Sonic Factory (Dec 2015-May 2016) - Posted on 2016-05-22 by Brandyn Zellmer

The past few  months I have taken a break from the cirriculum in the text book to focus more on learning the dynamics and hands on aspect of recording. Matt Sepanic, my mentor has moved to a new job in Nashville, and Jon Locker has stepped up to finish my mentoring. I have been lucky enough to become more involved at the Sonic factory in helping out with more and more sessions. In February, Jon had me help him shoot video/audio for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and The PorkTornadoes at Wooly's, a bar here in Des Moines.  In April, I was given the opportunity to Co-Host a live session featuring the James Biehn band. I was in charge of microphone placement, setting up the patch bay and getting overall levels for the mix as well as, seeing that the guests who attended the performance were each set up with their own playback mix to experience the show through headphones. After the show, I was assigned to do a mix of the 2 hour performance and assist Jon in the mastering process. After The James Biehn event, Jon began giving me more responsibilities such as consistently being in charge of placing the microphones, getting levels, and setting up the patch bay. Today (May 22nd) I went to St. Ambrose Cathedral here in Des Moines to record a youth choir for their Sunday service. It was the first assignment i was given where I was solely responsible for the entire project. It was a very neat and rewarding experience to see how i handled the pressure of running a project by myself. I have come a long way in the past 5-6 months and I am really starting to understand how this business works both professionally and creatively. I am excited to see what's in store for me in the months to come.