Three CRAS Graduates Headlined the July 10 Event

Gilbert, Ariz., July 28, 2026 – The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS; www.cras.edu), a leading institution for audio engineering education, opened its door to potential students and continued its series of student inspiration events by hosting its most recent Grad Panel at its Gilbert campus on July 10, which consisted of three CRAS graduates.

“We love our annual Open House because it allows prospective students to tour our facilities and ask all the questions they want about how we can prepare them for the career of their dreams,” said Kirt Hamm, CRAS administrator. “Our Grad Panels allow our current students to hear stories of success from their peers who are out working in the industry that they trained so hard for here at CRAS. Learning the skills in our studios and classrooms are necessary to get the technical knowledge for our students’ craft.”

However, since each success story is unique, CRAS continually invites different graduates to participate on the panels. Hearing from those who have taken a different journey to get to where they are now, each with its own series of bumps in the road and how they were overcome, helps shape current students’ transitions from school to their chosen professional from those that have already done so.

The 2026 Grad Panel included:

1. Joseph Colmenero; a 2005 CRAS graduate; an audio engineer, mixer, producer, and studio systems specialist based in New York City. As Lead Engineer at Rythmograph, Inc., and former Chief Engineer at The Cutting Room Studios, he has built a career spanning music production, post-production, live playback, studio operations, and technical system design. His credits include serving as principal music engineer for Hulu/Disney’s Wu-Tang: An American Saga, along with work on multiple gold, platinum, and diamond-certified records, Oscar-winning films, and projects that have accumulated tens of billions of streams worldwide. An Emmy- and Grammy-nominated engineer, Colmenero’s expertise ranges from recording, mixing, mastering, and Dolby Atmos to ADR, playback engineering, studio installations, and systems integration.

2. Elix Ceballos; a 2024 CRAS graduate; a Video Game Sound Design and Music Asset Technician with Arrival Game Creative. After graduating from CRAS in 2024, Ceballos moved to Los Angeles to complete an internship at a Foley house, gaining valuable hands-on experience working with real-world clients and projects. That foundation led to a position with Arrival Game Creative in 2025, where Ceballos supports multiple game titles across the Sound Design, Music, and Voiceover departments. Their work includes project coordination for in-game assets, trailers, cinematics, and production workflows, helping bring audio experiences to life for players around the world.

3. Joe Asselin;  a 2003 CRAS graduate; for 23 years, Asselin has been providing studio recordings and professional live sound services all over Arizona. Upon CRAS graduation, Asselin jumped straight into the industry, interning and assisting Dave Nichols at Living Head Audio Recording. There he grew more motivated to own and operate his own studio and incorporated Switchblade Sound in December of 2003. By 2004, Asselin was mixing FOH at Cooperstown in Phoenix AZ, working as a high rigger for Rhino Staging and recording out of his house full time. In 2006, The Marquee Theatre hired him full time as monitor engineer and for 19 years he has worked his way through pushing cases and riding faders, to Production Manager for all Luckyman Concerts, not only at the Marquee Theatre, but arenas and amphitheaters all over the U.S.

“This Grad Panel offered unique insight into the world of pro audio,” said CRAS student Jenna Gully. “Having representation from different areas of the audio industry was a concise way to discuss similarities and differences in the various work flows, environments, challenges, and career highlights. Anyone in attendance could find inspiration within the graduates’ wheelhouse of interests and career experiences. From live sound to studio sessions, foley and video game design, each grad on the panel brought their knowledge, experience and passion. Creating an opportunity for current CRAS students to envision where they are going next and connect with industry pros is an invaluable resource.” 

The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences is composed of two nearby campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz. A CRAS education includes broadcast audio, live sound, film and TV audio, music, and video game audio, all taught by award-winning instructors who have all excelled in their individual fields, including sound reinforcement, audio recording and production, digital recording, troubleshooting/maintenance, and music business.

CRAS structured programs and highly qualified teaching staff provide a professional and supportive atmosphere, which is complemented by its small class sizes allowing for individual instruction and assistance for students in engineering audio recordings. CRAS has been providing quality vocational training in audio recording for more than three decades. The curriculum and equipment are constantly being updated to keep pace with the rapid advancements in the music and sound recording industries. CRAS’ course offerings and subject matter have always centered around the skills and knowledge necessary for students’ success in the audio recording industries.

The 11-month program is designed to allow every student access to learn and train in all of the Conservatory’s studios which are comprised with state-of-the-art audio recording and mixing gear, the same equipment used in today’s finest studios and remote broadcast facilities, including Pro Tools 12, API Legacy consoles, SSL AWS consoles, Studer Vista consoles, and much more. All students must complete a 280-hour industry internship to graduate from the Master Recording Program II that may ultimately lead to industry employment. 

To stream the event, please visit  www.youtube.com/live/hm9fMX5Wwy0.

For more information on the Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences, please visit www.cras.edu, contact Kirt Hamm, administrator, at 1-800-562-6383, or email to [email protected].

About The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences

Based in the heart of The Valley of the Sun with two campuses in Gilbert and Tempe, Ariz., The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences (CRAS) is one of the country’s premier institutions for audio education. The Conservatory has developed a unique and highly effective way to help the future audio professional launch their careers in the recording industry and other related professional audio categories.

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