resume Mike Collins   mikecollins4@mac.com   020 8888 5318   objective   My goal since 1988 has been to inform and educate people about media technologies in between working on projects using these technologies. My greatest expertise is with Music Technology and Music Production, and I am also knowledgable about Video and Multimedia/Internet Technologies. I am always looking for interesting new opportunites in any of these fields and am willing to travel or relocate as necessary.   work experience   Consultant/Studio Musician/Producer 1988- Clients include BBC Online, Apple Computers, Canon Cameras, Islington Council's ARTEC, top music producers such as Gus Dudgeon (Elton John), Robin Millar (Sade), Mitch Easter (REM), Richard Burgess (Spandau Ballet) and Phil Harding (Pet Shop Boys), leading film composers Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Arnold, Surrey and Glamorgan Universities, and many other prestigious companies, organisations and individuals. From 1988-1998 I also worked as a MIDI Programmer and Session Musician, most notably playing all the instruments and programming drum-machines, samplers, synthesizers and sequencers on the Street Remix of the Chimes "Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" which hit the top of the charts in 1990. I also worked with The Shamen on their successful 'Boss Drum' album and with Bjork & David Arnold on their No.1 hit "Play Dead". During this time, I have written more than 1000 articles for more than 40 magazine titles in the UK and other countries. Subjects have included music technology, music production, digital audio, digital video, interactivity, multimedia and the Internet. From 1988 until 2000 I was a regular contributor to Sound On Sound magazine and from 1992 until 2006 I was a Contributing Editor at Macworld in London - specializing in music and audio product reviews and feature articles. I have also contributed to Electronic Musician, MIX, EQ, Future Music, Studio Sound, AudioMedia, Mac User and Jazzwise. Currently (since 1992) I contribute industry news and analysis and technical reports to Pro Sound News Europe. From 1995 through till 1998 I was a Consultant to Re-Pro – the Guild of Recording Engineers & Producers – a branch of the APRS. In this role I advised Re-Pro’s Executive committee about technical matters that affected audio engineers and music producers. I represented Re-Pro on the PAMRA Advisory Committee – attending meetings with the heads of the Musicians Union, Equity and other musician’s organisations to help set up PAMRA, the Performing Artists Media Rights Association. I also programmed and edited the Re-Pro website. Throughout 2000 and 2001 I was Head of the Technical Group at the Music Producers Guild (MPG), where I organised and presented a series of public seminars covering Mastering, CD-Production, DVD-Audio, Pro Tools Plug-ins, Pro Tools Control 24, Rocket Networks, Multiband Compression, and other topics. I also served on the MPG Education Committee and attended meetings with the APRS Education Committee representing the MPG. In this role, I appeared as a panel speaker at a number of Universities and Colleges including Leeds University, Westminster University and Bucks Chilterns University College. Since 1999, I have written 6 books, published by Focal Press, that are available from Amazon and all good booksellers. The most successful of these, "Pro Tools 5.1 for Music Production", has sold around 10,000 copies, mostly in the USA. "Pro Tools LE & M-Powered" was published in July 2006 and has sold around 6000 copies so far. My latest book, “Pro Tools 8 for Music Production”, is available from April 2009. At the end of the 1990's, I decided to 'return to my roots' working as a studio musician and as a recording engineer-producer with ‘live’ musicians (as opposed to samples and synthesized sounds). The first album I produced was a CD of solo jazz guitar entitled "Thumbnail Sketches" for leading UK guitarist Jim Mullen. Shortly afterwards, I co-produced an album entitled “Omo Obokun” that fused jazz with Afrobeat for Nigerian composer Funsho Ogundipe. This was followed by a ‘pop’ album, (Phil Harding’s “The Story of Beginners”) a rock album (the self-titled “Catcha” by Catcha), and a folk/pop album (Caro’s “The 4th Way”). Since Y2K, I have also continued to write new songs and instrumental music and to arrange and produce new recordings, together with leading UK jazz guitarist Jim Mullen and other musicians, vocalists Noel McCalla and Jocelyn Brown, and my latest protégé, Ola Zembron.     Music Technology Specialist - Yamaha R & D 1986-1987 I helped to design and commission a £Million+ professional recording studio for Yamaha R & D in Conduit Street, London W1. I recommended the final equipment choices and designed two large MIDI + Audio workstations packed with state-of-the-art digital audio and MIDI equipment for the studio. I then spent 9 months working as a recording engineer and MIDI programmer with a range of prestigious clients including Hans Zimmer, Courtney Pine, George Martin, Gus Dudgeon, Keith Emerson, George Benjamin and other top musicians, composers and record producers.     Music Producer 1985-1986 I produced a series of re-recordings of American soul and pop hits for Top of the Pops, Soul Train, Solid Soul, Razzmattaz and other popular TV shows. Artists included Cameo, Shannon, Joyce Sims, Nu Shooz, Sly Fox and Jermaine Stewart. This involved managing a team of session musicians, liaising with major record label TV and A & R Departments, and working at all the top London recording studios..     Film Sound Consultant - Dolby Laboratories 1984-1985 This mostly involved assisting the dubbing engineers at film studios in Paris, Berlin and Munich to mix feature film soundtracks with foreign dialogue. Notable films included The Killing Fields, Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom, Buckaroo Banzai, Company of Wolves, The Right Stuff and similar titles from that era.     Songwriter-Music Producer 1981-1984 I hit the Top 40 with my first co-produced and co-written song - "Ride The Love Train" by Light of the World - which sold more than 40,000 copies on EMI Records and led to a publishing contract with Chappell Music. In 1983 I signed a new publishing contract with Gussongs/Dejamus as part of a songwriters 'workshop' under the auspices of Elton John's producer, Gus Dudgeon.     Planning & Installation Engineer - Neve 1980-1981 I worked on plans for a major studio installation at Decca Records in West Africa and I assisted with Neve console installations at Abbey Road Studios.     Audio Design Engineer - STC 1979-1980 At Standard Telephones & Cables I worked on microphone designs. My special responsibility was making measurements in the anechoic room using Bruel and Kjaer test equipment.     DJ/Live Sound Engineer 1970-1979 I ran my own business renting out public address and disco equipment and worked in clubs throughout the northwest as a DJ and occasionally as a 'live' sound engineer.     Guitarist 1965-1969 While still at school, aged 16, I joined a semi-pro ‘covers’ band called ‘The Atlantics’. I chose the material and worked on the musical arrangements, mostly of Stax and Motown songs along with some blues, R & B, rock and pop material. The band supported many top artists of that era, such as Stevie Wonder and his Motown Orchestra, Eddie Floyd, Ben E. King, The Drifters and James & Bobby Purify. This culminated in a 3-month tour, playing mid-sized venues throughout England and Scotland in the summer of 1969.     education   City University        MSc Degree (with Distinction), Music Information Technology       Salford University        BSc Degree, Electroacoustics-with-Music     skill   Computer Skills: Microsoft Office, Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Digidesign Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Logic Pro, Cubase SX, Nuendo Other skills: Media Technologies Consultant and Trainer, Author and Journalist, Digital Video Editor, Music Producer, Recording Engineer, MIDI Programmer, Session Musician (guitar, mandolin, tenor banjo, bass guitar, keyboards, hand percussion, concert harp)   references   References are available on request.