For over 15 years, the Audio Engineering Society (AES) has held the AES Concert Series, in which artists and bands affiliated with Webster University perform for a live audience.
The concert series features Webster students that specialize in everything from EDM to rap to pop and rock. All four of those music genres were featured during the most recent set on Nov. 4. During this set, Webster University senior and music major Hannah Wozniak performed songs like Stevie Wonder’s “Superstition” and Maroon 5’s “Sunday Morning” with the band Saint Chuck.
“We are a pop-oriented band,” Wozniak said. “We do a fair amount of country and blues, but we are essentially a pop cover band.”
Besides singing live, the band also posts reels on their Instagram, @saintchuckmusic.
What makes this concert series different from previous years is the new renovations in Sverdrup. With classrooms already finished and studios finishing by next semester, students have more resources than ever before.
Casey Hunter is one of two advisors for AES and an assistant professor at Webster University. He also serves as the director of Studios Department of Audio Aesthetics and Technology.
“The new construction in Sverdrup houses three new audio studios, three isolation booths, a new recording room and two Technical Ear Training rooms/mixing suites,” Hunter said. “Some of the highlights in the new equipment are a new 32 channel API audio console. This is the centerpiece of Studio A.”
The new equipment is helpful for AES members or audio majors like Wozniak, who is earning a minor in sound recording and engineering on top of a bachelor’s of arts in music.
“I’ve seen a picture of the new board and it looks really nice,” Wozniak said. “I think it is really exciting, and I think it’ll be really nice for the students, especially because the nice thing about the audio department is that we get to apply our education in a very practical and real-world sense, and I think the studio is only going to further that.”
While some students will benefit by recording music, other students will benefit by using real world skills, whether it’s running the sound board, mixing audio files or even recording podcasts.
“Music students should be able to record material; film, animation and video production [students] should be able to produce amazing Foley and post production work, and game design [students] should be able to incorporate immersive audio and soundscapes into their products,” Hunter said. “All of the equipment was chosen with the idea of allowing audio students to work with others, creating the most real-world conditions and experiences that we could.”
With the new renovations coming to a close, the opportunities for Webster students to explore music recording are wide open.
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