This is the first post in an ongoing series about the Recording Studio I created at St. Ignatius College Preparatory.

First Step: Have something to Record

In 2012 we had a senior in the music department that for the most part knew he was going to be Recording Engineering major in college. That same year I arranged a performance tour with my choir to Europe on an itinerary that traced the places Ignatius of Loyola lived and worked during his lifetime. On his first, semi-professional gig, Gabe accompanied the group as the recording engineer, capturing some amazing sessions in Europe’s most amazing churches to record choirs. He learned a ton; we were able to document some spectacular moments on the choir tour, and everyone benefits!

The gear we purchase for the tour and some of the first pieces in our inventory:

1. Focusrite Saffire Pro 40
2. AKG C 451 B Stereo Pair
3. MacBook Pro
4. Logic

Here are some tracks from that tour:

It would take nearly 2 years for those and several other songs to be released on the Chamber Singers second CD “Listen“. The ‘studio’ during this interim would essentially lay dormant until Gabe and I start to dream big about the possibility of laying the foundation towards a Recording Program at St. Ignatius College Prep in the spring of 2014.

Second step: Dream big – Your only limitation is your imagination