Having second thoughts about your chosen career path? Find yourself losing steam midway through post-secondary studies, worried that maybe your supposed dream field actually isn’t for you? It’s never too late to switch gears and follow your true calling. Just ask Centre for Arts and Technology instructor Brad Perry. “When I first started university I was taking computer science, and recording was my pastime,” said Perry, lead instructor for the Audio Engineering & Production program in Fredericton. “But there was a certain point toward the end of my first year when I had a moment of realization that the actual jobs in that field were not overly interesting to me. I wasn’t so crazy about it. So I decided, since I’d been recording as a pastime for years, I’d try to flip that around, and make it my focus.”
Perry turned to the Centre for Arts and Technology in Fredericton to make that happen, and he’s never looked back. Mainly, that is, because he hasn’t had time. Since officially launching his recording business in 2008, Perry has worked on upwards of 50 albums with artists from across Atlantic Canada. Having recorded and produced for regional success stories such as Olympic Symphonium, Andy Brown, and Scotty & The Stars, Perry’s name has been attached to seven East Coast Music Award-nominated albums and 19 records nominated by Music New Brunswick, seven of which took home the prize, including Anglophone Recording of the Year, Group Recording of the Year and Best Folk Recording.
Perry joined the team at the Centre for Arts and Technology in 2009 to help others hone their passion as he did. While some balk at the idea of taking formal training for something like recording and producing, Perry said there is a clear advantage to studying at the Centre rather than going it alone. “Some argue why they should spend that money, when there are plenty of people who have had success learning this stuff on their own,” said Perry, who also does live sound, having recently served as front of house mix engineer at the main venue of Shivering Songs 2014, dialing in the magic for the likes of Ron Sexsmith and John K. Samson. “The big difference about going here is that the people who actually study it at this level understand the underlying science behind the sound, which people who just kind of pick it up will miss. So they’ll rarely master it. To me, it’s about learning why you’re doing something, learning the actual science behind audio, so that you can make really smart decisions on projects.”
Centre for Arts and Technology is hosting an Audio Engineering Open House on Saturday, April 5th from 2 – 4pm at 130 Carleton Street (2nd floor). Guests will have the opportunity to meet Department Head Kevin Herring and Lead Instructor/Studio Manager Brad Perry. Those in attendance will also experience and listen to demos featuring projects created on their main instructional software including Protools, Logic Studio, and Ableton Live. For more information or to register, please call 1.877.369.1888.