TRW – Testimonials
Here are some testimonials from previous students who attended one or more courses at the Recording Workshop.
No compensation was made to any of the following for their testimonials:
Omoding Takan August 2011 re course ending 18/12/03:
I remember you (Jose Gross) as being an excellent teacher with a genuine love for his craft. I guess in a large part, I owe all my adventures in music over the last few years to the skills you taught me on your course, and ultimately to you.
Daniel Larrotta. July 2011.
My name is Daniel Larrotta and I am colombian student living in England. I recently finished a two-year-diploma course at The Recording Workshop (http://recordingworkshopuk.com), a private studio school in West London. I enrolled in the course hoping to have some quality studio time to develop my skills as a music producer so I could arrange, record and mix my own songs, and I am pleased to say that I did get the training and the practice I wanted to have.
What I found great while studying at The Recording Workshop was that, as I went along with the process of learning the basic theory of how the studio worked, I was allowed to follow my own path and use the facilities according to what suited my purposes the best; I am a songwriter so in my case it was very clear that I wanted to record my material and that´s exactly what I was able to do.
The course works in a flexible way depending on who you are and what you do and even though I am more creative than technical, I was surprised to find out how the use of devices such as compressors, noise gates and effect units would affect the mixes of my songs; so if someone is more interested in the technical side of it, they won’t be disappointed since one gets to learn the science behind every device the studio has.
All the elements are there for the students to take advantage of; a 24 channel analog desk, a 16 track reel to reel tape machine, acoustic and electric guitar, amplifier, bass guitar, drums and other percussion instruments, synthesizers, samplers, a wide selection of dynamic and condenser microphones you can experiment with, and computers with updated versions of programs such as Pro-tools, Logic, Cubase and Kontak, containing large libraries of software instruments which you can program. The studio has two main recording rooms; the vocal booth (a completely sound proof room which is great for vocals and practically any acoustic instrument) and the live room in which the drums are set up along with the electric guitar amplifier.
Apart from all the physical possibilities the Recording Workshop offered me, it´s worthwhile mentioning that the whole experience for me was very interactive and cooperative since I had the chance to engineer sessions for other students in the same way I always had someone else to engineer my sessions as well, and I even got to collaborate with my classmates in some pieces of music. When it came to mixing, not only did I mix my songs but I was also faced with the task of mixing other people’s music, which helped me train my ears in order to be effective when dealing with various music styles.
I highly recommend this course for anybody who thinks of studio time as precious and golden. It will allow musicians, singers, producers, DJs or anyone interested in the field of sound recording and production, to develop skills and put them into practice for the sake of their own work.
Daniel Santiago. June 2011.
I totally recommend this course, its hands on way of teaching in small groups really gives you the opportunity to get full access to the equipment and experiment yourself with it.
You will get to know all aspects about sound and music production and also will get the experience working in real recordings sessions.
So, either If you are looking to start off in sound or if you have the knowledge and want to get into the industry, this course suits in all senses.
Michael Jamieson. March 2011.
I’d like to just say thank you for such an enjoyable experience.
I learnt a lot from both you and Philip and I enjoyed those modules which you both taught. The studio has some great equipment and after having my eye on your MS 20 for some time, I was thrilled to finally get to play it during the analog syth module.
I have not taken my experience at TRW lightly and I tried to get as much out of it as I could. Knowing that music schools are expensive, I did a lot of research before deciding which music school I wanted to attend. It was after reading your website and speaking with you at the orientation evening, that three things stood out and which made me decide to go to TRW. They were that the classes were small and one-to-one, that the teachers had over 30 years experience in the music industry and that students would be given a voluntary placement pending completion of the diploma.
The class size was small and I found that ideal. I always felt that I could ask any question and both you and Philip were always accommodating with whatever questions the class had, no matter how strange. Both your and Philip’s experience is enormous and I had to hold myself back at times so as not to ask too many questions all of the time.
I’d like to thank you personally Jose for all your help, not only during class but also before and after. I have so many questions and so many ideas and you were always patient in answering my questions. I hope that I am able to continue to be involved with TRW.
Liam O’Brien. March 2011.
i really recommend this course to anyone especially because there are no more than 4/5 a class and it is in a working professional studio,unlike if you went to a collage or university with would be 1 teacher to 20 or 30 students.also because of this there is plenty of recording time to make your own recording and have gained the skills to record other students projects.
Nathan Lay. March 2011.
I would recommend studying at TRW to anyone interested in music production or sound engineerining. The experience of learning hands on with such good facilities has provided me with opportunity to learn things that can’t be learned otherwise. Im sure that if I took the course a second time, I would learn just as much.
Pitt Reeves. March 2011.
I totally recommend this course. The small size of the classes has allowed me to approach the material from my own point of view, yet I’ve gained knowledge and skills at all aspects of recording. The mode of teaching has given me a solid theoretical basis for understanding the relationship between sound and technology, and most importantly, has given me a heightened ability to use the recording engineer’s greatest tool—the ears.
Habish Rosario. December 2010.
……The studio is working great, I still need to buy more equipment but it is working good. Its being really busy since I got back from London. All ready have recorded and mixed over a dozen artist here in Pr. Including my own that I plan on releasing next year……
Robert Dean. December 2010.
Great course. I started with no knowledge about sound engineering or producing and I now leave the course with a good understanding for these things. Friendly people, nice small classes so lots of time in the main studio. Wish I was doing the second year.
Nathan Schneider. August 2010.
TRW brought me what I could hope for and even more. Indeed, beyond the programs and the technique, we acquire a manner of listening, of analyzing, and a method of creation. We meet people with music as a shared interest, and with different universes (as well cultural as personal). A good experience.
Habish Rosario. September 2009.
The Recording Workshop is not only well equipped for the courses it gives, it contains the personnel to ensure the learning process goes as smoothly as possible. Being a musician my self for over 15 years and with the experience of 4 albums with my band I’ve had to learn to comprehend the entire recording process to a whole new level. I will seriously recommend it to anyone who is serious about music.
Matthew West-Robinson. May 2009.
Now a graduate from the The Recording Workshop’s Advanced Sound Engineering Course– I cannot emphasize how much I have learned in my two years attendance. The first course encompassed all aspects of the industry including Microphone Techniques, Multitrack Recording, DAW’s (Cubase, Logic Pro, Pro Tools), Mixing, Mastering, Synthesis, Plug Ins, Effects and Sampling. I found the course very different to what I expected as it was taught with a very hands on approach and it gave me a real feel for using the equipment in the studio as well as the ability to develop and form my own recording techniques and ideas. I thought the teaching was excellent. With such small classes, (5 or so people) I was always assured that I had the attention and ear of a professional in the industry at any time.
The advanced course focused much more in-depth on the topics covered in the first year as well as live independent recording sessions with bands and also a work experience placement which I found absolutely invaluable. I happened to be fortunate enough to do my experience at Abbey Road Studios working with the likes of Nick Mason of Pink Floyd and Chris Slade, formerly of AC/DC.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed my time there and I would highly recommend The Recording Workshop to anyone who wants to get into the recording industry. Currently I am planning to establish my own recording studio.
Karl Pupé. April 2009.
It has been absolutely awesome! I look forward to coming back in the summer.
Ruth Jones. April 2009. (Foundation course)
Great overview. The context, history, from basics to present is very good. The tutor’s experience in the industry is invaluable and really makes a difference.
Tabosun Olowe. April 2009. (Foundation course)
Fantastic. There probably is not any better introduction course for Sound Engineering.
Kat. September 2008 (extract of interview for Hotcourses magazine).
What inspired you to take the course?
My life. There’s nothing more to life for me than music, and I knew I wouldn’t be happy doing something else in my life. I’ve seen too many people giving up their life passion for something they hate doing. Apparently our favorite things do not give us enough money, but I’m a great believer of the theory where you are the creator of your own destiny. If you can’t achieve what you want, it means you don’t want it badly enough. If you are dedicated, no matter what you choose to do, you will get what and where you want.
Where did you hear about the course?
I bought a ‘Hotcourses’ guide to look around for best courses and even though there was a wide range of schools, The Recording Workshop looked most interesting and turns out I made a good decision.
What did you hope to achieve by taking the course?
Obviously, I was hoping to succeed in what I started. Being a good sound engineer, knowing what I’m doing.
What was your initial impression of the course?
It all looked a lot more complicated than I thought. I never had any experience in sound engineering, so I haven’t even seen most of the equipment before. I was afraid that I will fail. I think it is normal though if you start doing something new. Then gradually I was learning things and I literally fell in love with it.
What was the thing you most enjoyed about your learning experience?
I am not sure if I can answer this question. For me everything was equally amazing, extremely interesting. I just wanted more and more. Couldn’t get enough of that. If I didn’t have to work I would spend every minute I could in there.
Great advantage of this course is the amount of people in a group. It was up to 4 or 5 people, which means you can touch everything and try everything out. I had lots of time to work on my own music, use every piece of equipment in a studio. Our tutor was always there to help and give a valuable advice.
What was the hardest thing about the course?
The hardest thing for me was finishing the course. I really enjoy being there and wouldn’t mind doing it again, ‘cause I feel so good in there.
How has taking this course improved your life and career?
It has greatly improved my life, because now I feel like I’m going the right direction. I can do what I want to do most in my life. I can work with music.
What do you intend to do with the skills you gained?
I intend to become the best sound engineer in the universe 
Any words of advice for students who want to do this course?
If you think of where to start – I’d say The Recording Workshop is a perfect place to start your journey leading to career in music industry. Helpful people, great equipment, no stress, pure pleasure for anyone who’s into this.
Jamie Elliott. Summer 2007.
The summer intensive course was not only great fun but very informative. It
was well structured and not only did they teach you about all aspects of
music production but they also gave you the chance to try everything for
yourself and in your own time during the practical periods. The staff are
friendly, knowledgeable and always willing to help. I have come out of it
not only knowing more about the processes and tools of music production, but
knowing more about the industry as a whole. Many Thanks!
Richard Elkin
Having just completed the Full Time course at the Recording Workshop, I feel that I have benefited a great deal from it. Initially I was a little hesitant to part with the sum of money required, as I did not see how it could be worth that much. However, looking back now I can honestly say that in my opinion it is DEFINITELY well worth the money spent, and I would recommend anyone who is truly interested in this area of the music and recording industry to take the course.
One of the things that made it a success for me was the small class size. Having spent my entire school life (university being the exception) in smaller classes, this format suited me perfectly. Jose was able to fully explain to all of us the exact workings of all the different procedures, and still take time to further explain to an individual any things they may have understood. This I felt was THE governing factor in the amount of information I have learned.
The structure of classes was well thought out and fitted together with other lessons to make best use of time. For someone coming from outside of London this was of course a bonus for me as it meant less travelling time throughout the week. Jose ensured that as best as possible, the schedule was kept to and this in turn meant that we learned everything we had set out too.
There are a few other factors that I could expand on but, to summarize, I feel the full time course is fantastic for the following reasons:
one on one teaching which suited me perfectly
very well structured to encompass all the areas that we may need in the future
clarity of content
the availability to use all the equipment ensured that we could understand the way it all worked
fun studying conditions
practical and demonstrative
value for money
Overall, I think it is an excellent starting point for anyone who is starting out (such as myself) or for someone who is already in the industry and wants to learn or brush up on something new. Jose is an excellent teacher who made the learning fun.
Alessandro Salis 31/05/06:
I’ve really enjoyed the course and I’ve understood the basics that I’ve been taught.
Vincent J. Fiedorowicz 03/08/06:
Very good overview and well-paced/structured.
Tanya Siraj 03/08/06:
It was very useful/informative for me to get an insight into working in a music studio.
Richard Sherry 17/01/04:
Very happy with course – a great introduction.
Danielle Clarke 17/01/04:
Very good.
Lee Lording 17/01/04:
I found the course informative and easy going and I am keen to go onto other courses.
Philip Kirkpatick 17/01/04:
Great course – thoroughly enjoyed it!
Peter Bolger 18/01/04:
Very enjoyable and informative course. I would recommend it to anyone as a gounding course.
Rob Hodgkin 18/01/04:
The course was excellent. Thorough coverage of all topics in a useful way. Thank you Phil!
Charlie Goodwin 08/11/03:
The workshop helped me very much. It was interesting. I would like to come back again soon.
Gay McCarron 09/11/03:
Had fun!
Yvonne Keteku 05/11/03:
Very good. Developed a basic understanding of audio engineering as stipulated. Evening availability enabled me to be able to do the course. The right length of course also.
Jan De Lange 14/09/03:
It’s a great course. There’s a great deal of detail to it all. Will help me for future prospects.
Shane Hopkins 14/09/03:
Teacher was very helpful and always had a way of explaining things so I understood.
Leon Seccombe 13/09/03:
Very informative. Given me lot of ideas for my studio.
Warren King 16/07/03:
I found the course very useful and interesting and gave me sound skills for working a recording studio.
M. Risman 12/07/03:
An excellent introduction to this new field. We very much enjoyed the course. Philip was extremely knowledgeable and helpful…..
Dee Weekes 12/07/03:
It has been a great introduction for me. I feel a lot more confident and looking forward to putting it into practice.
Warren King 16/07/02:
I found the course very useful and interesting and gave me a sound skill for working in a recording studio.
