Sound Arts Instructor, Christopher Willits, suggested we all bring pillows for the floor of the live room. I pictured low lighting, persian rugs and lots of booze as I picked up a six pack and made my way to the studio….

The first live performance held at Sound Arts was Sunday, March 15. Thanks to the folks at overlap everyone had a great time. It felt quaint, cozy and very…familiar to the underground. The seating was limited, and the treats were plenty. Miroque was a bit nervous; she kept patting her cheeks between songs and tapping her fingers over her heart. But she played beautifully, to the tune of drowning swans, including tracks from her latest record, Green Anthology. The word of the moment is happening, so check back often to stay in the know.

In an effort to keep you folks better informed about what other projects we’ve got going on, I’m proud to introduce our latest feature: Outside the Studio. These articles will detail what sweet and savvy projects our brilliant instructrs, producers and engineers have going on throughout the Bay and the World! It just goes to show that working with Sound Arts gives you top-notch access to a myriad of opportunitues in the Music and Audio Industry.

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Lead Instructor, Christopher Willits, is touring again. For those who don’t know, Willits is an acclaimed experimental musician, coining the term ‘folding’ in his approach to his guitar playing.  He travels all over the world to share his avant guard work with anyone and everyone. Upcoming dates on the East Coast:

Friday, Feb. 20 in Brooklyn @ Monkey Town

Saturday, Feb. 21 in NYC @ the Stone

Sunday, Feb. 22 in Baltimore @ Hexagon

For a complete list of Willits’ upcoming tour dates, check out www.christopherwillits.com/events.html

Willits was also asked to give a guest lecture at Stanford this month, to talk about the relationship between live performance, mic techniques, and how he designs software that creates a relationship between  sound and image. Way to go Willits!

Lead Producer, Ryan Kleeman, is currently co-designing the sound for Philistines, a theater production about the young generation and the older generation clashing through the chaos of a revolution in turn-of-the century Russia. Philistines runs the second week of Feb. through the last week of Feb. at Zeum Theater in Yerba Buena Gardens at 4th and Howard.

Full Speed Ahead!

We’ve got lots going on this month, here’s the skinny:

Upcoming classes:

* Music Production Workshop. Sat. & Sun. Feb. 14 & 15, 2009
* Mic Techniques. Sat. Feb. 21, 2009
* Voice Over Workshop. Sat. & Sun. Feb. 28 and March 1, 2009

For the current list of scheduled classes, prices and descriptions, or to sign up for a private instruction session, give us a call or visit www.soundarts.org

Overlap Salon

On February 4th, Sound Arts partner organization, Overlap, hosted a FREE event where users of Cycling 74′s powerful New Media creation software Max/MSP/Jitter were invited to join us in a mix of presentations, discussions, and discoveries. Topics included preset storage using the pattr system and tips and tricks for integrating preset communication into your patches.

We will be hosting the salons once a month throughout the year, so be sure to check in to get the next date. Everyone is welcome regardless of previous experience, and all are encouraged to bring laptops and libations!

Lily Taylor Releases “Overtones”

Lead engineer Ryan Kleeman has nearly wrapped producing up and coming artist Lily Taylor’s debut album “Overtones.” Together they infused her haunting vocals with ethereal drops of piano strings, creating the perfect soundtrack for watching skies ablaze in the jaded desert. And did we mention she’s originally from Santa Fe? Hear something new at: www.myspace.com/thelovelylily

Star instructor and engineer, Ryan Kleeman, recently had the pleasure of recording some grand-master funk up in the Sound Arts house. The Pleasuremaker crew, led by Joe McGuire, got super close and friendly as they wanted to record all 7 funkified musicians at once in our live room. Kleeman tried out some new techniques to master the wave forms of sound bouncing off so many shakin’ bodies, and waxed poetic in the process. Here’s what he had to say about the experience:

“Engineers always talk about capturing the essence in a recording by printing to tape a very accurate representation of the sound waves created from musicians and instruments.  In all honesty, it’s not the actual sound waves that I’m interested in, it’s the spirit, the soul, and inspiration from the musicians that is embedded into the sound waves as I capture them into mics and pre-amps and then onto tape. The sound waves just act as a medium of transmission through which the spirit is connected that gets printed to tape. That’s what I’m going for – to make people feel at home to create and let their soul shine into the recording.  This is something that we don’t necessarily hear as sound waves but we feel in our hearts and souls as we listen and relate to the recording.”

The current Pleasuremaker incarnation features drums, congas, electric guitar, keyboards, ableton live sampling, electric bass, alto saxophone, trumpet and trombone. They hold true to their moniker and really get your rump a-bouncin, just like the folks did it in Motown. See for yourself by sampling a tasty sonic morsel, included below, and stand by for the Pleasuremaker EP due out later this month.

Hello fellow sound artisans, we’ve got some exciting news!

Sound Arts is rolling out a distinct new set of class offerings for 2009. In the face of today’s economy, having more professional skills can only help you get ahead of the competition.  Our tailored courses, including sound design for film scores, audio post production, and DIY pedal building; are customized to maximize the students’ creative and professional prowess. We will teach you the skills, get you into a live studio to try them out, and then link you up with professional opportunities throughout the Bay Area. In addition to group workshops and private instruction, we also offer the brand new customized Sound Arts Certificate, where you can pick the curriculum and learn at your own pace. Once earned, this certificate will enable you to work within our professional and creative network, possibly even Sound Arts itself!

Please visit www.soundarts.org or www.soundarts.org/education to learn more about Sound Arts Education.

You can also Download the Spring 2009 Course Catalog or email eduation@soundarts.org for more info.

Upcoming January Group Workshops:

http://xlr8r.com/tv/82

Once a month, Christopher WIllits, the electronic musician and guitarist guides us through recording and production techniques, basic electronic programs and other technical skills that he uses to create music. In this episode, Willits explains automation clips—setting them up, as well as their role in recording and playing live. Past episodes have included techniques he’s used on his albums, like processing sounds through MIDI pick-ups and synthesizers.

Tune in once a month as Christopher shows us some of the ways he produces his own music, as well as the many cool things you can do with recording software. According to Christopher, “I simply want to excite people’s imaginations and creative process so they can more easily create the sounds and music and art they love.”

http://xlr8r.com/tv
http://christopherwIllits.com

Sunday, October 19th, 2008

Join Sound Arts at Blakes in Berkeley and support the Obama Campaign…Brought to you by Abject Era and KGE Productions, with live art from Wall Eye Creations and music by The Dervish, The Red Fox, Pride City Purpose and more!

Amongst several other prizes and giveaways, Sound Arts will be raffling a $250 gift certificate for a half day of recording and mixing (engineer included).

2367 Telegraph Ave
$10 Min Donation
Doors Open at 7:00

Big props to Saylor for the awesome Yelp! review…We’ve begun a really cool new project with Saylor Billings called the O-Line Mysteries, a mystery, comedy podcast. Check out Saylor’s review —>