Welcome from the MP&E Studio Operations Team!

Welcome back to a new semester! For those of you who are starting your first semester in MP&E, congratulations on being among those who were selected to enter the major. Now at last, you will be able to get hands-on experience in our studios to learn and perfect the skills needed for a career in the recording industry.

As the Manager of Studio Operations, I take great pride in our facility and the industry professionals which fill the ranks of our excellent support staff. They keep Studio Operations running like clockwork everyday!

We are all passionate and enthusiastic about the art and science of recording. I personally get great enjoyment from watching all of you grow from your experiences throughout your academic career in MP&E. It's fun to see you work through the process (as I also did many years ago) of microphone selection, setting up your studio layout, and running your recording sessions. I especially appreciate being able to provide any advice from my 25+ years of industry experience when asked.

But hold on here, it turns out that I am not the only one in Studio Operations who appreciates this kind of interaction with MP&E students. From a recent survey, it appears that the entire Studio Operations staff would rather spend time in the studios with you than working in the office! Okay, this is a good thing. Obviously, we can't do your labs for you since that would defeat the learning experience. But we can be readily available for immediate troubleshooting on a technical problem and be able to give advice or constructive feedback if you would like. Remember, the Studio Operations Supervisors are an extension of me, the Studio Manager, and are most concerned with your having a positive studio experience.

When I was engineering full time, I was very appreciative when the Studio's Manager appeared on my sessions. They wanted to make sure that I was having a great experience at their facility. It made me feel like I was their most important client! In a recent conversation with MP&E Chairman, Rob Jaczko, he recounted that he was able to fine tune his bass drum sound while on staff at Hollywood's famed A&M studios. One night, Chief Engineer Shelly Yakus (U2, John Lennon, Tom Petty) casually strolled in to his session and offered his friendly advice to get the Bass drum to sit better in the mix. And now years later, Rob's bass drum sound is amazing!

This combined enthusiasm and pride in what we do in Studio Operations culminates in a strong sense of team spirit. This team spirit is what keeps us all moving towards a mutual goal: to have the best studio experience possible. Have a great semester everyone!

That's me at Sounds Reasonable Studios in 1974. At 14 years old, I was already 2 years into my first part time gig at a professional recording studio. And yes, I was cleaning the studio windows.

Sincerely,

Scott Mabuchi

Manager