Nashville, Tennessee - Dec. 2013:
An API 1608 analog console will serve aspiring sound engineers at the newly created Blackbird Academy recording school in Nashville, Tennessee. The school is based at the prestigious Blackbird Studio and will draw on their history, expertise, and industry connections to offer three educational curricula, totaling over 720 hours of horizon-expanding coursework. Class sizes will be small and will feature extensive hands-on lab time, including time in two of Blackbird's eight recording studios, now reserved exclusively for educational use. The classroom space was created by interior designers Robert and Cortney Novogratz of the HGTV television show, Home by Novogratz.

"We chose the API 1608 for a number of reasons," said John McBride, who is co-owner and co-operator of Blackbird Studio with his wife, country superstar Martina McBride. "The 1608 is easy to use, it has a great sound, and it's an excellent tool to teach students signal flow. We already have a couple of 1608s at Blackbird, and we're very happy with them. Moving forward with the Academy, we wouldn't have it any other way!"

Mark Rubel and Kevin Becka are co-directing Blackbird Academy, which began with a three-day summer camp designed for high school students. The Academy's debut Studio Engineering Program kicked off on September 30, 2013 and will run for about 24 weeks.