SSR Manchester News

22.02.12

Mike Stewart of ‘The Soundhouse’ Guest Lecture at SSR Manchester

SSR was delighted to recently welcome top industry professional Mike Stewart to deliver a guest lecture for students on our Film & TV Audio Post Production course.

Mike is the Managing Director of ‘The Soundhouse’, one of Manchester’s leading Post Production companies. They have been credited with post production work on many major films including “Master & Commander”, “Lord of the Rings” and “28 Days Later” among many other credits.

Mike was on hand to give some powerful insights into the life of a working professional as well as passing on wisdom from his illustrious career. He advised students on client skills, methods of practice and how to successfully seek work, whilst also sharing his own experiences.

SSR Film & TV post production tutor Paul Maunder:
"I was delighted that Mike offered his time to host a guest lecture for my students. He has been in the industry for a long time and has worked on some really high profile projects. My students will benefit from his experience and should take a lot from his lecture."

SSR Student Dale McCarthy @HuisVanDeSteak via Twitter:
"Brilliant guest lecture tonight with Mike Stewart from The Soundhouse. Very insightful and informative. Lot’s to think about!"

We would like to thank Mike for giving SSR his time and hope to welcome him back soon. Support and advice from industry professionals is extremely important to our students and thanks to SSR’s wide range of contacts guest lectures such as this are a regular feature for our students.

For further information on Mike and The Soundhouse please click here: www.soundhouse.tv

SSR offers three Post Production courses in Manchester in addition to Post Production modules on our Audio Engineering course. For further information please use the following links:
Film/TV Audio Post production (SSR Industry Course)
FdSc Post Production Technology for Film, TV and CGI (with MMU)
MA Post Production (with Salford University)

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16.02.12

Irena D records in Spirit Studio

We recently welcomed rising star ‘Irena’ to our Spirit Studio.

Russian-born Irena has recently supported acts such as The Sugababes and Alexandra Burke, bringing her attitude-filled urban pop and soulful ballads to a wider UK audience throughout 2011. Irena has been working with some leading producers and used the studio to record her debut single, along with a promotional video.

The promotional video has been produced to highlight Irena’s recent commercial endorsement of Contour Energy Systems’ products, using their batteries and other products for her live shows. Contour met up with Irena and a production company Inspired Film And Video Ltd at SSR to record and produce the video which can be seen below.

SSR Marketing Assistant Greg Brown:
"It was a pleasure to have Irena D come and use our facilities. We are keen to support talented musicians wherever possible and we felt our Spirit Studio would be the perfect environment for an artist of her quality".

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19.01.12

SSR Hosts AVID Pro Tools Workshops

Saturday 28th January was a big day for SSR as we hosted official AVID Pro Tools 10 introductory workshops at our three campuses in Manchester, London and Jakarta.

All three events were oversubscribed as enthusiasts, industry professionals and current SSR students alike signed up to see the all new features of AVID’s latest incarnation of its Pro Tools software.

SSR tutor and Certified Pro Tools instructor Chris Power delivered the workshop in Manchester, working closely with both SSR and AVID colleagues to produce a highly informative, insightful workshop to around 60 people over two sessions.

Meanwhile at our Camden studios in London, SSR’s Head of Audio Jonathan Espinosa had worked closely with AVID’s Dave Tyler to produce a great demo for the event. Sadly Dave could not make it on the day due to illness (and apologies for any inconvenience caused by this). The London workshop was again well received by a packed house.

 

 

Over in Indonesia, SSR Jakarta, who sold out the registrations for the event almost 2 weeks in advance, also put on a great day, welcoming lots of eager students and industry professionals into the studios. The popularity of the event in Jakarta proves the hunger for music and media training that exists in the region, and, as Indonesia’s only official AVID Pro School, SSR Jakarta was delighted to host the event.

Tim Mynett – AVID Training Partner Programme Manager | EMEA:
"Congratulations to SSR on the Avid Pro Tools 10 events that were held at their campuses this January. I know that SSR Manchester, London and Jakarta all had a highly successful days and my thanks go to all at SSR for their hard work especially the SSR Avid Certified Instructors for delivering great presentations. It was a great achievement to have 3 campuses in 2 continents simultaneously showcase the latest Avid products and the Avid Learning Partner Program in such a positive light. Thanks for all your help and support, here’s to the next event…"

We would like to thank everyone who came to the Pro Tools 10 events and we hope you found it a rewarding and useful experience.

Congratulations to Laura Tolston (London event) and Alex Gregson (Manchester event) who each won a free copy of Pro Tools 10 on the day.

We look forward to hosting similar events in the future, so please keep an eye on the website for further announcements.

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19.01.12

SSR Tutor Paul Maunder & students work out of Parr Street Studios

Parr Street Studios in Liverpool has seen artists such as Coldplay, Take That, Spice Girls & Diana Ross use the studios to record their work. The studio has since been converted to facilitate one of Liverpool's latest live music venues.

In November 2011 Paul filmed interviews with a number of artists for a live music event named Soul 4 Soul. He was assisted by 3 students from the Film & TV Post Production course; Dave Tellam, Dale McCarty and Khalid Omar. Soul 4 Soul is a live music event which takes place once a month at Parr Street Studios and showcases up and coming soul artists.

They will be going back in February to film the event itself as well as producing a promotional video. Paul will be working with the students to record the audio of the live performances in Parr Street’s main studio, which has a Neve VR Legend desk. The post production will then be done in SSR Manchester’s ICON Suite.

SSR Film & TV post production tutor Paul Maunder:
"Working with the SSR students here at Parr Street studios presented an amazing opportunity for us all to work with some great artists. As well as the luxury of being able to record the audio for the entire live event through a Neve VR console, both the organisers and artists are all really nice people. We're looking forward to getting the recording underway, and of course to the post production and mixing, which we'll be doing in the ICON suite at SSR.
We wanted to push the technical boundaries with this project, so we've chosen to make the recordings at 24 bit/96khz to retain more of the dynamics and subtleties of the live performance. Mixing in SSR's ICON facility gives us the option of working with these recordings in full 5.1 surround sound too. We can't wait!"

SSR is always keen to support real world projects and we thank Paul for giving our students this opportunity.

To find out more about SSR courses please follow this link.

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12.01.12

SSR Welcomes Diane Shaw

Diane is being heralded as the freshest thing to hit the UK soul scene in years, bringing an energy and enthusiasm rarely seen on stage today. Diane has spent a decade performing her famous Motown sound at glitzy venues across the UK & Europe.

Diane came to SSR with her band to do a production rehearsal for a concert at the Savoy supporting the legendary Sister Sledge.

Diane used SSR Graduate Oliver Twiby as the production manager where he handled FOH whilst Alex Miller dealt with the monitors. SSR students Livia Nagy and Eleanor Batchelor also assisted with the session.

SSR Graduate Oliver Twiby:
"It was a great to work with Diane, not only had she got a great voice but her enthusiasm and passion for her music made the session a real experience. We managed to get a really good sound in the Charlie Jones Venue and I would like to thank Alex, Livia and Eleanor Miller for their help"

SSR encourages commercial sessions where possible as we are keen to help musicians wherever we can.

To find out more about SSR courses at our Manchester campus then please follow this link...

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05.01.12

SSR Students at Kasabian Concert

SSR’s Live Sound students were treated to an exclusive behind the scenes tour of Kasabian’s concert at the M.E.N.

SSR Live Sound students were invited along by Head of Live Sound Jay Beard’s former colleague Paul Ramsey, who has been responsible for work with not only Kasbian but Doves and Skunk Anansie to name a few.

The students were allowed watch the band as they performed a sound check, observe the front of house PA, mixing desk and also watch the crew as they carried out their duties.

This real world experience is vital to our students and is a testament to SSR’s strong industry connections.

SSR Live Sound Tutor Jay Beard :
“I was delighted that Paul invited my students to the Kasabian sound check. He has been a fantastic colleague and contact for me over the years and has given SSR students some fantastic opportunities. This kind of exposure is hugely beneficial to anyone studying Live Sound and something SSR is committed to.”

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Kasabian, their tour manager Paul Ramsey and the entire crew for giving their time to our students and offering their advice and support.

If you would like to find out more information on our Live Sound course, please click here or attend our next open event for a demo in live sound from Jay himself.

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06.12.11

SSR Students at Kasabian Concert

Peter Marks, CEO of the Cooperative Group and his band ‘Angel Square’ chose SSR to record, mix and master a cover of Take That’s “Greatest Day” for charity organisation Mencap. SSR is always keen to encourage charity sessions and we were delighted to offer our services.

Mencap is the UK's leading learning disability charity working with people with a learning disability and their families and carers. Mencap works collaboratively, fighting for equal rights, campaigning for greater opportunities and challenging attitudes and prejudice.

The eight piece outfit features staff from across The Co-operative including food, finance and the head office legal department.

Joining Peter Marks in the band and recording their version of the Take That hit ‘Greatest Day’ are; Trevor Ashworth, Director of food retail logistics, on keys; Lee Braddock who is responsible for the Food Supply Chain, on bass, Eivind Brown in IS and planning on rhythm guitar and, Dan Zambas from the finance department who plays lead guitar and synths. In addition, vocals are provided by Kat Harper who works in food media and communications, Caroline McCann from the Group’s legal department, and Dan Harley, a category merchandiser within the food division who is the band’s musical director and lead vocalist.

The session was engineered by SSR Studio Assistants Greg Chiche and Vicky Batrak in our Einstein Studio. The track was mixed by Greg Chiche and then mastered by Studio Assistant Peter Fergie.

SSR Studio Assistant Greg Chiche:
“The band were great to work with and we managed to get a really good recording for the single. I’d like to thank Vicky for the work she put into this and also a special mention to Peter for mastering the track.”

The band is scheduled to perform at legendary Manchester nightclub Band on the Wall on the 9th December and the track is due to be released for digital download by legendary record label Revolver who, in their 30 year history have worked with a diverse array of artists including fellow Mancunian band The Stone Roses.

The song is available to download from today on iTunes and can be purchased for 79p here.

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06.12.11

SSR tutor Deni Pavlovic records, mixes and produces for The Words

SSR tutor Deni Pavlovic recorded, mixed & produced the brand new album “Truth & Faith” by The Words.

The Words are a 4 piece indie rock band based in Manchester who are developing an exciting reputation as one of the top up and coming bands in the country by combining an incredible passion for music with the ability to create “music for the masses.”

All the tracks have been recorded, mixed and produced in Deni’s own studio called The Loudhailer based in Manchester.

The album was released on the 14th November 2011 receiving rave reviews from “Indie London” and “TunaDay” who also made it their album of the week.

The brand new single entitled “Demons” recently received airplay on BBC Introducing and Kerrang radio with BBC introducing also holding an interview with the band themselves.

SSR Tutor Deni Pavlovic:
“Working with The Words has been a pleasure, not only are they great musicians but good people as well, it certainly makes my job a lot easier. I’m really proud of the new album and the coverage the new single has received is a credit to the hard work and effort everyone has put into it.”

A key trait of SSR has always been the activity of our tutor’s in the industry. We feel it is essential that our students learn from professionals who are actively contributing to the music world so our teaching is fresh and relevant.

The Album was released via Pheonixxrecords and you can purchase their album from their website http://phoenixxrecords.bigcartel.com.

For more information about the words you can view their website via http://www.thewordsmusic.co.uk/.

For more information and pictures of The Loudhailer recording studio click here: http://www.theloudhailer.co.uk/.

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22.11.11

SSR tutor Chris Power teaches students at Media City

SSR Pro Tools instructor Chris Power has recently been delivering lectures and workshops at Salford University’s MediaCityUK campus, as part of our collaborative Masters programme in Post Production.

Chris Power has been a tutor at SSR in excess of 10 years and is one of the few Pro Tools instructors across Europe certified at 310M level.

Media City is home to the BBC, ITV, Coronation Street, SIS and the University of Salford. With the Masters course SSR has close ties to Media City and we feel proud to contribute to the ever growing creative hub of Manchester.

Chris delivers Salford University Master’s students lessons on Post Production, whilst also providing delivery for students learning Pro Tools on other Salford University courses. Chris’s lessons are taught using Avid’s D-COMMAND console installed at the campus.

SSR tutor Chris Power:
“I always enjoy working at Media City, the complex has a great vibe to it already and it’s great to be surrounded by such creative talent and high profile companies”

Now in its second year, SSR and Salford University’s MA Post Production course is producing graduates ready to work in the industry, developing the next generation of creative talent and future industry leaders. We are very proud of this course and look forward to our 2012 intake.

If you would like to find out more about our MA in Post Production then please click here.

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22.11.11

SSR welcomes Devin Townsend

Devin Townsend is a Canadian musician and record producer. He was the founder, songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist in extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad from 1994 to 2007 and has had an extensive career as a solo artist.

Devin, accompanied by STS Touring Productions Ltd, used SSR’s Charlie Jones Venue for a pre-production to the Devin Townsend UK Tour. STS provided Devin with touring equipment including a Digico SD8 live mixing console and full backline as well.

SSR student Oliver Twiby assisted with the work flow on the D Show console and also set up the system so it was ready for use when STS arrived. Other SSR students were offered the chance to shadow either Paul at FOH or Oliver who instructed them through a headphone mix.

SSR Student Oliver Twiby:
“It was a great experience for me to act as the SSR in house engineer, it was quite a challenge to patch in both the SSR and bands touring system as well as patching in another active splitter so both boards could be used. It was also really enjoyable to use the Digico SD8 board considering I hadn’t had much experience on it before. I want to personally thank Paul, the band and the rest of the crew for this great and valuable experience.”

STS Touring Productions Director Paul Collis:
“I contacted Jay about using SSR’s Charlie Jones Venue to host Devin’s Pre-Production and he was incredibly supportive as always. I have worked with SSR many times before and was always impressed with the standard of the facilities and maturity of the students. I was very keen to let the students help us out and they definitely gained a lot from the experience.”

SSR remains committed to providing students with real world experience that gives them exposure to the industry.

To find out more about our industry course Live Sound Engineering click here.

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27.10.11

SSR Students at Elbow Sound Check

SSR’s Live Sound students were treated to an exclusive behind the scenes tour of Elbow’s concert at the Manchester Cathedral.

Live Sound tutor Jay Beard who himself used to work as a touring sound engineer for Elbow, took 6 of his students for an all access tour of the Cathedral production as well as seeing Elbow perform their sound check.

The students were allowed to observe the front of house PA, mixing desk and also watch the crew as they performed their duties. In addition to this, students were shown the BBC outside broadcast trucks where they were given a talk on live mixing for radio and TV from the BBC’s studio manager Mike Walter.

This real world experience is invaluable to our students and is further proof of SSR’s strong industry connections.

SSR Live Sound Tutor Jay Beard :
“I think it is really important for our students to be allowed access to these events and witness the professional standard they should be trying to reach. It was great to see Elbow again and they are always really accommodating to my students, as were the BBC crew. Thanks guys!”

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Elbow, their tour manager Tom Piper and the entire crew for giving their time to our students and offering their advice and support.

If you would like to find out more information on our Live Sound course, please click here or attend our next open event for a demo in live sound from Jay himself.

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27.10.11

Stuart Avery - Action Aid charity fundraiser

SSR tutor and SA Promotions boss Stuart Avery is currently raising money for the charity Action Aid through a series of fundraisers, culminating in a 500km bike trek across Malawi!

The main focus of Stuarts fundraising is cheap, no booking fee tickets to around 65 gigs in Manchester between now and Christmas.

Some of these gigs are already sold out, so these tickets are the only way to get into the shows. For the other gigs, tickets are roughly 70% of the face value, with no booking fee, and 100% of the money goes to charity!

A full list of the tickets available is displayed below (click to enlarge):

Most of the tickets are limited in number, particularly for the sold out gigs, so if you would like to take advantage of this offer and do your bit for charity at the same time you will need to be quick.

To purchase tickets, please email stuart@sapromotionsltd.co.uk with your contact details and choice of show, and Stu will get in touch to arrange payment and delivery/drop off.

We would like to wish Stuart all the best with the fundraising and a big ‘good luck’ for the bike ride!

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19.10.11

SSR partners with Manchester Music Seminar

The inaugural Manchester Music Seminar (MMS) took place on the 14th October 2011 and was hosted by the Northern Quarter’s Umbro Design Studios. The event drew in crowds of 16-24 year olds looking to take their first steps into the music business. MMS hosted guest speakers from every corner of the music industry who shed light on their own careers, experiences and abilities while answering questions from the audience in a series of panel debates.

The event showcased some of the industries leading lights such as legendary broadcaster Mary Anne Hobbs, British record producer Steve Levine (Culture Club, Motorhead, Ziggy Marley), XFM’s Head of Music Mike Walsh and various representatives from all corners of the industry.

In addition to being an official partner of the MMS, SSR’s Greg Brown and Matt Talbot were present to provide support whilst SSR students Oliver Twiby, Adam Norgate, Tom Collins & Leah Smallwood engineered the sound for the panels.

SSR Marketing Assistant Greg Brown:
"The MMS was fantastic to be a part of; the advice given by the panellists was really well received and would be helpful to anyone looking for a way into the industry. I was also really proud of our students who handled the sound brilliantly".

SSR would like to congratulate everyone involved with the first ever MMS as well as our students who provided an extremely professional service.

For more information about the MMS you can visit their website here: http://manchestermusicseminars.co.uk.

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12.10.11

SSR students present on Chorley FM

SSR Manchester has teamed up with South Lancashire's Chorley FM in an exciting new partnership which will see SSR Radio Production students presenting programmes on the community radio station.

Chorley FM is a radio station based in Chorley, Lancashire, England. Chorley FM was recently awarded a five-year licence to broadcast round the clock to the local community; this has recently been extended for a further 5 years. It also broadcasts worldwide via the Internet at www.chorley.fm.

The station's target objective is to broadcast for the area's young people and provide them with an opportunity to get involved and gain valuable experience in radio and the media.

The brand new programme which will air every Friday lunchtime from 12 - 2pm will be presented by different students each week. It will be produced in SSR's own radio studio in Manchester, but will be designed to fit in with Chorley FM's 'station sound'.

SSR Radio Tutor Kevin Leach :
"This is a great opportunity for our students to develop their presentation and production skills in a 'real life' situation and I'm confident that they'll rise to the challenge". The partnership builds on SSR's existing relationship with the North-West radio industry which includes regular guest lecturers from BBC Radio Manchester, 5 Live, XFM and SSR's industry partner Bauer Radio (Key 103, Magic, Rock FM, Radio City).

Pauline Gowers-Scott, Chorley FM :
"We are excited to team up with SSR and Students will become part of the already successful Chorley FM Team of Volunteers. This will be of mutual benefit, it will enable Students to gain more 'On Air' experience by Producing and Presenting Shows, which in turn adds to Chorley FM's variety of programmes. We are really looking forward to working together.

You can find out more about Chorley FM by visiting the website via http://www.chorley.fm

To discover more about SSR’s Radio Production course, please click here.

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04.10.11

SSR Sign Educational Partnership deal with Rational Acoustics

Rational Acoustics provide training courses, hardware products/packages, and professional consulting for the specialized field of sound system measurement, analysis, and alignment.

Rational Acoustics are also responsible for the ownership and operations of Smaart V.7 which is the most straightforward and widely used software for real-time sound system measurement, analysis and optimization.

This deal will ensure that we feature Smaart V.7 on relevant SSR computers as well as the software being introduced onto the Live Sound Engineering course starting with the UCLan PA design module. SSR staff and students will also receive a 50% discount.

SSR Live Sound Tutor Jay Beard :
“This partnership is great for SSR and provides a fantastic opportunity for students and staff alike! Having access to software of this quality will be of huge benefit to SSR’s Live Sound Course and I would like to personally thank Rational Acoustics for their contribution”

SSR has always prided itself on its Industry connections and being at the forefront of today’s ever changing audio environment. We are committed to giving both our students and staff access to the most up to date software available and would like to join Jay in thanking Rational Acoustics for this partnership.

To find out more about Rational Acoustics you can visit their website via http://www.rationalacoustics.com.

For further information about SSR's Live Sound course, please click here.

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12.09.11

Bob Dean, Culprit & Boy Nuke Em play at SSR Fresher’s Event

SSR welcomed new students and celebrated graduates at last weeks Fresher’s event at Joshua Brooks, one of Manchester's prime nightspots. The new students were welcomed to SSR with a special concert featuring performances by local bands Bob Dean, Culprit and a Dj set by Boy Nuke Em. The night also provided an opportunity to showcase tracks created by our Electronic Music Production graduates, before presenting them with their graduation certificates.

The gig took place in the basement of Joshua Brooks and was engineered by Studio & Live Music Production student Oliver Twiby and he was shadowed by fellow classmate Scott Davies.

SSR Student Oliver Twiby:
“I was delighted to be approached about this years Fresher’s event and having already worked closely with Bob Dean it was a no brainer really! I was aided by Scott Davies who is also on the Studio & Live course and he was fantastic to have around, really helpful. I thought overall the night was a great success and we got a really good sound. This was obviously down to not only good live sound techniques but also fantastic performances from Culprit, Bob Dean and Boy Nuke Em.”

SSR has a long standing tradition of getting students and graduates involved in events like this as it gives them priceless real world experience.

In addition to the Fresher’s event we also offered new students a welcome pack of SSR merchandise. This range of products included a branded 4GB USB pen drive, diary, sticker, sharpie pen and T shirt. These products can also be bought online by visiting our online store.

We would like to take this opportunity to again welcome all our new students for 2011 and wish them all luck with their studies at SSR.

For more information about Studio & Live Music Production click here.
For more information about Electronic Music Production click here.

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11.08.11

SSR Course Now Accredited NCFE Level 6

We are delighted to announce that SSR’s Audio Engineering Techniques & Technology course has now been accredited at level 6 which is equivalent to an honours degree. This is a unique opportunity for SSR students.

The SSR Industry Advanced Diploma course Audio Engineering Techniques and Technology course was fully inspected and judged against the most rigorous standards.

This nationally recognised accreditation means that students can opt to have their training recognised as equivalent to an honours degree. This would require that students complete the full 24 month Audio Engineering Techniques & Technology course including optional modules Advanced Studio Techniques and Live sound Engineering.

With the impending rise in university tuition fees and difficulty of getting onto University courses, the option of upgrading your SSR qualification to an honours degree level will be an attractive and viable option for many students. The NCFE option will be available from our next intake starting in September 2011.

Further details will be added to the website course pages shortly. If you require any further information on NCFE accreditation please email enquiries@s-s-r.com.

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04.08.11

Ian Hu visits SSR Jakarta

SSR Principal Ian Hu recently visited SSR’s new campus in Jakarta, Indonesia, to view the facilities and finalise plans for the grand opening in September 2011.

During his visit, Ian participated in two successful open events, met the SSR Jakarta team and also undertook some promotional work including an interview on one of Jakarta’s most popular radio stations.

During the open events Ian was on hand to present attendees with information about SSR as a whole and our plans for the Jakarta campus, and also performed demonstrations on Pro Tools and Final Cut Pro.

These demonstrations were designed to give people an idea of the type of lessons and subjects that will be covered on our courses, along with answering questions from guests and giving a general idea about the SSR experience.

In addition, Ian was able to meet with SSR Jakarta’s newly appointed Head of Audio Jason O’Bryan. There will be a forthcoming news story welcoming Jason and detailing his illustrious career in audio on the website very shortly, so please check again soon for further details.

Following the open events, Ian, along with Lea Riesjanti and Hermanto Murniadi from SSR, took part in a phone in radio interview on Jakartan radio station RPK. During the phone in, listeners were invited to call or text in with questions about SSR and media education as a whole. The programme went very well and the opportunity to ask questions proved popular with listeners, who asked questions regarding courses, scholarships, fees and technical training specifics.

Ian Hu – SSR Principal:
“I thoroughly enjoyed my week at SSR Jakarta. I was very impressed by the location, the premises and the team. I am looking forward to returning in the near future. From what I have seen, I’m confident that SSR Jakarta is going to be a great success.”

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04.08.11

SSR announces BSc (Hons) Sound Engineering and Design graduates

We would like to congratulate our BSc graduates this year on the Sound Engineering and Design course, run in conjunction with the University of Bolton.

In July, no less than 28 students graduated with BSc honours and special congratulations go to Pete Williams, Ross McArthur-Bradley and Justin Brown who all received first class honours degrees.

Ian Carmichael, SSR Vice Principal, attended the reward ceremony and said:

SSR Vice Principal Ian Carmichael: “I remember teaching these students in their first year, and it’s a very proud moment for me watching these students walk on stage to receive these awards. I’m happy to be a part of their journey – it means a lot to me and the other SSR tutors. We all wish them success in their future careers.”

We are always proud to see the success of our students and wish them well for their future careers.

To find our more about Sound Engineering & Design or any of our academic and industry courses then please click here.

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12.07.11

Student Successes

We are delighted to announce the success of two SSR graduates who learnt their trade on our industry courses Audio Engineering Techniques & Technology and Live Sound Engineering.

Pete Seddon and David Billings have gone on to flourish in the industry enjoying success with many high profile artists and companies.

David has worked with companies such as Britannia Row and engineered for acts like the Killers and the Kaiser Chiefs.

Pete similarly has worked alongside Radiohead, industry giants Wigwam Acoustics and has recently gone on to set up his own production company ‘Jucified Ltd’.

We are always proud to see our students benefit from the hard work and time they have put into their studies at SSR and this can provide great inspiration to students looking to break into the industry.

To read Pete and David’s stories along with other SSR student success stories please click here:

If you would like to follow in Pete or David’s footsteps and work with some of the best artists and biggest tours around, why not consider an SSR course such as Audio Engineering Techniques & Technology or Live Sound to fast-track your career?

SSR Manchester Open Evening – Wednesday 17th August.

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12.07.11 - Jakarta

SSR Principal to attend SSR Jakarta Open Days

SSR Jakarta has recently announced its first official open days and scholarship information ahead of its grand opening in September 2011.

As the next stage in SSR’s development, our Jakarta base will offer the same award winning training courses and professional facilities to its students that have become synonymous with our Manchester and London campuses.

Ian Hu, principal of SSR’s Manchester HQ, will be visiting SSR Jakarta for their first open days, performing a presentation about the company and delivering demonstrations in Pro Tools and Final Cut Pro. During his visit, Ian will also be finalising the finer details of SSR Jakarta’s opening and ongoing plans for the future.

Ian Hu - SSR Principal:
“Being present at the launch of any new SSR campus would be exciting enough, but the fact this is in Jakarta makes it even more thrilling. I can’t wait to get out there to view the new studios and meet all the staff. We believe SSR Jakarta will be a great success and look forward to welcoming their new students into the SSR family.”

Along with presentations and demonstrations from Ian Hu, the open days in Jakarta will also feature a demonstration from local Apple specialists IBox, course consultations, special registration offers and information on our NCFE accreditation (now also available in Jakarta), cultural exchange programme and scholarships.

Following the success of the programme in London, SSR Jakarta will also be offering an Ian Brown Scholarship bursary award, which will pay the fees for one of our industry courses in Jakarta.

Full information on the SSR Jakarta scholarship programmes can be found here.

If you would like to attend the open days in Jakarta or require any further information about courses or studying there, please visit the dedicated SSR Jakarta website.

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01.07.11

SSR Manchester studio used to record BBC Drama.

SSR was recently invited to contribute to BBC Radio drama ‘Don't Cry For Me, Maradona’ which was commissioned to mark the 25th anniversary of the infamous World Cup quarter-final match between England and Argentina.

Local production company ‘Made In Manchester’ were commissioned to produce the show and asked SSR to host the recording sessions.

Distinguished actors Tim Healy (Auf Wiedersehen Pet) and former Coronation Street star Denise Welsh portrayed the roles of Sir Bobby and Elsie Robson, in a one-off drama special for BBC Radio. The Story depicts the aftermath of the infamous “hand of god” incident in the 1986 World Cup quarter final between England & Argentina. With flashbacks to the match itself, Don't Cry For Me, Maradona examines how one of the real gentlemen of football coped with the agonies and ecstasies of the beautiful game.

The programme was produced as part of a series of programmes surrounding the late Sir Bobby Robson, which also included the programme ‘The Day I Met Sir Bobby Robson’, which featured people from all walks of life recounting their experiences of meeting the great man.

‘Don’t Cry For Me, Maradona’ was recorded in our DiGiCo Studio by SSR graduates Vicky Batrak and Adam Stokel. Adam graduated from our Sound Engineering & Design Course in June 2009 whilst Vicky completed our industry course Audio Engineering Techniques & Technology and graduated in July 2008.

SSR Graduate Adam Stokel:
“The opportunity to record such a high profile BBC drama was too good to turn down. Tim and Denise were both naturals in the studio and it was a pleasure to work alongside them. The session ran smoothly and we got a great recording out of it!”

Ian Hu - SSR Principal:
“It was a real pleasure to host this Made in Manchester production with Denise and Tim at our studios. The programme is an insightful tribute to the late Bobby Robson and it was an honour for us to be able to support this fitting tribute to such a great man and British icon. As someone who met Sir Bobby on a number of occasions, this project had an extra special connection for me and I was delighted that SSR could play such a large part in bringing this programme to life.”

SSR was honoured to have hosted this recording session and it is a real pleasure to see our graduates given the chance to assist on a high profile production destined for the BBC.

Don't Cry for Me, Maradona aired on Tuesday 21 June at 9.30pm and The Day I Met Sir Bobby Robson was aired on the Saturday 25 June at 11am.

You can listen to the show for a limited time via the BBC iPlayer here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b011y7b6/Dont_Cry_for_Me_Maradona/

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23.06.11

SSR Radio Networking / Course Launch Event

Radio enthusiasts were recently treated to an exclusive networking event at SSR Manchester featuring some of the leading lights in the industry.

Radio tutors Kevin Leach and Vicky Warham took advantage of their extensive industry connections to invite radio professionals including Jamie Wood (Rock FM), Catherine Sumner (BBC News), Jim Salveson (XFM), Helen Thomas (BBC 5 Live), Simon Nicks (Gaydio) and Antony Gay (Bauer Radio) to the event at SSR.

The evening consisted of a range of demonstrations and workshops set up by our industry experts to highlight some of the different areas working in the radio industry can cover. These workshops focused on news reading and gathering, presentation skills, digital editing and creative ideas for programming. This allowed attendees to get directly involved with the tasks and display some fantastic creativity and interaction with the professionals, while also receiving feedback on their presenting and technical skills.

Following on from the workshops, a Q&A panel discussion was held in our live venue where members of the audience could ask questions of the industry experts and get some hints and tips on breaking into the industry and their experiences working in radio.

SSR Radio Production tutor Kevin Leach:
“The networking event was a real success; we were not only delighted with the turnout but also the amount of enthusiasm displayed for the event. There was some good talent displayed in our workshops and the insights from the industry experts were incredibly valuable to anyone looking for a career in radio.”

In addition, Roland Gent (Salford City Radio Station Co-Manager) was so impressed with the event and our plans for the new radio course that he has kindly offered one lucky graduate their own show on SCR upon completing the course! We are honoured that the course is being supported in this way and the chance to have your own show on SCR is a great opportunity for our students.

SSR’s Radio Production Course will start in September 2011 and is strictly limited to 10 places. A number of enrolments have been received following the event so if you wish to apply we suggest you act fast to avoid disappointment. Click here for details.

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26.05.11

SSR Manchester students work at Friends of Mine Festival

SSR is proud to announce the involvement of 9 of our Live Sound students at this years Friends of Mine festival.

The Friends of Mine festival which began as a club night for new bands and singer-songwriters in Manchester in 2004 now showcases some of the UK’s most talented musicians across a 3 day period.

SSR Head of Live Sound tutor Jay Beard was able to use his excellent industry connections to give his students the fantastic opportunity to participate in the event. 3 students were on hand to assist on the main stage whilst the remaining 6 tended to the outer stages.

Students were required to assist with the stage and PA set up as well as a range of patching, cabling and bands stage monitoring to ensure the event ran as smoothly as possible. They were able to draw on the knowledge and skills they had acquired during their time studying Live Sound Engineering on both the industry and academic courses.

Fomfest Audio Manager Paul Nicholson:
“It was a real pleasure to have the SSR students assist us at the Fomfest over the four main stages. They were all keen, willing to help with any task, and most importantly really knew their stuff and acted in a totally professional manner. They were involved in a wide range of technical assistant jobs across the festival site and helped us to make the weekend a great success. I can honestly say that they were by far the best student stage crew we have worked with and they were a credit to themselves and great ambassadors for SSR and the work that the school does. I would like to personally thank them all for their time and effort and I hope to see them working in the industry in the future.”

Opportunities like this are key to our students learning as it provides them with the professional and real world experience that is essential to life in the industry.

You can find more out about all SSR industry and academic courses by following this link. http://www.s-s-r.com/music-media-courses.htm.

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24.05.11

SSR helps build Bury studio

Members of the SSR technical team were recently consulted over the planning and building of a brand new recording studio in Bury.

The ambitious project, which started in September, has turned a disused building at the back of The Met, Bury, into a high spec recording studio for use by the local community and professional musicians. The building will also feature a production suite for post production and learning.

SSR was contacted by the organisers and asked to play a consultancy role in the selection and installation of various forms of equipment. SSR staff members Tom Aston, Nick Barnard and Andy Low tended to the project on a regular basis to ensure the facilities met professional standards.

Our technical team were extremely happy to help with the project as SSR has always been committed to bolstering the creative talent here in the North West.

SSR Short Course & Administration Manager Andy Low:
“SSR is delighted to have been asked to assist and advise in the project and we look forward to seeing the studio flourish.”

Director of The Met David Agnew
“The recording studio builds on the role culture and the arts plays in Bury, creating more opportunities for the community. The Met will continue to develop and ensure a national identity and local pride for our borough.”

The studio was officially opened on 14th May 2011. Many guests including local authority, Craig Potter (Elbow) and our technical team were there to celebrate the good work that everyone has put into the project. For more information, please visit their website www.themet.biz/backstage.

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11.05.11

WD40 commercial shot at SSR

SSR rooftops were recently used to shoot a WD40 commercial starring world renowned Parkour/Freerunning practitioner Daniel Llabaca.

Daniel is considered by many to be one of the world's leading Freerunners. His videos often feature innovative tricks and movements that have been viewed thousands of times on YouTube.

SSR Post Production tutor Paul Maunder is an avid Freerunner himself and was the link between SSR and the exciting opportunity to host Daniel’s talents. Paul was involved with the shooting of the footage and also the location searches, which lead to SSR’s roof being used.

WD40 are using this viral video as part of a new ad campaign entitled “WD40 also cleans” and is produced by Manchester based ad agency Waggledance.

Directed by Ben Swift, the commercial depicts a man who has nothing to clean his rusty barbeque. He rings Daniel whose mission is to get him some WD40 as soon as possible. Daniel’s journey shows an array of tricks in and around Manchester with the starting destination being on the SSR rooftops.

SSR tutor Paul Maunder:
“Filming the footage for the ad campaign was a great experience. Daniel is a real pro and makes Freerunning look so natural, it certainly makes our job a lot easier! We saw SSR’s rooftops as the perfect platform for filming and everyone there was incredibly accommodating us and eager to assist us in any way they could.”

The finished commercial/viral video can bee seen below:

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19.04.11

SSR Manchester students work on Abbey Road ‘Live Here Now’

SSR students were recently on hand to assist with Abbey Road’s ‘Live Here Now’ Eliza Doolittle show at the Manchester Academy venue.

The students, currently studying on SSR’s ‘Sound Engineering & Design’ course in association with The University Of Bolton, helped with the initial setting up for the event as well as supporting the live sound technicians to record the show in its entirety. This recording was then mixed down and made available via an audio CD for purchase after the concert had finished.

The students had to use the knowledge and skills they had acquired during their time on the Sound Engineering & Design Course. Working under the pressure of a live event and being able to mix under a strict time limit was key for this event and the students honoured this responsibility.

Alex Bilney, Abbey Road Live Here Now:
“On behalf of the whole Abbey Road Live Here Now team I would like to say thank you very much for supplying us with your hard working students for the Eliza Doolittle show. They were a credit to your institution and were of great assistance to the team on the road. They worked hard, and were very quick to learn the processes of our operation.”

Giving students the opportunity to implement their skills in a real world environment is priceless and this is owed to the fantastic industry connections that tutors here at SSR possess.

For more information on our Sound Engineering & Design course please click here.

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07.04.11

Elbow / MEN Arena Field trip

SSR’s Live Sound students were recently treated to an exclusive behind the scenes tour of Elbow’s recent concert at the Manchester Evening News Arena.

Live Sound tutor Jay Beard, formerly a touring sound engineer for Elbow (among many other artists), was invited to select 20 lucky students for the access all areas tour of the arena and watch the band soundcheck ahead of the evening concert.

Led by Jay and Elbow’s tour manager Tom Piper, the students got the opportunity to view the Front of House PA systems and mixing desk, observe the crew performing a line check and also see Elbow themselves sound checking ahead of the gig.

The students also took the opportunity to gain a further understanding of acoustics in such a large arena, being able to ‘walk through’ the sound as the PA was tested, all the way from the front of the stage to the rafters in the roof of the building, noting how the sound changes and is affected by the design of the PA system to accommodate audience members in the different parts of the venue.

This invaluable experience simply could not be achieved without having an empty arena with a large scale production at their disposal, and is further evidence of SSR’s strong industry connections that we were able to make the visit happen.

Tom Piper – Elbow Tour Manager:
“Having the SSR students visit our MEN Arena production for a behind the scenes tour was a real pleasure. It was great to be able to offer our support to SSR Manchester and their students.”

We would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Elbow, Tom Piper, the Manchester Evening News Arena and the entire crew for taking the time to accommodate our students and offer their advice and support.

If you would like to find out more information on our Live Sound course, please click here.

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15.03.11

SSR staff at HMV’s ‘Next Big Thing’ Festival

SSR Post Production tutor Sally Hesketh and SSR ‘Studio Assistant’ Victoria Batrak recently travelled down to London to work on HMV’s ‘Next Big Thing’ Festival in Islington.

Sally and Vicky were in the capital at the start of February to work as recording engineers for the music festival. Based at ‘The Garage’ in Islington along with numerous other venues, the festival featured lots of high profile acts performing at the event.

Sally and Vicky captured multi track recordings of each of the performer’s sets at The Garage for later broadcast on XFM in London & Manchester, and throughout the UK on DAB.

Artists performing at the festival, which took place across 6 London venues, included the much hyped James Blake and BBC’s ‘Sound of 2011’ winner Jessie J among others.

Dutch Uncles, who recently recorded at SSR’s Spirit Studio in Manchester, also performed at the festival.

SSR Post Production tutor Sally Hesketh:
“It was great to have Vicky as an assistant on this job - there were times when we were under a lot of pressure and Vicky's fantastic attitude to work, problem solving and her ability to think on her feet and use her own initiative were invaluable. The event itself was great and a real pleasure to be recording big acts for broadcast on XFM.”

Vicky Batrak:
“Without my training at SSR there is no way I would have had the skill set to be able to successfully do a job like this. When I started the audio engineering course in 2007 I had no experience of sound engineering at all. Within the space of two years, thanks to the course content, facilities and staff at SSR, I was able to comfortably work as an audio engineer in a variety of different studios and in live situations. I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and am very grateful to Sally and SSR for providing me with the opportunity.”

Vicky completed SSR’s Audio Engineering Techniques & Technology course in 2008 and has remained at SSR as a studio assistant, helping new students get to grips with the studios and technology available to them.

For more information on our Audio Engineering course available in London or Manchester, please click here

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09.03.11

Matt Cox Guest Lecture

SSR was delighted to recently welcome Matt Cox to deliver a guest lecture for students on our Audio Engineering Techniques and Technology course.

Matt was a student with us on the Audio Engineering Techniques & Technology course when we were based on Tariff Street. Matt has since been a midi-technician for the past 15 years working with high profile acts such as The Chemical Brothers, The Prodigy and Snow Patrol.

Matt offered his services to host an exclusive guest lecture where he would unveil some of his top tips. Discussions were held around how to set up and maintain a successful live show as well as a break down of the various types of jobs that are available at live shows.

Matt also gave insights into the light design for a tour and an inside look into what equipment and process is involved for stage lighting before a tour.

Matt Cox:
“Coming back to SSR after all these years was so exciting; a lot has changed since I was studying the Audio Diploma on Tariff Street. The studio has advanced so much and the facilities were top notch! Offering my knowledge to the students was a pleasure and it was made easier by the level of enthusiasm I encountered”.

Jay Beard:
“Matt’s knowledge and skills were well received from my students, they really took a lot from him and I would like to thank him for taking the time to see them”.

Guest lectures like this are an important part of all our courses. We feel that it is important for students to get as much real world experience as possible and thanks to the extensive range of contacts possessed by our tutors and staff we can achieve this.

SSR would like to thank Matt for allocating his time to our students and we also feel immensely proud to have produced such a talent.

For more information on our Audio Engineering course in Manchester or London please click here

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15.02.11

SSR now accepting International Students

We are delighted to announce that SSR can once again accept international students across our full range of courses.

SSR has a long tradition of training students from overseas here in the UK, but following changes to UK immigration laws last year we, along with many other training providers, have had to apply for a “Tier 4” license in order to accept non EU Students.

Following a rigorous application and inspection process we are very pleased to have been awarded the Tier 4 license and as such we can once again welcome applications from across the globe!

SSR Principal Ian Hu:
“This is really great news for both SSR and for people around the world looking to train in the music and creative industries. We look forward to welcoming international students back onto our courses and providing our award winning training to those outside of the EU.”

Details on the application process for international students can be found by clicking here

Alternatively please contact our admissions department on admissions@s-s-r.com or call +44 (0)161 276 2100 for further information or to discuss your application.

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12.01.11

SSR Course Now Accredited NCFE Level 5

We are delighted to announce that SSR’s Audio Engineering Techniques & Technology courses in Manchester and London have now been accredited as equivalent to an ordinary bachelors degree. This is a unique opportunity for SSR students.

The SSR Industry Advanced Diploma course Audio Engineering Techniques and Technology course was fully inspected and judged against the most rigorous standards.

This nationally recognised accreditation means that students can opt to have their training recognised as equivalent to an ordinary bachelors degree.

With the impending rise in university tuition fees and difficulty of getting onto University courses, the option of upgrading your SSR qualification to a bachelors degree level will be an attractive and viable option for many students.

The NCFE option will be available from our next intake starting in March 2011, and as stated applies to both Manchester and London SSR courses.

SSR Principal Ian Hu:
“Gaining this recognition gives tremendous added value to SSR’s audio engineering course and we are delighted to be able to offer students the opportunity to gain a formal qualification within our most practical and hands on programme”

For further information on what will be involved please contact SSR Principal Ian Hu on 0161 276 2100.

To visit the NCFE web site click here.

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13.12.10

X Factor’s Nick Netsall Joins SSR

Following on from a successful guest lecture last year, SSR is delighted to welcome back Nick Netsall to our team of industry active tutors.

Nick is a leading post production professional who has been involved in hit TV programmes such as the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent and Derren Brown’s ‘Trick or Treat’ to name a few. During his career, Nick has worked for some of the UK’s leading post production companies including The Farm and Sumners, producing top quality audio for clients such as Simon Cowell’s SYCO, Talkback Thames, ITV Productions and Endemol UK Productions.

Nick is the Dubbing Mixer for the X Factor shows and is the specialist who mixes all the audio and adds equalization, compression and sound effects for the show. As the X Factor reached its conclusion with the live final in December, Nick worked alongside the production team to ensure everything ran smoothly while the shows high production values were maintained.

Nick has been delivering a series of lectures for our FdSc Post Production Technology for Film, TV and CGI course, sharing his expert knowledge, skills and career experiences.

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “Having Nick Netsall joining our team of tutors is a magnificent opportunity for our post production students to interact with another top industry professional. Nick has worked on some major projects and SSR students will gain some valuable insights and skills from his time with us.”

Nick Netsall: “It’s an honour to work alongside the team at SSR. They are focused on delivering first class training on all aspects of the industry and provide a solid knowledge base for students to build their careers from.”

For further information on our FdSc Post Production Technology for Film, TV and CGI course in association with Manchester Metropolitan University, please click here.

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24.11.10

Skunk Anansie Fieldtrip

SSR Live Sound students recently went on an exclusive field trip to Skunk Anansie’s gig at the Manchester Academy.

Skunk Anansie are a multi-platinum selling rock band, notable for recording the hits “All I Want” and “Hedonism”.

SSR Students from the Live Sound Engineering course got a chance to have a sneak peak at the band as they prepared for the main event and were allowed to witness the sound check and tour the stage area. The students were addressed by Skunk Anansie’s live sound engineer Paul Ramsey who spoke to them about his history in the industry and the quality of work needed for high profile events.

Paul showcased their vast array of equipment to the students and gave an in-depth analysis of their effect units, Front of House and stage monitor consoles, and discussed what is needed to ensure such events run smoothly. Students were given a tour of the stage area to take notes on microphone placement and the various forms of instruments and equipment used, and were then allowed to watch exclusively as the band sound checked.

SSR student Greg Brown: “The trip to the academy to see Skunk Anansie was fantastic, it was a real thrill to go backstage and see the band perform their sound check. Paul was incredibly helpful and gave the students some really useful technical tips and insights into his life as live sound engineer.”

Paul Ramsey: “Having students from SSR attend the event was a pleasure; they were very attentive and keen to learn!”

The opportunity for students to go backstage and get some real world experience at an event such as this is one of SSR’s unique traits. The day proved to be a huge success giving the students some priceless experiences.

Students who attended the trip were also treated to guest passes for the main event.

SSR would like to thank Paul Ramsey for taking time out of his busy schedule to give our students this opportunity.

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24.11.10

The Answering Machine visit SSR

Following the recent recordings with Dutch Uncles and Sisters of Transistors, SSR recently welcomed indie rock band The Answering Machine for a day of recording in our flagship Spirit Studio.

The session was recorded for Pete Mitchell’s ‘Razor Cuts’ programme and once again the performance was followed by an interview with the band.

The session was overseen by SSR graduate Viktor Sigurjónsson, with assistance from fellow students Tom Leech and Asgeir Einarsson who are completing SSR’s Audio Engineering Techniques and Technology course.

The Answering Machine: “It was great day’s recording at SSR. The drum room in particular has a fantastic sound and we would love to come back for more sessions!”

Viktor Sigurjónsson: “Working on the Razor Cuts project has been lots of fun and at the same time a real challenge. Engineering for the Answering Machine was a pleasure, and the experiences of these sessions have been really helpful for me as an engineer learning my craft.”

The opportunity for SSR students to collaborate on the “Razor Cuts” sessions is a unique learning experience for them and another example of our strong industry connections and commitment to Manchester’s music scene.

Tracks from the session will be available for streaming on our website shortly.

For more information on our Audio Engineering course please click here

If you would like to see our amazing facilities for yourself or find out more about any of our courses, why not come down to our next Open Evening on Weds 8th December? Click here for details

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11.11.10

Jesca Hoop & Elbow's Tour Manager Visit SSR

Following recent sessions with Dutch Uncles, Fenech Soler and The Answering Machine, American singer-songwriter Jesca Hoop was the latest artist to drop into SSR for a recording session.

Jesca hails from Northern California and is widely known for her diverse musical style and affiliations to Tom Waits. She has worked closely with Manchester band Elbow, touring with them in 2008 which later prompted her to move to Manchester on a permanent basis.

Jesca’s session was recorded in our flagship Spirit Studio with SSR graduates Jason Looney and Matt Killerby. Jason and Matt engineered and mixed the session using the knowledge they inherited from the Audio Engineering course at SSR, recording acoustic versions of songs featured on Jesca’s ‘Kismet’ album.

Jesca was impressed with the studio facilities and wanted to stress how grateful she is to Matt and Jason “for all their work on the session, making the day run so smoothly and producing some great recordings. Thanks guys!”

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “Having Jesca use our facilities really was an exciting prospect and a credit to SSR. The chance for SSR graduates Jason and Matt to work with an artist of Jesca’s calibre was fantastic and will give them some invaluable experience.”

SSR graduate Jason Looney: “Working with Jesca was a pleasure; she is a very dedicated professional and was impressed by the standard of SSR’s facilities. The session went very smoothly and we made some top notch recordings!”

Following on from the recording session, Jesca’s manager and Elbow’s tour manager Tom Piper also delivered a guest lecture for our Live Sound students, sharing with them the knowledge and skills gained during his career and on the road with one of Britain’s most successful bands. Much like the recent guest lecture from The Stone Roses tour manager Steve Atherton, Tom’s advice was very well received by the students and will aid them in completing their tour managing module.

Tom Piper: ““It was a pleasure to record Jesca’s session in Spirit Studio and deliver the guest lecture for Jay Beard’s students at SSR. Jay is a great friend from touring the world together over many years and his students are lucky to have such a professional with real world experience as their lecturer. The students were very keen to learn more about the industry and hopefully the advice I shared with them will be of benefit to their future careers. Can’t wait to come back!”

We would like to thank Tom for taking time out of his busy schedule to speak to our students and we look forward to a return visit next term.

For more information on our Audio Engineering course please click here

For more information on our Live Sound course please click here

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11.11.10

SSR & Salford City Radio announce ‘SSR Salford Sessions’

UPDATE
Exclusive free download of Fenech-Soler's 'Battlefields' recorded live at SSR now available >>>

'Next Big Thing' Q Award nominees Fenech Soler were the first act to take part in a brand new collaboration between Salford City Radio and SSR that sees students producing live sessions with top bands for broadcast exclusively on Salford City Radio.

Utilising the cutting edge facilities available at SSR, presenters from the station will be inviting a selection of bands along to record exclusive sessions. At the forefront of the sessions is new music champion Shell Zenner and you can catch her first exclusive session with Fenech-Soler by listening again here.

The band recorded their exclusive live session in SSR’s Charlie Jones Live Venue ahead of their set at The Warehouse Project last weekend and were very impressed with the facilities on offer: “SSR Manchester really is ace, we’d love a practise space like their venue, thanks for having us!”

Salford City Radio’s station manager Roland Gent:“Not only does this allow SSR students to gain an understanding of how a community radio station operates it is a great opportunity for our presenters to work with the best up and coming bands and we very much look forward to further developing the relationship between SSR and Salford City Radio.”

SSR’s head of marketing Matt Talbot: “This is a really exciting project for our students. Having the chance to engineer and mix some great bands gives our Live Sound students invaluable experience. Teaming up with Salford City Radio is another example of SSR’s commitment to forging strong industry links and delivering the best training available to our students.”

Salford City Radio presenter Shell Zenner: “As one of my top tips for 2010 back in January, Fenech-Soler epitomise the up and coming bands/artists that I love to champion on my new music show. 2010 has seen them release their debut self-titled album, tour in support of Groove Armada and has gifted them a Q Award nomination as the 'next big thing' and I'm honoured to have them as the first session. It is a privilege to be working with SSR on this project, their facilities and engineers are top class and provide the perfect set up for a professional recording session.”

An exclusive track from the Fenech Soler session will be available as a free download from the SSR and SCR websites very soon, please keep checking back for details.

There are some great artists lined up for future sessions and we can’t wait to welcome them down to our live venue. To keep up to date with full details of future sessions please use the following links and keep checking the website!

Salford City Radio
Follow Shellzenner on Twitter
Follow SSR Manchester on Twitter

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27.10.10

Wigwam Acoustics Field Trip

SSR Live Sound students recently went on an exclusive field trip to the Wigwam Acoustics warehouse in Heywood.

Wigwam Acoustics are one of the world's leading sound companies for the hire, sales and installation of professional audio equipment. Operating out of a giant warehouse complex in north Manchester, the company provided sound reinforcement for the Pope’s recent visit to the UK, along with countless high profile tours for the likes of Coldplay, Radiohead, The Prodigy and Keane.

Around 20 students from SSR’s Live Sound course and The University of Central Lancashire’s Studio & Live Music Production course got the chance to have a sneak peek inside the warehouse and were given a guided tour by Wigwam staff, some of whom are former SSR students now employed by the company.

During the trip, the students were given an insight into how the company preps PA systems and equipment for a large scale production, including a look inside the hire department, repairs and cable making facilities, FX and microphone stores and the mixing console prep area, where everything is put together and tested before it leaves the warehouse.

Following the tour SSR students were also addressed by Wigwam MD Chris Hill, who spoke to them about his history in the business and the qualities the company look for in potential employees. Rob Priddle, one of Wigwam’s freelance System Technicians also spoke to the students about his recent work in designing the specialist system used for the Pope’s visit to the UK, and the requirements for working with such a high profile figure.

Wigwam Acoustics are SSR’s premier ‘Creative Partner’, having been instrumental in developing our live sound engineering courses along with running the highly successful Charlie Jones Scholarship. Having such strong industry links enables SSR students to take advantage of value added benefits such as this field trip, enabling them to stand out from the pack when applying for jobs and placements.

The field trip was a big hit by the students in attendance and is certain to be of benefit when it comes to their tour preparation and PA system design projects.

SSR Student Dave Lunt: “The trip was great. It was fascinating to have a look around the Wigwam warehouse and see what goes into prepping for a major tour. I have never seen so many cables! The talks from their staff provided some real insights into life on the road and the details that go into making a large touring production successful.”

Wigwam Acoustics’ Emma Connelly: “It was a pleasure to show the students around our facility and talk to them about the business and industry which we work in. I am sure they got a lot out of it and hopefully the advice and knowledge our staff shared with them will be of some use to them in the future”

We would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone at Wigwam for taking time out of their extremely busy schedules to accommodate our students.

For further information on SSR’s Live Sound course please click here

For further information on The University of Central Lancashire and SSR’s Studio & Live Music Production course please click here

Wigwam Acoustics website

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20.10.10

Graham Massey Returns to SSR

SSR recently welcomed 808 State star Graham Massey and “Sisters of Transistors” to our studios for a day of recording in our Spirit studio.

The session is part of the new radio programme titled “Razor Cuts” presented by Pete Mitchell, well known for his work on XFM and Virgin Radio.

Graham Massey is a former SSR student and recorded the seminal ‘Pacific State’ single with 808 State as a student project at Spirit Studios when it was based on Tariff Street in the Northern Quarter of Manchester.

The “Sisters of Transistors” perform their music on vintage keyboards with Graham on drums, creating a unique sound that has seen the band record critically acclaimed albums and singles.

The recordings for “Razor Cuts” took place in our flagship Spirit Studio with SSR graduate Viktor Sigurjónsson. Viktor engineered and mixed the entire session, using his knowledge gained during his audio engineering course and previous “Razor Cuts” session with Dutch Uncles. Pete Mitchell was present throughout the day and recorded an interview after the band had finished performing.

The day proved to be a great success and gave students Tom Leech and Asgeir Einarsson from SSR’s audio engineering course the chance to assist Viktor and participate in an innovative project that will be broadcasted to the public.

Pete Mitchell: “The opportunity to get Graham and the Sisters of transistors into Spirit was fantastic. Graham has long been a friend of SSR ever since his early days as a student here. They were top professionals and coupled with Viktors engineering we received some excellent recordings.”

Graham Massey: “It was great to come back to Spirit to record these tracks; it brought back many fond memories and I was also very impressed with the professionalism of the engineering and the Spirit Studio itself. SSR has come a long way since the old days!”

For our students to get the chance to work with Pete, Graham Massey and the Sisters of Transistors is further proof of SSR’s unique industry connections and involvement with some of Manchester’s top professionals. Tracks from the session will be available for streaming on our website shortly.

For more information about our Audio Engineering Techniques and Technology course, please click here

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13.10.10

SSR students were recently treated to a guest lecture from former Stone Roses tour manager Steve “Adge” Atherton.

SSR students were recently treated to a guest lecture from former Stone Roses tour manager Steve “Adge” Atherton.

Steve spent much of his career on the road with The Stone Roses, and continued to be their tour manager for the whole 12 years they were together with Mani once saying “If Steve Adge can’t sort it, it can’t be sorted”.

In addition to managing the Roses, Steve helped to nurture and support the talent in Spirit Studios, the original home and name of SSR. Steve was also instrumental in improving our industry links and continues to be a great friend of SSR.

Steve was on hand to offer some priceless advice and techniques to our students concerning event planning, tour managing and organisation.

“The Adge” gave a great insight into life on the road with The Stone Roses, with discussions based around best practise when managing events, organising a tour, personal relations and some of his valuable experiences throughout his career.

Jay Beard: “The guest lecture from Steve was a great chance for the students to interact with an industry professional and receive good advice and trade secrets. The input and advice was very well received and will be hugely beneficial to those looking to get involved in the industry”

Steve Atherton: “It was really good to come back to SSR and see how things have grown since those early days in Spirit. I couldn’t believe it. The facilities at the student’s disposal now are second to none and they were a really good bunch. I was more than happy to share some funny stories of life on the road with the Roses and hopefully the students picked up some good tips and advice too”

Special events such as this guest lecture are further proof of our unique industry connections and commitment to providing students with the best education and training possible.

We would like to thank Steve for taking time out of his busy schedule to share his knowledge and experiences with our students.

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13.10.10

Dutch Uncles

SSR recently welcomed hotly tipped Manchester band Dutch Uncles to our studios for a day of recording in our Spirit studio.

The session will form part of a new SSR radio programme “Razor Cuts” presented by legendary music presenter Pete Mitchell, well known for his work on XFM and Virgin Radio.

Dutch Uncles, originally from Marple, have had an amazing year touring extensively with the likes of The Futureheads and releasing some critically acclaimed singles along the way, with radio play from BBC Radio 1 and 6Music. The bands rise to success has seen them championed by Huw Stephens and The Guardian to name a few, and they are set to release an album early in 2011 on Manchester label ‘Love & Disaster’.

The band spent a day in our flagship ‘Spirit Studio’ alongside SSR graduate Viktor Sigurjónsson, who engineered the session and mixed the recordings. Pete Mitchell interviewed the band and this, along with hearing the band’s sessions, will be hitting the airwaves later this month.

Students from the SSR Radio degree were also assisting and helping with the production. Student Tom Hopkins will be working with Pete on the final edit and is looking forward to the opportunity that this will give him for real world practical experience.

Tom Hopkins: “Pete Mitchell is a real professional and it was incredible to see how he managed the interview alongside the live studio recording. It’s this sort of experience that is invaluable.”

The day was a great success giving students from the audio and radio courses the chance to collaborate on a truly creative project that will soon be aired to the public. The opportunity to work with both Pete and Dutch Uncles is further proof of SSR’s unique industry connections and commitment to Manchester’s music scene.

Pete Mitchell: “It was a great experience working in SSR’s Spirit Studio for this new radio project. The SSR staff, and in particular Viktor, were fun, friendly and above all very professional.”

Dutch Uncles:
“We were treated very well by you guys. Very pro. Loved it! X”

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “This is a really exciting project for SSR and we were pleased to welcome back Dutch Uncles for the first session. It’s these type of added value projects that really make the SSR experience so unique and sets our students up for a great career.”

The recording session and interview were also captured on video by SSR students and Love & Disaster’s Dan Parrot. The ‘Razor Cuts’ programme will be featured on our website very soon.

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29.09.10

SSR and RNCM Get Connected

Last week saw the launch of an exciting new project for SSR and the next step in our unique collaboration with The Royal Northern College of Music.

A VIP champagne reception was held in our Spirit recording studio to launch a new website that will allow students from both institutions to collaborate directly with each other.

The ‘mini Facebook’ style website allows musicians from The RNCM and audio engineering and film students from SSR to build their own profiles on the site and contact each other directly when enquiring about collaborations and up-coming projects.

For example, if an SSR audio engineering student requires a string section for a project, they can log onto the new website and contact relevant musicians from The RNCM and invite them to get involved with the project. RNCM musicians signed up to the website can also contact SSR engineers to record and produce their own projects.

The development of the new website and SSR’s continuing partnership with The RNCM displays our commitment to forging strong industry links for our students to capitalise on, and we believe the student collaborations to be unique to any training institutions in the UK.

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “The partnership is a prime example of two Manchester institutions working together to create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. We are taking the cream of performing talent from The RNCM and getting them to collaborate with finest creative technicians trained by SSR. This will produce material of outstanding quality that would stand up against even the biggest commercial projects, and will greatly increase the learning experience and the employability of the students from both institutions.”

SSR Student Viktor Sigurjonsson: "This collaboration between SSR and The RNCM is fantastic. The idea is great and the new website will most certainly be a huge asset to both RNCM and SSR students. Now SSR students can get real instrument players to record and the chance to work with good musicians, and the guys at RNCM can now contact engineers and that surely makes them more familiar to the studio environment and gives them some valuable studio experience in top notch studios that SSR provides."

Students from both institutions have already been collaborating to great success for over a year, with regular live music and studio recording sessions taking place alongside RNCM musicians being on hand for lectures and workshops. The event was also used to showcase some of the work that has been previously produced by collaborating students, including the screening of an animated film project developed with students from SSR, The RNCM and CSUCLA in America.

In attendance at the event were Manchester Central MP Tony Lloyd, Deputy Chair of Manchester City Council Sue Murphy and staff and students from The RNCM and SSR.

The invited guests were also treated to a special performance from renowned RNCM string quartet Finzi, pictured above.

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29.09.10

Wired Gets Fresh

SSR welcomed new students and congratulated graduates at last weeks Fresher’s event. The new students were welcomed to SSR with a special concert featuring performances by local bands The 13th and The Culprit, before being treated to a headline set by The 66. The night also provided an opportunity to showcase tracks created by our Electronic Music Production graduates, before presenting them with their graduation certificates.

The gig took place in SSR’s Charlie Jones Live Venue and was engineered by a team of Live Sound graduates who provided stage management, monitors, front of house, recording and production. The night was a great opportunity for new students to observe the skills they will learn and for the graduates to put into practice the skills they have gained whilst studying at SSR.

Dave Lunt – SSR Live Sound Graduate: “The freshers gig was a great opportunity to put the skills we have all learnt into practise and engineer a proper concert in the venue, which is usually our classroom. The bands were brilliant to work with and the night was a great success, cant wait for the next one!”

The concert was part of a month of SSR freshers events organised for our new students. Earlier this month SSR hosted a careers and employment seminar in which leading industry professionals from the Manchester music and media production scene provided students with invaluable careers advice and answered questions about securing a job at the end of their studies. SSR will top off its freshers events with a tour of local PA company Wigwam Acoustics in which students will have the opportunity to see how they prep and spec PA systems for some of the biggest tours in the UK. Students will also be able to talk to former SSR students now working for Wigwam.

We would like to take this opportunity to again welcome all our new students for 2010 and wish them luck with their studies at SSR.

For more information about our Live Sound Course click here

For more information about Electronic Music Production click here

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22.09.10

SSR hosts Careers & Employment Seminar

SSR students were recently treated to a special careers and employment seminar from 3 leading industry professionals.

George Atkins (80Hertz Studios), Mike Hayes (FAC365 and former head of ITV Technical Operations) and Andrea Quarin (ACE Centre Studio Manager and former SSR student) were on hand to offer some priceless advice and techniques to our students concerning employment within the creative industries.

The panellists gave a great insight into life and work within their industries, with discussions based around CV writing, best practise when approaching employers for jobs and work placements and helpful information about personal relations and the importance of soft skills within their respective industries.

The seminar took place in the Charlie Jones Live venue at SSR and was a great hit with the students in the audience.

Jay Beard: The guest lecture was a great chance for the students of SSR to interact with industry professionals sharing advice and trade secrets. The input and advice was very well received and will be hugely beneficial to those looking to get involved in the industry”

Special events such as this employment seminar are further proof of our unique industry connections and commitment to providing students with the best education and training possible.

We would like to thank George, Mike and Andrea for taking time out of their busy schedules to share their knowledge and experiences with our students.

We also recorded the seminar on video, and the whole event will be available to watch on our website shortly.

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18.08.10

Another seal of approval for SSR

We are delighted to announce that SSR is now accredited by the British Accreditation Council for Independent Further and Higher Education.

The British Accreditation Council has provided a comprehensive quality assurance scheme for independent further and higher education in the UK since 1984. Their accreditation is recognised the world over by students, agents and government officials as the clearest mark of educational quality in the private sector.

The awarding of full accreditation from the British Accreditation Council followed a rigorous 2 day inspection of SSR’s facilities and teaching methods, to make sure that we operate to the same professional high standards of leading universities and colleges throughout the UK.

For international students, choosing a BAC-accredited college such as SSR ensures that the institution is considered to be bona fide by immigration officials in order to secure a visa for studying in the UK.

We are delighted that the excellence of SSR's training and education has now been formally recognised by this new accreditation.

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04.08.10

Summer School Wins Rave Reviews

Our recent Summer Schools have been a great success, with the last few days of our Live Sound summer school course taking place as we speak. (well, type)

Last week saw many happy students from local schools and community groups taking part in our ‘Record Producer Masterclass’ and ‘Dj Skills’ courses. The record producer group spent the week in the hands of SSR tutor and music producer Alan Wrench, learning all the secrets that go towards making a successful record and how to get the best out of musicians, instruments and studio equipment.

Meanwhile the ‘Dj Skills’ group spent the week with SSR Dj instructors Andrew Wong and Tom Harris in our dj booths and computer suites, learning how to mix records and also making their own remixes of their favourite artists and songs.

It was great for us to see such a good reaction from the students involved, and we feel many will have been inspired to pursue a career in the music industry in the years to come. Certainly, one of the main questions our tutors were asked throughout the week was “When can I come and study at SSR?”

Throughout the week, the ‘Record Producer’ group worked on producing their own cover version of The Zutons / Amy Winehouse’ classic track Valerie. They did such a good job, and left Alan so impressed with their efforts, that we thought you might want to hear the finished version which you can listen to by clicking on the player below.

Valerie - SSR Summer School cover by SSRmcr

Student quotes:

“Really helpful, good facilities, good taster of what’s to come”
“The course was very helpful and will be extremely useful for helping me finish my A-Level in Music Tech”
“Tom was a gr8 teacher”
“Brilliant!”

We would like to thank everyone who attended this years Summer Schools at SSR and wish them the best of luck for their future careers in the music industry.

SSR Summer Schools will return bigger and better in 2011….watch this space!

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28.07.10

SSR / University of Bolton Graduation

This month saw the graduation ceremony for SSR students completing our BSc Sound Engineering and Design course delivered in collaboration with University of Bolton.

SSR Vice Principal Ian Carmichael and Head of Audio Martin Desai joined the successful students in attending the lavish ceremony at Bolton’s Victoria Halls and were on hand to celebrate with them following the ceremony.

SSR would like to offer its warmest congratulations all the graduates for their hard work and dedication.

Special congratulations must be extended to Kevin Gallagher and Warren Hilton in particular; who both achieved the rare distinction of receiving first class honours degrees (there were only 16 awarded in the entire ceremony)

Warren is set to further his studies on the first intake of SSR’s Masters Course with the University of Salford in September.

SSR Vice Principal Ian Carmichael: “It was a great feeling watching these guys graduate, and remembering back to when they first started 3 years ago – I feel honoured to have been part of their journey, and I’m so incredibly proud of all of them.”

SSR was also delighted to have a presence at a very special ceremony the following day – the appointment of The University’s first Chancellor, Baroness Morris of Bolton OBE DL.

SSR Principal Ian Hu was given a place of honour as a VIP guest on the stage during the proceedings.

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “It was a real privilege to be invited to such an historic occasion. It was a wonderful day and one I shall not forget in a hurry.”

Once again we would like to congratulate the students on their graduation and wish them all the best of luck for the future. We hope to keep in touch and will look forward to featuring them on our success stories webpage as they begin to make waves in the industry.

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14.07.10

Handball Crew Handpick Live Sound Students

SSR was recently approached by crewing company Handball Crew in their search for professional audio technicians and general event crew for their upcoming summer events.

A fine example of SSR’s industry connections and strong reputation, Handball’s MD Alex Knight contacted SSR Live Sound tutor Jay Beard requesting a selection of successful students to join their crew for upcoming festivals, corporate events and concerts.

This initial contact resulted in Handball Crew holding a series of interviews with eager SSR students which left Alex suitably impressed with the talent on offer.

Initially looking to recruit 4 students, Handball were “spoilt for choice” during the interviews and will be trialling all applicants on industry placements, which could lead to regular work for 8 or more of our Live Sound students.

Live Sound tutor Jay Beard: “This is an ideal opportunity for my Live Sound graduates to get in on the ground floor of live events at a successful company, which will give them great experience and knowledge. It will also put them in touch with the right kind of professionals to begin making their own contacts and networking; skills which are invaluable in the live events industry.”<

Watch this space for details of the students experiences on our SUCCESS STORIES website page.

SSR would like to thank Alex Knight and Handball Crew for giving our students this opportunity, and we hope to work closely with them again in future.

For details on SSR’s live sound course please click here.

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07.07.10

SSR & BBC bring science alive

SSR welcomed Manchester band Doves and a team of producers from the BBC to our studios, for a day filming various experiments and demonstrations exploring the ‘science of sound’.

The footage is to be used in a series of programmes for the BBC designed to inspire young people into exploring science through interesting and engaging subjects, such as sound and audio among others.

Having worked closely with SSR’s Head of Audio Martin Desai to create and design the experiments, Doves spent a day in our flagship ‘Spirit Studio’ performing the pieces and talking the audience through the process of creating and manipulating sound.

The day was a great success and despite the pressures of filming to a tight schedule, Martin and co in Spirit did a great job and left both Doves and the BBC impressed with the facilities and knowledge on offer at SSR.

Doves vocalist Jimi Goodwin: “It was a great experience working in Spirit Studio at SSR for this BBC Learning project. The SSR staff, and in particular Martin, were fun, friendly and above all very professional!”

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “At SSR we pride ourselves on delivering dynamic, creative and engaging training and we were delighted to be involved with this production. The BBC shares our philosophy for nurturing talent and encouraging interaction and I am confident that together we have created a truely inspiring programme”

Watch this space for details on transmission times and links to the programme on the BBC website and iPlayer.

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02.06.10

SSR students take on Hungry Pigeon

This year’s Hungry Pigeon festival was bigger and better than ever. Over 100 bands, solo artists and DJs performed across 21 different venues in Manchester. SSR was very happy to provide some of our students with work experience as part of the festival. Fourteen of our students from many different courses took part in the festival, helping out in various different roles with sound, lighting and filming.

This was an invaluable opportunity for the students to receive some real world experience in their chosen area of study; an opportunity that our students thoroughly enjoyed. Stuart Avery, organiser of the Hungry Pigeon Festival, was more than impressed with the students' commitment, enthusiasm and technical ability. Here’s what he said about SSR students at Hungry Pigeon…

“The SSR students we had working with us over Hungry Pigeon Festival this year were, yet again, absolutely fantastic. This year we had a total of 14 SSR students from a variety of different courses working in a number of varying roles over the weekend. They were hardworking, enthusiastic and a genuine asset to my team of staff over the weekend, and SSR should be proud of producing students with such a variety of skills that are invaluable in the industry. I look forward to offering more placements for SSR students at Hungry Pigeon in future years.”

SSR would like to thank Stuart Avery for allowing our students to help out. We would also like to thank the students involved for representing SSR so impressively. Roll on Hungry Pigeon 2011!!!

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26.05.10

SSR develops Key partnership

As part of the exclusive new work experience partnership between SSR and Key 103, students from our FdA Radio Production degree will soon be benefiting from work placements with the regions leading commercial radio station.

Confident that our students have the necessary capabilities and training to hit the ground running, Key 103 have expanded their creative partnership with SSR by taking this step which will lead to some great opportunities for our students.

The first announcement we can make is that current Radio Production student Max Smalley will be taking over the production of all Key 103 ‘In:Demand’ podcasts! In Demand (with Alex and Lucy) is Bauers flagship network show, and broadcasts across the North of England via Key103, Rock FM, Radio City, Radio Aire, Hallam FM, Viking FM, Metro Radio, TFM and CFM. Also nationally on The Hits (digital station on Freeview and DAB)

The role will involve Max compiling and editing content for the podcasts along with ensuring they meet the strict broadcast standards required for a commercial station.

Gary Stein, MD of Key 103, had this to say about the partnership: “We are delighted to create this amazing opportunity for SSR students. With this real hands on experience, KEY 103 is delighted to be playing its part in developing the citys next generation of creative talents.”

Ian Hu, SSR Principal: “This unique partnership with Key is a further illustration of SSR’s links with industry that enables our students to get that real cutting edge experience. In this arrangement SSR students on our degree course will be working with new digital technologies and contributing to creative forums to generate ideas for the station. Such opportunities are priceless and ensure that our students will have excellent contacts and CV’s when they complete their course.”

The next stage of this exciting partnership will see SSR holding a radio production workshop event at the Key 103 studios in Manchester on Thursday July 15th at 11am, featuring hands-on activities and talks from top radio industry professionals with tips on how to get started in the radio industry.

For further information on our FdA Radio Production course please click here

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05.05.10

Film Production students win praise for professionalism

‘Film Production for the Advertising and Music Industries’ students from SSR and The University of Bolton recently spent three days at Oriel College, Oxford University, filming the annual conference of the UK Academy for Information Systems.

Simon Brooks, Ashley Shakibai and Jonathan Turner were selected to attend the recent conference as film crew after pitching their ideas to conference organisers. The brief involved filming keynote speakers and a "talking heads" series which will appear on the academy's website

Dr David Wainwright, President of the UKAIS said: “For several years we have wanted a video record of the conference. The idea of filming people arriving at the conference and the "talking heads" collection really captures the atmosphere of the conference and it is fantastic to have the keynote speeches preserved in this way. The students from the University of Bolton were professional and fitted in perfectly with the UKAIS community.”

Brennan Tighe, Pathway Leader for the programme said: “I am extremely proud of the professionalism of Simon, Ashley and Jonathan; they were also excellent ambassadors for the course, the School and the University. Having students pitch ideas to win opportunities like this is all part of our aim to produce industry-focused, work-ready students and this is an excellent experience for the three first-year students.”

The UKAIS thought Simon, Ash and Jonathan (pictured) did such a professional job that they have already booked them for next year's conference!

SSR Vice-Principal Ian Carmichael: “I'm very proud of these guys - they are first year students showing determination and initiative, and they already have a foot in the door of the industry. This is one example of the many great opportunities that our collaboration with the University of Bolton provides.”

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20.04.10

Cheeky Media

SSR and Cheeky Media Productions are proud to announce the development of their current ‘creative partnership’, in a move which will see Cheeky Media operating in-house from SSR.

Cheeky Media have been an established partner of SSR for nearly 2 years, so it has been a natural progression for the company to expand its current operation with the opening of a second base at SSR.

With this development, Cheeky Media will be increasing their links with SSR by offering commercial work placements and training opportunities for students and graduates. This along with guest lectures and course content suggestions from Cheeky MD Karen Milligan shows how this partnership is an excellent collaboration for both companies.

Karen has a distinguished career in television with over twelve years spent at Granada, BBC and Endemol to name a few. It was this background that enabled her, at a very early age, to set up her own highly successful media company. Their recent projects have involved producing short films, documentaries and a wide range of corporate video projects for government campaigns and travel companies. Karen continues to work as a freelance Producer/Director in TV and one of the many highlights was filming an exclusive interview with Danny Boyle at the Oscars in 2009 - the footage of which formed the basis of an SSR training project for TV freelancers.

With Cheeky Media on hand , SSR will be offering students on our media production course programmes some unique and exciting opportunities that will place them higher up the ladder in this competitive industry.

Coupled with our links to the BBC, North West Vision and Media and Salford University, alongside our recent approval as a Skillset Media Academy, this collaboration confirms once again that SSR is the region’s most connected industry training provider.

SSR is also due to expand operations to London in 2010, raising the possibility of both Cheeky Media and SSR working together in the capital along with operations back in Manchester.

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “Our partnership with Cheeky Media has been highly successful and I am delighted they have chosen SSR premises as their second home. The move will encourage a higher degree of creativity and collaboration between both companies and will lead to some great opportunities for SSR students.”<

Cheeky Media MD Karen: “Having a production office at SSR will strengthen our partnership and we are looking forward to working with the students. We are proud to be associated with SSR who share our passion for first class media training.”

For more information on Cheeky Media please visit their website - www.cheekymediaproductions.co.uk

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20.04.10

New SSR course success

We are absolutely delighted to announce that 80% of our first set of graduates from the Film & TV Audio Post Production course have already gained employment within the industry, and the course only finished in March.

This great news is a true testament to the benefits of our world-class, industry led training and well connected careers department. As we all know, the recent economic downturn has led more and more people into professional training. Successes like this new course prove that training at SSR is a vital tool to further career prospects or gain new skills. The incredible success rate of this first run demonstrates one again that our students stand head and shoulders above all others when looking for that important first step into their dream careers.

As with all our courses, our main priority is to train our students to the highest professional standards and to help them into work. Our Graduate support programme continues to offer students advice and help after they graduate unlike other organisations whose doors can remain locked once students leave.

SSR Principal Ian Hu: I was delighted to hear these excellent figures for our first run of the FTAPP course. When we were developing the content I thought that the course would achieve high success rates; it’s great to see that this has proved to be the case. Of course the best part is that the arrival of MediaCityUK should make the stats even better.”

We will be featuring some of the graduates in more detail in the student success section of our website in the coming weeks, however here is a quick list of employers that have taken on students from this particular course:

MUTV
Acrobat TV
Airplay Media
Preston FM
LGM Records

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20.04.10

LGM Records Becomes Latest SSR Creative Partner

SSR, is proud to announce a new creative partner, LGM records. LGM is a record label and music promotion company who are working with some of Manchester’s top unsigned and signed talent. Tipped as a real creative who combines passion for music with a savvy business mind, LGM ‘s Guru Mark Openshaw is being backed by some of Manchester’s leading moguls in the music industry.

Mark approached SSR as the place to record and help launch new breaking bands. In return, students on the advanced stages of our Audio techniques and Technology course are practicing their recording and mixing techniques with LGM bands. This, on top of our links with the Royal Northern College for Music, ensures that our students are working with first class talented artists and making contacts in the industry that can prove invaluable when making those first steps into work.

SSR’s Head of Audio Martin Desai: “This partnership with LGM has been fantastic for students on phase 3. For our students to get the chance to work with signed bands is a massive plus and one that really develops their skills and expertise.”

Mark has been delighted with the recordings: “I approached SSR as I consider their Spirit Studio to be the best recording studio in the North West, and the top class engineers there really know what they’re doing.

To get the chance to work with SSR to help ensure its students receive the right understanding, knowledge and skills to perform to the professional level required when working with signed artists is amazing. It is great to be in a partnership with such a highly creative, dynamic organisation as SSR.”

Once again SSR’s profile in the Music business ensures that our students are in the best place possible for real world industry training.

For further information on Audio Engineering Techniques and Technology click here

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20.04.10

SSR take over the Apollo!

Current and former SSR students were recently given a fantastic opportunity to design and build a PA system in Manchester’s legendary Apollo Theatre!

Lead by SSR Live Sound tutor Jay Beard, the group had a brief recap on line array (speaker placement) theory then dove straight into planning and building their PA system. The group used blueprint plans of the venue and took measurements of the room before importing their data into Arraycalc – a piece of software used to calculate the frequency response and throw of PA systems within a certain space. This procedure, along with extensive testing, tuning and subwoofer alignment, allowed the group to work out the best setup for their PA system to provide the optimum listening experience in all areas of the venue; something of vital importance to any live performance.

The day out was a fantastic opportunity for the students to take the theoretical knowledge they had learnt in Jay’s lectures into practice in a real world, professional commercial venue. The trip also provided the students with lots of ideas for their PA design projects that they need to complete as part of the Live Sound course.

It was a great opportunity to welcome back some of our graduates too, who were also invited to attend the training day. We have always believed “once an SSR student, always an SSR student” and unique training days such as this demonstrate our dedication to keeping in touch with our student base and offering an open door policy on further education for those who have already graduated form our courses.

Alex Parkes, Live Sound Student “I had a brilliant day it was great to actually build the PA system, rather than just designing it on paper. It was good to meet some of the ex-students as well to see how their training has helped them to find work.”

Jay Beard, Head of Live Sound: “Today was a fantastic opportunity for our students to work within a real commercial venue. They were working on tasks that they would be working on as a live sound engineer in the real. To have the chance to work on a PA setup this early in their careers is a great way to develop their understanding of live sound setups.”

For further information on our Live Sound course, please click here

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10.02.10

Airplay for SSR

SSR is pleased to announce another exciting addition to our team of industry creative partners: Airplay Media.

Airplay Media, based in Manchester, have been established for 25 years and specialize in the development of creative communications for many of the world’s leading brands. Its work has led the company into all forms of media, primarily sound and video production alongside digital media content and development.

The partnership, among other things, will see Airplay company director Peter Knott, an industry professional himself with over 25 years experience, visiting SSR on a regular basis and offering support for our current students. This will take the form of guest lectures and placements and job opportunities with Airplay, alongside dedicated careers and CV optimisation workshops from Peter himself.

These initiatives will be extremely beneficial to our students and will help provide an expansion to SSR’s already successful careers and work placement department.

Airplay’s Peter Knott: “I must say having formed the relationship with SSR, the prospect of working with tomorrow’s talent and coaching and developing young people is most appealing to myself and the company. I very much look forward to what I’m sure will be a mutually beneficial situation for both SSR and Airplay and we cant wait to get started.”

SSR post production tutor Paul Maunder is one of Airplay’s leading professionals, and has already been using some of their productions as projects and assignments for SSR students. Formalising the relationship between the two companies will lead to many more unique opportunities for our students and is another reason why SSR is a leading centre for industry relevant training and education.

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “This partnership will be extremely beneficial for our students, particularly with the increased availability of real-world projects for them to work on and the dedicated CV optimising workshops. Students receiving direct feedback on their CV’s from a media professional will help them stand out from the crowd when approaching companies for employment which is really an invaluable tool.”

We will be updating the SSR website with news and developments leading from our partnership with Airplay, along with relevant student success stories.

For more information on Airplay please visit their website - http://www.airplay.co.uk

For more information on SSR’s FdSc Post Production Technology for Film, TV and CGI course, please click here

For more information on SSR’s Film & TV Audio Post Production course, please click here

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10.02.10

SSR is California Dreaming

As part of our unique partnership with Manchester’s Royal Northern College of Music, SSR students have been invited to collaborate on an exciting project that will see the two Manchester institutions teaming up with the California State University of Los Angeles! (CSULA)

The project involves SSR’s audio engineering students recording classical musicians from the RNCM, producing the soundtracks to 13 different animated short films. The animations are based on the ‘Recital’ collection of poems by renowned poet John Siddique, and are being created by the animations department at CSULA.

Manchester based composer Katie Chatburn was commissioned by John Siddique to write the music for the animations and then invited musicians from the RNCM and audio engineering students from SSR to take part in the project: "It was a great experience to work with students who can adopt such professionalism. The Spirit Studio at SSR is also incredible and I am very pleased with the end results."

SSR student Viktor Sigurjónsson was chosen as the main engineer for the sessions, and had this to say about the project: “Having the chance to record these sessions with such talented musicians is something that all SSR students will benefit from. The collaboration between SSR and RNCM is invaluable and gives students so much insight on how to work with session players and get some experience working with classical instruments. I’m sure the RNCM musicians also learn a lot from performing here with all the professional facilities and engineers SSR has at its disposal."

The project is likely to please officials on both sides of the Atlantic, as the collaboration re-enforces the formal ‘Friendship Agreement’ established in 2009 between Manchester and Los Angeles. The link between the cities came about after an approach from the 'City of Angels', which was looking for a suitable UK partner to develop links in business, art, culture, science and education. Manchester was (naturally!) chosen by Los Angeles above other UK cities including Birmingham and London, and we at SSR are proud, along with the RNCM, to be contributing to this partnership.

This exciting project has full backing from The British Arts Council, along with the British Council, who have been supporting John Siddique’s residency in California.

The collaboration is part of an ongoing partnership between SSR and the RNCM. Alongside these recording sessions we have also recently held a successful concert for their musicians and our students have been working with individual performers in our studios for their projects.

Having access to such great musicians is a great opportunity for SSR students, meaning they can replace (for example) synthesized string sections with the real thing, performed by highly trained and talented musicians: another reason that SSR’s media education is a step-ahead of that of other media training providers.

For more information on SSR’s Audio Engineering Techniques and Technology course, please click here

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10.02.10

RNCM Concert

SSR Live Sound students recently staged a concert for Manchester’s prestigious Royal Northern College of Music.

Featuring 6 multi-instrumented groups of musicians and with plenty of family and friends in attendance, there was a great atmosphere in our live venue and the show was deemed a great success by all involved.

SSR Live Sound students produced, stage managed and engineered the entire show themselves under guidance from head tutor Jay Beard. The concert was also fully recorded with a separate multi-track mix for the RNCM/SSR archives and/or possible future release.

As part of a formal assessment for the RNCM musicians, the concert saw the performers being judged not only on musical ability but also on stage performance, showmanship, preparation and overall professionalism.

A substantial amount of pre-production took place for the shows with the audio engineers from the night working closely with the bands in advance to deliver the best possible sound and mix for the shows, something which obviously paid off as many in attendance commented on the clarity and quality of the audio.

Jay Beard, head of Live Sound at SSR: “It was great experience for my students to be able to produce their own gig and it turned out to be a really good evening. The bands were all very talented and my guys all did a great job in making them sound as good as possible. Watching my students put on a professional standard concert under all the pressures that come with commercial events made me feel very proud!”

The concert formed part of an ongoing partnership between SSR & RNCM which sees our audio engineering and Film/TV students working closely with RNCM performers in both studio and live environments.

This unique partnership has also seen RNCM’s classical musicians working with SSR head of audio Martin Desai and his students in our flagship Spirit Studio, alongside sessions in our other studios for student projects and productions.

For more information on SSR’s Live Sound course, please click here

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02.02.10

SSR Welcomes Delphic

SSR has always been at the heart of Manchester’s music scene, so it was great to welcome Manchester’s most talked about new band, Delphic, to our studios.

Featuring on BBC Radio 1’s ‘Sound of 2010’ list and countless blogs, websites and magazines, the band are hotly tipped as ones to watch this year.

Delphic recorded an interview here at SSR for Mike Joyce’s (The Smiths) radio show. Having pre-recorded a Dj mix for the programme, the boys were interviewed about their song choices and also answered questions on their album and touring plans.

SSR graduate and freelance sound engineer James Trott was asked to record the interview: “It was great getting the chance to meet Delphic, they seem like great lads and the interview went well so I was really happy with the way it turned out. There are some more interviews and sessions with various bands lined up so it’s been great experience for the future.”<

Delphic have also previously worked with some of SSR’s tutors, including Daniel Parrott, who recorded their now-infamous Channel M music session, and audio tutor Alan Wrench who recorded an album with the band when they were know as ‘Snowfight in the City Centre’.

Having recently released their debut album to much critical acclaim and setting off on a nationwide tour, 2010 is looking very bright for the local lads.

SSR Principal Ian Hu: “SSR’s industry links extend to all parts of the Music business so working with Manchester’s leading musicians is a regular experience for our students. This is one of the many reasons why SSR is the only place to be for music education.”

Having recently released their debut album to much critical acclaim and setting off on a nationwide tour, 2010 is looking very bright for the local lads and, as always, for SSR students.

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06.02.10

‘An Evening with Mani’

Long time friend and supporter of SSR, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, visited us in December for a Q&A evening with an audience of our current students and staff.

Featuring on BBC Radio 1’s ‘Sound of 2010’ list and countless blogs, websites and magazines, the band are hotly tipped as ones to watch this year.

It was a real pleasure to have Mani with us, sharing his experiences and knowledge from a career spanning nearly 25 years in the music industry, including the early days recording and rehearsing at (now SSR) Spirit Studio on Tariff Street in Manchester.

During the evening, Mani also filled us in on some details of the new project he has been working on in our flagship ‘Spirit Studio’ here at SSR, collaborating with Peter Hook (New Order) and Andy Rourke (The Smiths) as ‘Freebase’. The Manchester super-group are currently working on material for an album with SSR engineer Craig Sanderson. We don’t have any information on a possible release, but the sessions have been going well and the guys are suitably impressed with the new studio:

Mani: It was great to come down and talk to the students at SSR; tell a few tales and set some records straight…I really enjoyed it! SSR and Spirit Studios will always be something close to my heart from the early days down there with the Roses, so I love being able to come down and give something back. The new Spirit Studio is wicked, it’s been great working on new material up there, it sounds fantastic!

The evening was a great chance for our students to ask Mani some questions, particularly about recording techniques, and the relationships between musician and sound engineer, something that often gets overlooked in interviews and magazines.

SSR Student Viktoria Batrak: "It was a real privilege listening to Mani and being able to ask him some questions. He had some great ‘rock-star’ stories to share along with interesting views and advice on the musician/sound engineer relationship and music production in general, both of which are obviously very important to people studying at SSR."

SSR Principal Ian Hu: "It was a great evening! We would like to thank Mani for giving up his time and coming to share his advice and insight with our students. Events like this are of great benefit to our courses so watch out for some other special guest lecturers at SSR in 2010!"

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06.01.10

SSR Students Soundcheck with Doves

SSR is pleased to announce another exciting addition to our team of industry creative partners: Airplay Media.

SSR provided another great field trip for the Live Sound course in December when students on the current intake of the course visited Manchester Central (formerly G-Mex) for one of the biggest concerts of the year, featuring Doves, Super Furry Animals and Delphic.

Jay Beard (Head of Live Sound at SSR) was invited to take his students down to the venue for a behind the scenes tour and to watch headline act Doves perform their soundcheck for the show.

Our students received an exclusive insight into the production of a large scale concert, from stage set-ups and microphone placement to FOH mixing and PA design.

Jay has previously engineered for the Doves and is a well respected figure in the Live Music Industry, so SSR students are given privileges and access to the industry that no other college or institution can ever hope to have.

As Jay confirms: "Along with great facilities and tutors, SSR students know that our industry connections make us the only place to be if you want a career in Music. Big thanks to Doves and their management, along with the sound and stage crews, for accommodating us on the day, my students really get a lot out of these trips and its great that bands such as Doves can share their time with us".

For more information on our Live Sound Engineering course…..CLICK HERE!!

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13.01.10

SSR Guest Lectures

SSR has again been host to a selection of top industry professionals!

The end of 2009 saw radio professionals Paul Lockett (Key 103) and John Ryan (BBC Radio) deliver guest lectures to students on our Radio Production degree course.

Both took time out of their busy schedules to share their experiences and knowledge of their many years working in the radio industry.

Paul’s background is mainly in news presenting and programming. The students that attended his lecture were treated to various trade secrets, tips and techniques about producing news content specifically for radio – a skill that is often undervalued and overlooked. It was a great opportunity for SSR students to learn from and pick the brains of a radio industry professional.

John Ryan is the current ‘Managing Editor for BBC Radio Manchester’ and winner of numerous radio awards. His lecture focused on many aspects of Radio Production including producing features and sourcing content for shows. The chance to speak to and learn from such a successful industry professional who works for a company that many SSR students would love to work for is a fantastic opportunity, and one that the students thoroughly enjoyed.

SSR Radio Production tutor, Pete Reeves: “It was great having Paul and John here at SSR for these lectures. Their knowledge and experiences are priceless in terms of educating my students and I would like to thank them both for getting involved. We have some great lecturers lined up for 2010 which again will be of real benefit to the pupils on the course.”

Exclusive Field Trips

In addition to the guest lectures, our students were also invited on some great field trips towards the end of 2009.…

The students of the Film and TV Audio Post-Production course were treated to a field trip to Sumners. SSR tutor John Wood and his pupils went down to the leading post-production facility to learn more about how to create a professional sound for Film and TV.

Jay Beard, Head of Live Sound at SSR, took his lucky students down to Manchester Central (formerly G-Mex) to watch The Doves soundcheck.

The live sound students also had the chance to visit Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre, where they were given the chance to find out about live sound set ups for theatre performance. This provided students with the opportunity to view how PA systems can be used in different contexts.

For further information on SSR’s Radio Production degree please click here.

For further information on SSR’s Live Sound course please click here.

Considering applying for one of our courses? Exclusive guest lectures and exciting field trips feature throughout our education programme. Information on all our courses and details of our open events are available at www.s-s-r.com

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