MCCC Alumnus Matt Carlin Earns Credit on Grammy-Nominated Project

Class of 2004 Fine Arts alumnus and photographer Matt Carlin, Lansdale, returned to Montgomery County Community College a few years ago to enroll in some Biology courses. However, after seeing what was happening in the music and audio production studios in the Advanced Technology Center, his focus changed.

“Music was always a hobby. I already had the mentality, but I didn’t have the [production] skills,” Carlin explained. “The classes taught me proper production techniques.”

Carlin’s enthusiasm for the music industry led him to intern with Grammy-nominated engineer and producer David Ivory, who also co-teaches two digital audio production courses and serves on the advisory committee for MCCC’s Communications program.

“It’s cool seeing the business side of working in a studio. It’s stuff that you don’t get to experience by just going to classes,” said Carlin, who continues to work on projects with Ivory beyond the scope of his initial internship.

“It’s helpful to observe Dave’s interaction with the bands and see how he gains their trust before helping to shape their songs and music. Dave works with people who are trying to make a living in music. As a result, we work on projects from start to finish, so there’s a lot of good opportunity there.”

Through Carlin’s engineering work on national recording projects, he accumulated enough credits to become a voting member of Grammy Association in the engineering category. He received engineering credit on Candlelight Red’s album “The Wreckage,” which appeared on the 2011 Grammy ballot.

“I used to think award shows were silly, but by going through the process, I now see that they really mean something to the people who worked on the various projects,” he said.

Carlin plans to continue working with Ivory in his Gwynedd Valley studio and is seeking out musicians to mentor. He also plans to continue building his photography career. You can check out his photography online at www.mattcarlinart.com.

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