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Issue #182 – Student Successes
by L. Swift and Jeff McQ
It’s a story that’s become all too familiar. Like so many aspiring musical artists, Nathan Zimmerman (Los Angeles, CA) graduated high school and enrolled in college to major in music—only to find something lacking.
“I had gone to Santa Monica College, studying music for a year,” he says, “and then I realized that I wasn’t learning all the stuff that I wanted to learn.”
Looking for other options, he began researching audio engineering schools. “I looked into Full Sail, Icon and SAE, and they all seemed really good,” says Nathan. “However, Recording Connection was the best, budget-wise. Also, I really liked the idea of being one-on-one with me and my mentor, in a professional studio, hands-on, not in a classroom.”
That early moment of decision has helped jump-start his career. Not only was he recently offered an entry-level position at his mentor’s studio, The Abstract in Los Angeles, California, but he’s taking advantage of those resources to produce his first electronic music EP—a collection of 6-7 songs to be released later this year!
“It’s going to be in the style of future bass, but kind of the weird future bass, not the mainstream kind,” Nathan explains. “There’s…this really weird, experimental type future bass that just has a lot of crazy stuff going on at once. That’s the stuff that I like listening to and making.”
It’s a long way from the timid young man going into the studio to interview for the first time with Recording Connection mentor Doug Boulware, who quickly put him at ease. “I remember I was really nervous going in, because I really wanted to, you know, impress him and make sure that I got in,” he says. “You know, I dressed all nice and everything, and Doug was like, ‘Oh, no, man. Just wear funny T-shirts, and you’ll be fine.’ When he said that, I knew that that was the place that I needed to be.”
It didn’t take long for the hands-on learning to make a difference in Nathan’s abilities. “My production has improved a lot since I’ve started the program,” he says. “My mixing skills have gotten way, way better…Also learning about EQ’ing and compressing. Those were two things that I really didn’t know anything about when I started the program, and now I feel very comfortable with EQ’ing and way more comfortable than I did with compression.”
For Nathan though, the real payoff came as he approached graduation, when Doug offered him an entry-level position at the studio. “Of course I accepted, because I really love being at that studio and I love all the people there,” he says. “They’re all really great people and I’ve learned a lot from all of them.”
Today, between his new position and his recording project in the works, Nathan has a firm foundation on which to build his music career. Just as important is the sense of community he’s found in the studio, and the realization of how important relationships are in this industry.
“Every single person there has helped me at one point or another,” he says. “I’ve learned something crucial from every single one of them. They’ve helped my music grow, and I have a lot of love for all of them and a lot of thanks for all of them…I love all the guys there. They’re really cool. I love hanging out with them. I love making music with them. It’s a great spot.”
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