Sound Program Turns Up Volume in Industry

A new training program will soon be turning up the volume in Nova Scotia's film, music and new media industries.

The Sound Technician Program, which began last week at the Shelburne Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, will be graduating music recording engineers, sound designers and audio post-production professionals by June 2000.

On Sept. 20, 16 students from across Nova Scotia began the 38-week program, which includes hands-on training and a five-week work experience component. The program focuses on sound recording basics, audio post-production, and music recording and mixing for film, CD release and live public address applications.

"It's the first program in Atlantic Canada that focuses on music production and sound for film and video," said Terry Pulliam, faculty member of the program and gold record producer/engineer for Sloan and The Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra. "We're upgrading the skills of the entire industry."

Mr. Pulliam plans to involve top music producers, website developers and film sound engineers in special seminars for the public.

"The program has been developed with input from industry professionals who're going to be watching everything from the intake of the students to job placement at the end of it," said Mr. Pulliam.

"When these students graduate next spring, they will be equipped with employable skills in one of the fastest-growing industries in Nova Scotia," said Senator Al Graham, leader of the government in the Senate and Minister responsible for Nova Scotia, on behalf of George Baker, Secretary of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA). "This program will allow Nova Scotians to benefit from the numerous productions that are occurring in our province."

The Nova Scotia Community College received $286,000 through the Canada/Nova Scotia COOPERATION Agreement on Economic Diversification to develop the program and buy necessary equipment, including four state-of-the-art digital audio workstations, a digital tape-based music recording studio and a film location recording unit. The agreement is managed by ACOA and Nova Scotia Economic Development.

"Nova Scotia's film and music industries are thriving because they've been built by talented and determined professionals. This program will be graduating even more of these skilled people,"said Gordon Balser, Minister of Economic Development. "This new program for sound technicians will build on the foundation of sound stages and productions we've already invested in to continue the growth of these exciting industries and bring new investments to Nova Scotia."

Barry Creamer, executive producer of Cage Digital Production, highlighted the advantages of having skilled sound technicians in Nova Scotia: "Sound and audio post-production is a vital component of any television or film production. Building skill sets in this area is every bit as important as developing crews for location shooting.

"Developing the audio recording and post-production infrastructure for television and film is another way to attract new business to Nova Scotia and build on the already recognized music industry here."

The community college is leasing space at Shelburne Park for both the program and student accommodations. Students will have access to the Shelburne Sound Stage, which is currently under construction, as well as Shelburne Campus computer labs, entrepreneurship training and other support services.

"The Nova Scotia Community College has been very proactive in developing this exciting program," said Gerry Boudreau, president of the Shelburne Sound Stage. "It's a great opportunity for those in the Shelburne area and across Nova Scotia to get involved in an industry that's experiencing tremendous growth. Nova Scotia's film industry is booming and the sound technicians from this program will have very specific skills that will be a tremendous resource to us."