SR: Have you found a common denominator for people coming to your boot camps who you feel get the most out of the program? And on the opposite end: Any common denominator for people [ or attitudes ] that you feel get the least out of what you're trying to teach?

RCM: I have been really lucky to have had all really cool people showing up for Boot Camps here and in Europe, but I do get a feeling that some people walk away from the experience with more than others. I think the people that get the least out of it are the ones that just sort of sit back and try and passively absorb the material. I think the students that get the most are the ones that are the most actively engaged, the ones asking the most questions and trying to figure out how the material applies to the work they are already doing. They are usually ones that ones that figure out problems that are presented the class in exercises.

The good thing for me is that anyone that is going to show up, pay a good chunk of money and talk about recording has got to love it, so I never really have to deal with people that do not really want to be there.

SR: You recently had a boot camp earlier in July. Could you give us a little mini report. Any highlights you could mention?

RCM: Aside from the usual instructors we had Pete Montessi from A-Designs come by and give us a sneak peek at some of his new toys (specifically the new Pacifica mic pre which is pretty smokin'). It's been a cool month. I've had boot camp students come to LA sessions from as far away as Canada and Samoa in the Pacific Islands.

To me the highlight is always the students. My program seems to attract a lot of really cool people with a real love of making music and aside from being fun people to hang around its always a thrill from me to see the light bulbs go off. It makes me really happy when I get letters from students after boot camps and they tell me that instantly their recordings improved dramatically, and recording now seems way less complicated.

SR: We've had an A-Designs Pacifica here for about a month, and it's a stunning preamp.

Ronan, thanks for your time and thanks for the interview!

[ Bands starts playing "Smoke on the Water"...stage lights fade...house lights come up... ]

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