NIAGARA FALLS — You have a song you want to record for posterity — and maybe share with others — but you don’t have a clue what to do.
That’s where Todd Page can help.
Page is a veteran recording engineer of more than two decades, having worked with the likes of Juno Award winners Fathead and blues player Michael Fonfana among others, at Toronto’s Rhythm Ranch Studios. Now he’s in Niagara Falls teaching the audio recording basics 101 course through the Niagara Institute of Music and Art (NIOMA).
“I started out as a sound person when I was 16,” Page says from the confines of Tangerine Studios, housed within NIOMA’s Queen Street location. “I’ve been doing this my whole life.”
‘The first thing I teach about is sound, how it behaves and what it does,’ — Todd Page
But now, with recording software like Garageband, Cubase, Reaper and more, as well as a host of virtual instruments and plug-ins, recorded can be done anywhere, at any time and at a relatively low cost.
And Page’s course is aimed at the novice who is looking to record at home. It is meant to serve as an introduction to the world of audio recording and help newcomers understand how they can approach the recording process and achieve the best results.
“The first thing I teach about is sound, how it behaves and what it does,” Page says.
Students get a chance to see wave forms and how different effects such as audio compression affect them.
“I try to keep it visual.”
The initial offering is currently underway but more courses are planned in the future, Page says.
“The whole purpose of the course is to help people make better recordings at home.”
As for his own career, Page says he got into the business thinking it would be a “cool” profession.
“I thought I’d be the next George Martin (legendary engineer/producer for the Beatles),” he says with a laugh.
Anyone wishing to find out more about the course, can call NIOMA at 905-357-2284 or [email protected]