Chingas Kemps, Getting his A-Game in Nashville

Being a creative professional sometimes means venturing forth without a map. It means deciding that you’re going to dedicate your time and energy, delve deep into an artform or creative medium and commit yourself to it wholeheartedly.

Chingas Kemps has made such a decision. He’s been obsessed with music and audio as far back as he can remember, tinkering away in his home studio, making music and recording it any chance he got.

“I was always just kind of recording myself and my brother and my friends. And one thing led to another, and it became a passionate hobby, and then it became more of a professional level of a hobby.”

As Chingas’ involvement escalated from the casual to more professional he debated going to school to perfect his technique. But that would not prove easy. The further he got into the recording world, the harder it was for him to find the time to attend a school that would undoubtedly take him through all the basics, stuff he already knew like the back of his hand, before he’d be able to get into the stuff he really wanted to learn.

And what about all the opportunity cost of it all, the potential recording jobs he’d have to forego, money he’s miss out on making because he was stuck in class?

Then he found Recording Connection. Because of the flexibility of the program, Chingas could keep on working with his own clients while improving his game with help from longtime RC mentor Ric Web at South Street Studios in Nashville, TN. Right from day one, he could see the benefit in having a pro to learn from, one-on-one. “I got to sit down with the mix and show my mentor exactly what I did, every step that I took… having him hear it with his ears and his experience, and then let me know what I could’ve done differently, or what I might want to try next, or [asking] why did I do this? These are the questions I never had to ask myself.”

The connections are great too. Since starting the program he’s been to loads of industry events, meeting all kinds of interesting music professionals, talking to just about anyone and everyone who’s in music in Nashville. And as far as technical chops, Chingas is improving his game and learning from Ric just what it takes to fine-tune his mixes. “It sounds good to 95% of the people listening, but it could be a little bit better,” he says. “That’s where we are at now, really just fine tuning things to push it to the next level.”

Chingas’ professional ambitions were always to be a successful audio engineer and producer. Thanks to the connections and technical guidance he’s getting with Recording Connection, that ambition is quickly evolving into a solid career. Chingas is one of many individuals who entered our program because they see the benefit of guided, hands-on instruction that’s suited to meet their exact needs. And while they learn, they’re also showcasing their talents and getting to know everyone in the studio.

Chingas made a conscious decision to fully commit to a life in the music business and it’s paying off. Big time.