Students in the Audio Technology Program at SAE Institute’s Atlanta campus are performing the recording engineering and mixing duties for the Heineken Rock Sessions, a series of live concerts presented by WNNX-FM/Rock 100.5.
“The students’ level of professionalism is incredible,” says Axel Lowe, Program Director at WNNX, which is Atlanta’s most listened-to contemporary rock radio station. “They’ve given us top quality multi-track recordings of our concerts, and their ability to adapt to the unique needs of each artist is extremely impressive – especially when you consider that every band’s instrumentation, sound, and technical requirements are totally different.”
30 of SAE’s audio technology students have participated in the Rock 100.5 concerts, which are currently held at Smith’s Olde Bar in Atlanta. Bands that have performed at these sessions include a variety of top-charting national artists, such as Matchbox 20, POD, FL/GA Line, Philip Phillips, Dirty Heads, Matisyahu, and Atlas Genius.
“Our goal at SAE is to make our students job-ready once they graduate and prepare them for a variety of audio engineering opportunities,” says Scott Kieklak, a member of SAE’s faculty who oversees the school’s partnership with WNNX.
“Our curriculum includes a course in live sound engineering, recording, and mixing, so the Rock Sessions give students a chance to try out their theoretical classroom education in a real-world situation. What makes the experience even more valuable is that they’re working with some of the today’s biggest artists who are performing in a major Atlanta venue.”
