful platinum-selling artist or one of the many other myriad roles in the industry. The way to look at it is not real-world experience versus the college experience, but a college experience containing real-world experiences, curriculum, tutors and ethos.

audio pro international rising stars | october 2014

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