Pulse College Launches Hi-Tech ‘Fiz Gig Summer Camps for Children

You’re never too young to learn about the exciting world of technology is the philosophy behind Pulse College’s new hi-tech summer camp ‘Fiz Gig, which will take place in the college’s world famous Windmill Lane Recording Studios in Ringsend, Dublin from the 13th of June. Pulse College, leaders in creative media education in Ireland, have introduced the Fiz Gig Summer Camp programme to open up the world of creative media to children and young teenagers aged 9 to 15 years. Staffed by experienced Pulse College lecturers, the week long Fiz Gig summer camps will give participants an insight into the processes and technologies involved in animation and video gaming production, as well as first-hand experience of using the technologies to create their own projects themselves. The camps will run from 9.30am to 3.30pm, Monday to Friday. Activities include web design, movie-making, online gaming and a host of hi-tech challenges.

“The Fiz Gig name represents an explosion of technology and we have designed these workshops so that they are practical, challenging and fun. We believe if children are introduced to advanced creative media technologies from a young age through hands on interactive activities, they will improve their skills and gain great insight into the world of creative media.” explains Naomi Moore, Director of Pulse College and organiser of Fizz Gigs.

Game design and technology is emerging as an exciting growth sector with computers and technology playing a bigger role in our everyday lives. The Irish games industry has grown 400% in the past seven years and it is now one of the fastest growing recruitment sectors in Ireland today. Fizz Gigs encourages the teaching and developing of young people’s creative and technological potential at an early stage and helps them to embrace this new dynamic and growing world.


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21 years of Pulse College with Tony Perrey

Pulse College are delighted to be turning 21 this year and to mark this significant milestone we are set to have an action packed year of exciting events ahead. To start the celebrations we have launched a unique range of short courses, we have developed a new open day format and with the success of the last Windmill Lane Seminar Series we aim to host these events on an ongoing basis. We talk to founder and director Tony Perrey to find out more about the beginnings of Pulse College and how it has become the leading creative media college expanding it’s course range to Video Game Design and Film.

1. Tell us a bit about your background.

I started off in a band when I was 17, and then landed a job in a music shop. Luckily, they were the guys who distributed products like Akai samplers, MIDI synths and drum machines. I fell in love with music technology and learnt a lot by demonstrating the products. From there, I set up Pulse with Aidan Alcock and another friend, Rob.

2. How did you start you musical career?

Well, after singing in a band at 17, I then learnt how to play keyboards in the music shop. From there I started gigging as a keyboard player over the next few years with a number of bands.

3. How did you become an audio professional?

Unfortunately, there were no courses available back when I was starting! I learnt mostly “on the job”, but had some great mentors over the years. I was also very lucky to have been trained by specialists from different manufacturers of pro audio products. These would include Akai, Avid, Apple and Meyer.

4. Where did the idea of setting up Pulse come from?

Well, we set up Pulse initially as a recording/production facility. However, we had been teaching courses in music technology previous to this and we realized that there was a demand for courses that would include both sound engineering and music technology. So almost from the beginning we were both a college and a commercial studio.

5. Can you tell us about the early years of Pulse?

We started with a small mixing console, an 8 - track analogue tape machine and an Atari computer running a very early version of Cubase. Initially, we started in my parent’s house in Drumcondra, doing music for ads and other small productions. After a few months, we rented a couple of small rooms in a building on Harrington St. This was around 1991 I believe (God, I feel old….). At that point, we developed a number of part time sound engineering courses, which became very popular. Over the next few years, our client list grew, as did our student numbers. We made the move to Pleasants Place around 1994 - 95 and concentrated on improving and developing both our courses and the studios.

6. 21 years teaching and working in music production. What has been your career highlight?

There have been quite a few moments, I suppose. From a teaching point of view, it’s an amazing feeling when someone plays you a recording that they have done, and it sounds amazing. I can’t wait to play it for the others! Also, when an ex – student comes in to do a commercial session, and they sit behind the console and confidently get to work. It’s great to remember back to when they started, and then to see this professional working at such a high level. Sometimes a past pupil will pop in for a cuppa and a chat and talk about what they’re doing, who they’re working with and may thank you for helping them get started. That really is a great feeling!

As to the commercial recording, it’s always a buzz when a big artist books in for a session. We’ve been lucky to have had some of the biggest artists in the world coming in to record with us. The acquisition of Windmill Lane Studios has been one of the very big highlights as well. It has such an incredible pedigree, and has played a major role in the Irish music scene over the last few decades. I still get goosebumps when I sit behind the Neve console in Studio 1!

7. 21 years as leaders of creative media education. What is your vision for the future of Pulse College?

We intend to develop the college into a full multimedia centre. Creative multimedia areas such as gaming, animation, graphics and film are really taking off in Ireland. We are developing exciting new courses and establishing strong industry links to make sure our students get the best training possible to take advantage of these growing industries.

8. Any advice for graduating students?

Your skills and knowledge are your biggest assets. Nurture and develop them constantly as you never stop learning in this field. Most people are nervous about taking on their first big project, and this is normal. Trust your training, and prepare. We are here to help, and are a resource for students, even after they have graduated.

Pulse College launch Mac for Beginners Course

Pulse College is delighted to launch the first in their series of short courses “Mac for Beginners” which will be run on the 15th of April. As Ireland’s leading creative media Pulse is constantly evolving and striving to come up with new creative course that are industry relevant. The “Mac for Beginners” course is aimed at those wishing to get the most out of their Mac. In simple, easy steps you will learn how to get started with Mac software, set up your Mac for email, printing, web browsing, file management and entertainment.

“With more people converting to Mac from pc, we designed the “Mac for Beginners Course” specifically to help smooth the transition” explains Naomi Moore, Director.

What you will learn

•Setting Up
•Getting Started
•Navigation
•Connecting your Devices
•Common problems and getting help
•Tips & Tricks

Lecture Profile

Shane Power is Pulse Colleges’ most experience Protools and Mac Instructor who is set to head up the “Mac for Beginner” course. Having being educated in one of the rare secondary schools to have a Mac lab he has never looked back. He has gone on to develop over 3 decades of experience working with Apple software and hardware. Shane explains to Pulse College news, the reasons behind the setting up “the Mac for Beginners” course and how it can help students get them most from their first Mac.
1. How long have you worked with Mac’s?
I've been using Mac's since 1984, I was lucky enough to have access to one in secondary school. The 'Mac Classic' was the first computer I ever used.
2. What makes you choose Mac over PC?
In the 18 years I've been using Mac's professionally, I've never had a major problem with them, no viruses, no loss of data. The last Mac Book Pro (Laptop) I bought, I used it for six years. PC users I know went through between two to four PC Laptops in that time. I find them to be extremely reliable and real workhorses.
3. Tell us the background of your Mac training.
I'm self taught I suppose. There wasn't a lot of 'technical support' available when I started using Mac's professionally, so I had to learn how to keep the machines running smoothly myself. For example, when I was running a commercial recording studio, everything needed to be up-to-date, ready and working. From taking a booking, to recording, invoicing, updating the company's website, whatever the task at hand. Learning the hard way has taught me some valuable lessons. These days there's a huge amount of support, training and information available through Apple's website and other online forums.
4. What make a Mac so different from a PC.?
As far as I'm aware, Apple are one of the very few companies who design their own operating system and software to run on their own hardware... to me it makes perfect sense that this adds up to a much better user experience. When you take your Mac out of the box for the first time, it's already loaded with all the software you need to start working with the Internet, Email, Music, Photos, Word Processing, Movies, Podcasts and more.
What are the main difficulties people have when they decide to move from PC to Mac?
Like any transition, it takes a little time to get used to where everything is on a Mac if you're used to working with a PC. Quitting and closing programs is different, menus look different etc. In my experience, once they've moved to a Mac, most people say that they don't know how they ever used anything else. There's a great 'Migration' software tool build into Mac's these days which makes it easy to transfer all your data from your old PC to your new Mac.
5. How do you feel the Mac for beginners course will help smooth the transition?
I hope the 'Mac for Beginners' course will give new Mac users a good basic understanding of how to get the most from their Ma and also teach them the basics of how to keep their Apple computer (and other devices) in good working condition for years to come.

Pulse College and CES join forces to help attract international students

C.E.S. in association with Pulse College is proud to launch an exciting suite of new English Language, Music and Video Game courses with aim of attracting international students from all corners of the world. Students will get to choose from two different course combinations; English Language with Music Production or English Language with Video Game Development.
Having trained over 40,000 students, CES is a leading and award winning English Language School. Pulse College, based in Windmill Lane Recording Studios, have been leaders in creative media education for over 20 years. Their combined experience will provide international students with a dynamic, innovative and interactive learning experience.
Located in world famous Windmill Lane Recording, the English Language with Music Production Course will provide students with access to the latest technology, where they will create and mix music in a professional recording environment. The aim is to provide a practical hands-on course, giving students a real working understanding of what it takes to be a sound engineer and music producer. The English Language and Video Game Development Course focuses on four main areas, English language, programming languages, sound and music for computer as well as games and application development. Using the latest technology, participants will learn the processes required to create Video Games and i-Phone content. Both courses are designed with beginners in mind and require no prior knowledge in music or gaming.
Directors Naomi Moore from Pulse College and Justin from CES provide an insight into the collaboration and what is hoped this unique concept will bring to the colleges.
Q1. Every business has been affected by the recession what noticeable changes both positive and negative have you seen in the education sector?Naomi Moore, Director, Pulse College/Windmill Lane Recording Studios: From an education sector point of view, the recession has led to an increase in demand for college places, particularly in the area of creative arts. The traditional school or college leaver still applies, but there has also been a shift the demographic of the applicant, and their needs are different. There is a much greater need for re-skilling and up-skilling now, and people are using their change in circumstance to turn their passions into their career. Access to funding has been a negative aspect. It is far more difficult to secure student loans and structures urgently need to be put in place by the new government to address the situation. We have reacted to the economic downturn by offering realistic payment plans based on individual needs.
Justin, Director of CES Language School Dublin: The English Language sector is totally 100% export so the difficulties in Ireland do not really affect our business. We are much more affected by what happens in other countries. The main changes that I have seen are that there is not as much pressure on wage demands and some costs are coming down. This has allowed us to control costs and to stop having to increase charges. One of the greatest problems that we had was the year on year demands for pay and host family rises that the ever increasing costs in Ireland were causing. With this stopped we have more control. The prices in Dublin had passed the costs in London and we were pricing ourselves out of the market. The negative side is that Ireland is now seen as a risk country and it has had a lot of negative publicity overseas. Nearly every agent that I would deal with overseas is aware of Ireland financial difficulties and this has a negative impact on the overall sell ability of programmes to Ireland.
Q2. Education has been one of the quickest sectors to bounce back from this recession. What can you attribute to this recovery?
Naomi: I feel it is because the employment landscape has changed. Since the industrial revolution, jobs in the banking or the legal professional were seen as a ‘safe job’ and people often chose those paths based on security as opposed to interest. Traditional industry no longer leads the way, digital media and the knowledge economy does. I honestly believe that it’s given people a totally different outlook on their futures and their livelihoods. The value, growth and reliance on all areas of digital media in our everyday lives has altered the perception of creative arts and its potential for lasting and rewarding careers. Digital media is the future, and people need to be educated, trained and up-skilled to be a part of it.
Justin: Our market is 100% export. Other countries are bouncing back quicker and this has helped us. I also see the switch happening. This happens when a recession hits. International Educational goes from being a luxury purchase to a necessity. Europe and Asia has a growing youth unemployment problem and parents want to invest in their children’s education and this helps English language training sector. People will always invest in Education when times are tough as they see this as a way of helping get the better job in the future
Q3. What made you decide to come up with this innovative and proactive idea of collaborating with other colleges to develop more creative course to help attract more foreign students?
Naomi: We initially expanded our programmes to cater for the skills shortages in various industries, in particular video game and media content production. It was also our intention to attract more international students and we engaged with Enterprise Ireland to assist us with this expansion to foreign markets. It was a logical step to partner with colleges abroad, who have knowledge and an established infrastructure. We are launching our first international college in India in September of this year. This will train students locally with transfer options for them to higher awards in our Dublin college. If we are to build up the knowledge economy in Ireland, attracting international students directly is also vital. We set about researching established international colleges which had built a reputation for excellence globally. It was also important to us that the pastoral care of international students is catered for and that there is a social and cultural element to all out programmers.
Justin: The market is changing and students are looking for something different. There is a need for English and creative media modules. There is a growing demand for animation / sound recording / Games development and this is what is current. It seemed only natural to try to tap into this.
Q4. You decided to join forces with CES how did this collaboration come about?
Naomi: I was introduced to Justin through a contact in Enterprise Ireland who felt that, together, we could offer high level English language courses coupled with either a game or music production module, based in Windmill Lane Recording Studios. We met and a partnership felt right immediately. This was because the combination of language and creativity has a perfect symmetry, the reputation of CES worldwide is outstanding and Windmill Lane Recording is internationally recognised.
Justin: I had a meeting with Lucia Reynolds from Enterprise Ireland, she had met Naomi and thought that we could do things together. She introduced us and the rest as they say is history!!It was great meeting Naomi and to see her enthusiasm. We could both see how this could work and both had the same outlook as to how this could work. If you do not try it will never happen.
Q5. What benefits do you feel these course collaborations will this have?
Naomi: We share the same ethos; train to the highest standards and ensure students leave with quality, useful, work-ready skills. Collaborating allows us both to expand our student base and to offer more to the participant. International students will return to their home countries with a grasp of English, a creative skill and an insight into the culture and uniqueness of Ireland.
Justin: New products and new courses!!! I always want to innovate and to try something new. This is a new product for the market and it will be interesting to see what happens. It will take a bit of time for this to get to market and get it into some sale brochures as no one else is offering this product and it is new for all of us. I have sent the information to all of the Failte Ireland offices and we are hoping that it will also go to all of the Enterprise Ireland offices soon. This will help add profile to both Pulse College and also CES.
Q6. What do international students have to do to sign up for these innovative courses?
Justin: To book a course, or find further information, they simply need to visit www.ces-schools.com or call +353-1-671-4233.To find out more about Pulse College, and Windmill Lane Recording Studios, visit www.pulsecollege.eu

Internationally renowned Techno Producer Donnacha Costello speaks at Windmill Lane Recording Seminar

Pulse College / Windmill Lane Recording Studios were delighted to have internationally renowned Music Producer Donnacha Costello as key note speaker at Windmill Lane Recording’s free seminar held on the 18th February. The seminar entitled “Modern electronic musicianship - a practical discussion” covered a range of practical issues from the techno/house aesthetic to electronic music production to live performance of electronic music to life as a modern working, touring electronic musician. With Brendan Rehill degree student who helped organise the seminar gives us insight into the tips and techniques Donnacha shared with the audience.

"Despite our numerous successful musical exports, one would still not expect to find out that one of the most respected Electronica producers in Europe is a Dublin native by the name of Donnacha Costello. Few people can claim to have created a genre landmark, but that is just what Costello delivered with his 2004 series of colour coded EPs, collectively known as 'Colorseries'. Releasing one track per month, Costello approached the project by embracing the limitations of classic analogue hardware, and recorded the instruments live, imbuing the series with an organic feel that much computer programmed Electronic music now lacks. With years of production, touring and business management behind him this seminar was, by Costello's own admission, a chance to share some of that experience and offer any advice that he could.

No art exists in a vacuum, and Costello gives heed to this by beginning the seminar with a brief and personal history of Electronic music. Opening the proceedings with House classic 'Love Can't Turn Around'by Farley Jackmaster Funk, Costello immediately sets about deconstructing preconceptions. Asking the audience to ignore the gaudy 80s video and clichéd lyrics, he draws attention to the raw, authentic groove that is the tracks foundation. As the history progresses, this authenticity is contrasted with the mainstream chart material that appeared on the back of the burgeoning underground scene, with one track using samples from Sesame Streetover a stale House beat.

The peak of Acid House's popularity saw another genre of music emerge in the form of Ambient Electronica. Artists such as 'Plastikman' and 'Aphex Twin' became renowned for their hard-hitting, unrelenting Techno material, as well as the sparse and glacially chilled-out soundscapes they created in their Ambient tracks. Bringing it up to modern day, Costello plays a selection of what he considers contemporary classics, highlighting that they each pay their dues to not only the authenticity and groove of early House and Techno, but also the textural complexity and emotion of Ambient music.

Inevitably, a seminar on Electronic music will turn to a discussion on technology. Costello is a self confessed hardware addict, blaming 'Top of the Pops' for exposing him to the sight of a 'Mini Moog' in action. His studio has since seen enough classic hardware to make even the most die-hard plug-in supporters jealous; from the Roland 'TR-909', '808', 'SH-101', 'TB-303' and 'Juno 60' to a monolithic custom built Synclavier synthesizer, he has owned it all. He has utilised modern hardware as well, such as the 'Tenori-On', 'Monome', 'Lemur' touch-screen controllers and Native Instruments 'Maschine' which sits in front of him throughout the seminar. If this wasn't enough to inspire envy, he is an expert at the modular visual programming language 'Max/MSP', a software environment where a user can create their own plug-ins and instruments of complexity limited only by the imagination.

Despite this dizzying list of gear, Costello emphasises a philosophy of simplicity. He reveals that when working, he prefers “to concentrate on one or two machines and push what I can out of them and when I get bored I change things around.” He is also a firm advocate of 'if it sounds good, it is good' - during a collaboration with a prominent German Electronica artist, Costello was surprised to find that this artist was using stock 'Ableton Live' string sounds in his compositions. Costello has adopted such streamlined workflows, switching to 'Ableton' as his primary production DAW, whereas previously he would sketch ideas in 'Ableton' before transferring to 'Pro Tools HD'. The reason for his change in workflow is simple – he can spend more time focusing on the music than anything else. At the heart of it though, Costello makes clear that there is no 'complete' set-up that he relies on. He simply chooses what will best facilitate his intended result.

In the closing section of the seminar, Costello gave rare insight into the business side of the Electronica industry. Warning the audience not to rely solely on the Internet as a promotional platform, he instead advises a balance between Internet promotion and good old fashioned meeting people. Somewhere in the middle is 'Twitter' which Costello regards as a great social network to... network... it's fluidity of conversation being its main strength. He tells how his recent reply to a 'tweet' about putting jam on toast, resulted in an offer to remix a track. Remixing is another vital promotional and networking tool in his opinion, allowing artists to promote each other while getting promotion themselves. Through it all, Costello makes it apparent that there is no magic formula for success, and that ambition and hard work are the key ingredients. He admits that things are tougher for the musicians starting their careers in the current industry conditions, but that it is still not impossible to earn a living. In his own career, his income stream has begun to depend more on his live performance than his musical releases, the music serving mainly as a promotional factor, keeping his name active in the scene.

The primary lesson of the seminar appears to be of balance – balance between the mechanical machine sound that characterise Electronica and portraying emotion, between embracing the new technologies while still realising the potential of the older and between being aware of the multitude of options available to the modern musician and the creative power that limitations can offer. Lastly, click here for his homemade chicken wing recipe" - Brendan Rehill Pulse College, Degree Student

Due to success of these free informative and interactive College/ Windmill Lane Recording Studios have now taken the decision to host theses seminars on a regular basis. The aim is to provide free practical industry relevant workshops and seminars to help keep attendees up to-date with all the technical trends and industry techniques.

Windmill Lane Seminar showcases the impact make up can have on a film production

With the huge success of Black Swan, the impact and transformational effect make up can have on a film production has never been more highlighted. Pulse College launched the start their 21st birthday celebrations with a unique collaboration with LA Make Up. As part of the Windmill Lane Seminar series the college hosted an interactive seminar on "Make-Up for Maximum Impact in Film & TV", with Sarah Jane Wai O’Flynn. The seminar focused on key areas of make up for film, from effective and obvious S.F.X. to natural beauty make-up to enhance the production and create effect. The focus of the seminar was to highlight the importance of make-up and the ability to turn the ordinary into iconic and take your production to a professional level. We talked to Pulse Film student Conor Bent who took the time to discuss what aspects of the seminar he found most valuable for his upcoming film projects.

"As a film production student I was naturally very interested in the makeup seminar. I was looking forward to finding out more about the process and its possibilities. I was not let down and surprised by the effects and transformations that were displayed. It was interesting to see the transformations happen in a short time. We were shown the example of the dramatic makeup from the film Black Swan. We were also shown a more subtle realistic effect transforming a fresh face into a beaten down and bloody visage. The demonstration definitely fired up my imagination for the creative possibilities of makeup for our own upcoming film productions. I look forward to collaborating with the students in the future in helping to bring stories and images to life" Conor Bent, Film Student.

Sarah Jane Wai O’ Flynn: has been working as a make-up artist for nearly ten years. After studying make-up for film and theatre in DLIADT she worked on King Arthur and TV show, Chance to Dance and TG4’s Paisean Faesin. Sarah worked in retail as national make-up artist for cult make-up brand, Pout Cosmetics, appearing on Off the Rails, City Channels, Fashion Forward and TV3’s, Ireland AM and also travelling to the UK for events and launches. She is now the spokesperson for top organic skincare and cosmetics line, Dr Haushka and has worked as spokesperson for leading highstreet brand, Rimmel. Sarah has collaborated on editorials for The Sunday Times, The Irish Independent, The Life Magazine, Image, Prudence, Social and Personal, The Evening Herald, The RTE Guide. Some of her corporate clients include, Toni and Guy, Clairol, Becks, as well as many personalities such as Caroline Morahan, Maura Durrane, Sile Seoige, Gavin Friday and Pamela Flood.

Pulse College’s Screen and creative writing Course Write here, Write Now, is back by popular demand.

Following the success of our last writing course Pulse College are delighted to once again be running WRITE HERE, WRITE NOW with the guidance of Award Winning Writer Farah Abushwesha. Giving a practical insight and helpful tips on writing including practical exercises including shooting a short film and industry guest speakers – this is one of the most practical hands on writing course in Ireland.

This unique writing course will provide students with a supportive environment that will encourage and allow natural writing talent to shine through. Write Here, Write Now is a five day intensive course which has an interactive and proactive approach rather than focusing on theory. It is aimed at inspiring, nurturing and stimulating you to create your own ideas and develop skills as a writer while encouraging you to have fun with the creative process. The extensive scope of the course aims to provide the students with the opportunity to draw from others. The structure of the course gives students an extensive range of hands on expertise to tap in on their own talent as well as established industry players.

Moderated by Farah Abushwesha, the course also includes guest speaker spots. Past industry guests included actor Bosco Hogan (Tudors, King Arthur, In the Name of the Father), writer and Niall Heery (IFTA awarded SMALL ENGINE REPAIRS), Producer and 1st AD John Wallace (IFTA winning featured REWIND, ONE HUNDRED MORNINGS, GARAGE), award-winning short film-makers David Freyne and Alan Brennan, documentary and pop promo maker Vittoria Colonna.

“I’ve designed a hands-on course that gets you to write and to think in a creative and filmic way. From day one you will learn to verbalise what your gut is telling you, trusting your intuition and build up the confidence to know that all writing is, is moving the thoughts from your brain to your fingertips. It’s fun and far from highbrow. There is no mystery involved. On a personal note, I’m very excited to be back teaching this course again – I get a real buzz from seeing people becoming inspired and fired up about storytelling” Farah Abushwesha

Farah Abushwesha is an award-winning writer producer and founding member of the BAFTA Rocliffe New Writing Forums which showcases new script writing talent at BAFTA, (past guests include Mike Newell, John Madden, and Richard Eyre). Her production work includes several high-profile, award winning short films and features including LATE BLOOMERS with William Hurt and Isabella Rossellini, CLEANSKIN with Sean Bean, MICRO MEN, THE SCOUTING BOOK FOR BOYS (Winner @ London Film Festival), SHE A CHINESE (Winner at Locarno), and various short films.