Pinnacle College recently upgraded Studio A at its Los Angeles campus with a Solid State Logic AWS 900 console.
Formerly known as Sound Master Recording Engineer School, one of the first of its kind in the United States, Pinnacle is carrying on the traditions of knowledge and competence by offering students the very best learning experience.
“At Pinnacle we teach the students how things work, not how to work things,” said Francis Buckley, development manager for Pinnacle College.
“We love the SSL AWS 900+ SE because it is a full-on old school analogue console combined with the modern version of the digital audio workstation control surface.”
“It gives us great flexibility because we can use multiple DAW software packages and the AWS controls them all.”
Pinnacle College offers certificate programs in audio engineering and video game sound design. The coursework puts great emphasis on practical, hands-on training anchored on a comprehensive background of theory of sound and music.
Audio engineering courses include Recording Engineer, Post Production Engineer, Mastering Engineer, Audio Mixer, Sound Designer and Producer. Video game sound design courses include Sound Designer, Music Producer, Dialog Recorder, Foley Artist, Music Composer and Music and Sound Mixer.
Because of the varied missions, the choice of the AWS was critical for students going into the workplace.
“The main reason why Pinnacle chose the AWS is because first and foremost, it’s an SSL,” Buckley said. “It looks exactly like the full-scale SSL consoles our students will be interacting with in music studios, post production facilities, Foley/ADR rooms and even remote trucks.”
“The secondary, but just as important, reason was yeah it’s an SSL – a great sounding board with a great company reputation. Thirdly, the AWS provides us with a vehicle from which we can build the foundational knowledge our students need in every discipline we offer.”
“A dedicated controller for one software package can’t provide the range of learning experience the AWS provides.”
“I have been in the industry for over 30 years and I really appreciate how the AWS works AND feels,” Buckley said.
“The AWS makes my job easier as a teacher because it is a genuine analogue recording console. The AWS lets us teach the basics so our students can operate any console.”
“It is also great from the teacher’s perspective because we know what good audio sounds like and the AWS, as expected from any SSL product, sounds great. Any session we do on this console could be released to the public because the baseline sound is the best in the industry.”
