Arturia: Tell us a bit about yourself, and the courses that you offer in music and music technology

Frédéric Taffin: “My name is Frédéric Taffin (AKA Freddy Frogs). I’ve worked in a recording studio in London for 9 years, where I assisted and programmed studio sessions with several artists. This includes bands likes Above and Beyond, Shy FX, Hornman and many others. I’ve also worked on including Ableton Live in the Royal National Theatre in London. I’m always happy to explore all sorts of music.

Fastlane is a school that offers music technology courses, it was freshly opened 3 years ago. It is the first Ableton certified training centre in the south of France. The school’s program aims to cater for the more artistic side of music technology with students. We aim to give our students an autonomous, free-thinking experience within music production.

We offer 5 different modules, which all compliment each other”

Arturia: How has the surge of modern music technology affected the way that the courses are planned and presented over the past few years?

Frédéric Taffin: “Just like every producer, we keep in touch with all the technology trends that occur in the industry. However, we’re very careful when choosing which tools and instrument we would like to use on our courses. We believe that having too many choices can sometimes limit the creative process of musicians. We prefer when producers take the right decisions that fit their style and commit to it, so they can then deliver what they have in mind”

Arturia: When choosing the music equipment for the studios, what do you look for?

Frédéric Taffin: “Vintage sound on one side, digital sound on the other. We always aim to work with brands that are specialised in what they do, or companies that show a clear path. In other words, we’re not into companies that provide too many gears and are not specialised in a specific niche. Arturia is an example of companies where we feel there is a lot of work done behind the scenes by creative minds.”

Arturia: You’ve chosen Arturia products in your recent facility upgrade, which equipment have you chosen and how do you and your students work with it?

Frédéric Taffin: “We’ve chosen the MiniLab MkII because we needed new high quality controllers. The reason why we wanted them was to have more space in all workstations. They have great functionality, and their layout is sexy as f... am I allowed to say that?”

Arturia: Once graduated, in which areas are your music students moving on to for work and starting their careers?

Frédéric Taffin: “In most cases, our students pursue careers in music production, and they definitely stay in the industry. With our program, they often develop their artistic side and acquire new skills. They opt to work as sound designers, in the entertainment industry or any music composition related field.”

Arturia: Lastly, any further comments on Arturia and how it works for you in education?

Frédéric Taffin: “For the last 17 years, we have followed Arturia’s progress and growth in different projects. Since we also met with some of you guys, it was crazy how much we can relate to your philosophy. There is truly a natural connection between us. We’re excited for our students to use your products, and we definitely believe that they will be better off using them.”

Arturia: Tell us first a bit about yourself.

Luis Murillo: “I’m a musician and producer who has devoted half my life to exploring, reinterpreting, and deconstructing different musical genres using the latest technology. This has allowed me to experience a wide range of creative possibilities in artistic and cultural sectors such as dance, literature, theater, cinema, music, entertainment, and so on. I have performed in many and varied spaces across Mexico, as well as several countries where my work has been nominated and awarded: festivals like The Smoked Mirror 2003 (India), Qwartz Electronic Music Award 2004 (France), Meeting Latin American and Industrial Electronic Sounds 2005 and Bogotrax 2009 (Colombia). I have also developed various social & cultural projects to benefit the Mexican electronic music scene, I also participated actively in other sound projects and multidisciplinary research. I am also a Trainer and Coordinator of Electronic Music at the SAE Institute in Mexico, where I have developed techniques and methods to teach the application of technology in music creation and audio development.”

Arturia: Tell us about the courses that you offer in music and music technology

Luis Murillo: “Electronic Music Production (EMP) at the SAE Institute is a certificate divided into three stages. The first one is about general issues related to the history of electronic music, music theory, sound & synthesis, digital audio & sampling, focusing on how to use hardware in electronic music. The second is all about the use of different types of software for recording, editing, production, arrangement, and mixing and mastering. The third and final stage consists in working with a final student project.”

Arturia: How has the surge of modern music technology affected the way that the courses are planned and presented over the past few years?

Luis Murillo: “It depends on technology trends and products for music creation. The basis of the curriculum is preserved, but it’s updated to fit the market’s demand. There are issues that are essential, but at the same time there are other styles and genres that appear and are culturally added to the existing ones.”

Arturia: When choosing the music equipment for the studios, what do you look for?

Luis Murillo: “Mainly they have to be educational and easy to use, not just in music application but also in the accessibility of equipment and its operation system. After that, they need to be simple to understand for those who are approaching electronic music machines for the first time, and they also have an attractive sound that captivates the listener.”

Arturia: You’ve chosen Arturia products in your recent facility upgrade, which equipment have you chosen and how do you and your students work with it?

Luis Murillo: “Arturia retains much of the traditional applications of electronic music with contemporary updates that allow me to introduce different topics to students in class. Arturia products help me cover synthesis, the use of arpeggios, MIDI / CV connections, and hybrid synthesizers, letting students link to the world of hardware / software.
We’re currently working with MiniBrute, MicroBrute , Spark LE ,V Collection. We are also looking forward to working with the DrumBrute and MatrixBrute.”

Arturia: Once graduated, in which areas are your music students moving on to for work and starting their careers?

Luis Murillo: “There is a wide range of opportunities starting from producing their own music, playing live, working as studio assistants, arrangers, and producers. They can also have a career in the business of electronic music, because students understand the needs of electronic musicians and can support them in their career. There are others that have made use of their sound knowledge in the film industry.”

Arturia: Lastly, any further comments on Arturia and how it works for you in education?

Luis Murillo: “Arturia is a very important tool for me because it is very graphic in its design. This helps me effectively illustrate the theoretical part to students. They also have a very good sound that is helpful for them to begin to compare sound quality of different instruments. Arturia’s virtual synthesizers are also excellent for classes because they are very attractive to students and great to learn about synthesis.”

Arturia: Tell us first a bit about yourself.

Shaun: “I’m Shaun Allen Tomaszewski, I’m a graduate student of the University of Pittsburgh.
I’m currently in charge of working with administrative, community, partnership and teaching departments in Pittsburgh Public Schools. My area of interest is exploring learning opportunities between arts and technology in schools.”

Arturia: What courses do you offer in music and music technology

Shaun: “Here in Schiller middle school, we’re fortunate enough to have a principal that always insures a full time music teacher at the school. Apart from having their regular class sessions, students are allowed to choose an elective course, including cooking or music classes.
In our music classes, students can learn to play several instruments or learn music theory. We provide them with iPads which they can use to produce songs. We use basic apps like Apple’s GarageBand since our students are only 11-12 years old. They already produce their own songs!”

Arturia: How has the surge of modern music technology affected the way that the courses are planned and presented over the past few years?

Shaun: “We always wanted to make learning more engaging and exciting for students. Instruments require more physical techniques to produce high quality sounds, which makes it really hard for students. Thanks to music technology, our students are able to produce high quality sounds in no time!”

Arturia: When choosing the music equipment for the classes, what do you look for?

Shaun: “I really stress the fact that each student needs to have their own device. Students can’t stay as engaged in learning when their devices are shared. Price was then a big decision factor, especially with the quantity we needed”

Arturia: You’ve chosen Arturia products in your recent facility upgrade, which equipment have you chosen and how do you and your students work with it?

Shaun: “We were really looking for small MIDI keyboards that could be adapted to iPad applications. When I showed my colleagues the MiniLab, they immediately fell in love with it. The MiniLab definitely stood out with its competitive price, I was able to purchase 35 MiniLabs for the price of a single digital piano! When I told my colleagues how little we spent on them, they couldn’t believe it!”

Arturia: Once graduated, in which areas are your music students moving on to for work and starting their careers?

Shaun: “I can imagine our students going into post-secondary studies in music. In our case, our students are too young to decide now, but I can really see some of them going towards a career in music”

Arturia: Lastly, any further comments on Arturia and how it works for you in education?

Shaun: “Arturia worked pretty well in filling the gap in the marketplace. The staff absolutely love the products and so do the students!”