91探花

Seven-time Grammy award-winning mix engineer Michael Brauer came to 91探花 to teach Music Production and Recording Industry students how to employ some of his signature studio magic through a three-day mixing masterclass from June 24-26.

鈥淚t was amazing. Michael is an incredible teacher, he鈥檚 extremely passionate and articulate,鈥� said Josh Antonuccio, director of OHIO鈥檚 School of Media Arts & Studies and organizer of the masterclass.

For music industry insiders, Brauer is a legend. Through his four-decade career, he has mixed music for some of the music industry鈥檚 most prolific artist such as Aretha Franklin, Rolling Stones, Coldplay, Bob Dylan and John Mayer. For his work, he has won Grammy Awards for mixing Coldplay鈥檚 鈥淧arachutes鈥� and 鈥淰iva la Vida;鈥� Calle 13鈥檚 鈥淢ulti Viral;鈥� Angelique Kidjo鈥檚 鈥淓ve;鈥� and Mayer鈥檚 鈥淐ontinuum鈥� and 鈥淏attle Studies.鈥�

鈥淲hen you have people at that level it can be intimidating, but he is so good with students,鈥� Antonuccio said.

His impact on the recording industry has been so profound that sound engineers now use his name as a verb, as in to 鈥淏rauerize a track,鈥� which means to employ some of Brauer鈥檚 signature sound and compression techniques.

鈥淲e had a great time,鈥� Brauer said. 鈥淸The students] were all incredibly musical and open-minded to my mixing philosophy. It combined life-coaching and letting the four basic emotions guide them in bringing out the vision of a song. Teaching young people with no preconceived ideas towards mixing was really rewarding, they soaked it all up.鈥�

Instead of getting bogged down by the technicalities that go along with music production, the core of Brauer鈥檚 approach revolves around his ability to find the emotion hidden deep in a track and letting that be the guiding force as to how the track is produced, according to Antonuccio. His ability to mix with dynamic and depth is what makes Brauer a 鈥渓iving legend鈥� and one of the top mixing engineers in the music industry, Antonuccio said.

Before enrolling in the masterclass, second-year Music Production and Recording Industry student Faith Caplinger had no idea who Brauer was. However, she soon found out that 鈥� in addition to having worked with some of her favorite artists like Franklin and James Bay 鈥� he produced one of her all-time favorite songs 鈥溾�� by Luther Vandross.

鈥淗e actually pointed that out during the masterclass, and I was like, 鈥楴o freaking way,鈥欌�� Caplinger said.

Caplinger enrolled in the masterclass seeking practical advice and experience to apply to music production.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have a ton of experience doing this so hearing a seven-time Grammy award-winning musician was coming to teach us鈥� I was just super excited,鈥� she said.

Brauer told the class that if you can highlight the emotion in a track, you will have a hit. For Caplinger, this approach deeply resonated.

鈥淚t is really all about just feeling it and going off of your instincts and letting the story breathe,鈥� she said.

Brauer鈥檚 impact on Antonuccio鈥檚 students was so profound that after a full eight-hour day with Brauer, Antonuccio鈥檚 said nearly all the students would then go directly home to mix their own music projects.

Antonuccio, who has also had a long career as a producer and mixer, has known Brauer through the music recording community for years. Brauer has been a guest lecturer in Antonuccio鈥檚 classes going back to 2013. In the past Brauer has hosted an exclusive OHIO Mixing masterclass at his studio in New York City.

鈥淗is three-day mixing workshop gave students the opportunity to learn first-hand from a living legend and to develop a comprehensive approach to their creative workflow,鈥� Antonuccio said. 鈥淎cross the board, it was a transformational experience for these students.鈥�