Recording Connection grad Andrew Flores is Making the Most of Opportunity

Doug Boulware of ES Audio has got lots to say about recent Recording Connection graduate Andrew Flores. Doug has a unique vantage point considering prior to working at ES, Doug served a vital role as a student advisor for Recording Connection. When asked why he thinks Flores, who’s recently been given the moniker “Flodyne” excelled so fast in the program, he’s quick to tell me:

First thing that Flores did right as an apprentice is he was always there. What shocks me about the Recording Connection is that we tell every single student that the requirement is two days a week, but if you have more time come on in! We say that at every interview and very few students take advantage of it. Andrew took that literally and started coming in on my sessions. One time I jokingly told him that students had to bring doughnuts to the session. Sure enough, 9am sharp he was at the studio and he had a box of doughnuts.

What being in the studio did for Andrew is it gave him the opportunity to see the work that went into various songs from beginning to end. This insight seemed to do nothing but fuel his desire to learn even more, considering when he went home he worked on projects of his own. When Doug discovered this he suggested they train him on Melodyne, the vocal tuning plugin similar to Autotune. With just one day of training Flodyne took to it like a fish to water:

The following week I gave him vocals to comp and tune. He had them back to me within a day and my workflow was helped! Now he tunes and comps all my vocals. He has also done full productions for me too! He recently did two reggae songs, where he played guitar and other instruments. He’s a super-talented guy whom I’ve paid multiple times for his contributions to projects!

So what’s the moral of this story? If you want to learn how to make music, audio engineer, and produce, you’ve got to put in the time, you’ve got to be interested and invested in the work you’re doing. Put in the effort and you can reap dividends that will pay off for years to come. Simply do the minimum and you’ll be treating a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity no better than some compulsory math course or dead-end-job. When the chances are right in front of you, you’ve got to seize the moment!

Andrew Flores is currently working on multiple projects, from reggae to hip-hop to country and he remains an active associate with ES Audio. The Recording Connection gets you in the door, what you do with the opportunity you’ve been given is up to YOU!