On September 18th, Mario Salvati held a seminar for IAR students about how to make an album from the engineer’s perspective. The evening began with a packed house listening to audio tracks from sessions Mario had engineered. Mario further captured his audience’s attention when he delivered a realistic view of an engineer’s life in the professional world. “Engineering in your home is not the same as in a studio for a paying client,” he commented as he transitioned into detailing the necessary organization, scope of knowledge, and expertise an engineer must have to be successful. “This is not a nine to five job that becomes your world, but you are involved in some incredible moments…know your studio and every piece of gear because you must be able to say ‘yes’ if you are asked to do something.” He emphasized the importance of taking notes, creating track sheets, and treating every take as if it is going on the album.

Another of the seminar’s focal points was to show the significance of psychologically interpreting the engineer and client environment as well as maintaining the flow of the session with the artists and producers. It’s important to observe the artists as they interact with each other to determine the types of personalities the engineer will work with as well as to assist in forming a plan of action for the album.

Mario broke down the ‘Making of an Album’ into clear sections, and students had the benefit of listening to a seasoned professional explain his ‘tricks of the trade.’ Students were encouraged to ask questions, and they went home after having gone through a poignant description of an engineer in action in the professional world.