The first in a series of live studio training events with Alan Parsons was recently held at the Universidad Nacional de Lanú;s (UNLA) in Buenos Aires on Thursday, May 5th.
Master Class Training Sessions (MCTS) comprise a hands-on, live recording session with Alan Parsons, complete with placing musicians in the studio, selecting and plugging in mics, recording, processing and even a basic mix.
Attendees get to sit in the control room, actively assisting on the session.
The event in Buenos Aires featured local indie rockers Vaqueros Paganos and was sponsored by AES in Argentina with Sound Pro Latin America, distributors of Alan Parsons’ new Art & Science Of Sound Recording video series, on which much of the MCTS approach is based.
Thirty-two students got ringside seats with Alan in the Pro Tools HD and Yamaha 02R-equipped control room with an additional 100 people viewing a live video feed in an adjoining theater on campus.
Key stages of the event were also webcast live on Facebook.
The MCTS are focused on old-school recording techniques and principles: re-positioning equipment rather than fixing problems later on, and with the emphasis on creating a musically satisfying result as opposed to spending hours creating a recording that looks good in the DAW.
At one point a student questioned Alan’s EQ of the overhead drum mics, asking why the left and right settings were not identical. “Unintentional,” replied Alan.
“But it sounds right. You don’t always have to go for digital perfection.”
One of the biggest surprises was how much separation Alan was able to get between the instruments – including a full drum kit, bass and two separate guitarists – simply by positioning amps and use of appropriate mics and polar patterns.
Remarkably, given the fact that gobos were only used to minimize some ambiance during the recording of the lead vocals, there was almost no spill between any of the instruments.
Universidad Nacional de Lanú;s director Susana Espinosa was thrilled with the event, saying that the day was a complete validation of her personal efforts in getting the UNLA’s impressive recording facilities built in the first place.
The Universidad Nacional de Lanú;s is a public university (completely free to students) with more than 500 students enrolled in their 4-year audio and video production degree courses.
Master Class Training Session dates in the U.S. are due to be announced later this month, starting in July.
Fly-on-the-wall footage from the day is already on the Art & Science Of Sound’s youtube channel; and more information can be found on his website.
