ISTS students met with Alexandre FOUCAT (ISTS 2007), Sound Engineer, Producer and Director on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, on the occasion of Mardis de l'ISTS.
Before starting his studies at ISTS in 2004, Alexandre FOUCAT used to make mixes in a basement studio in his neighborhood, rubbing shoulders with French rap stars. Today, he runs Empire Studio, a recording and music publishing company.
Alexandre FOUCAT opened the doors of his studio to ESRA students, who shot a report that was broadcast at the start of the Masterclass.
He went on to talk about his years at the school, which gave him skills he couldn't find in the studio. After training, he immediately started working. His experiences enabled him to build up a catalog for 5 years at Casa Studio in the 15th arrondissement of Paris, then at Studios Coppelia. 3 years ago, he set up Studios Empire and began producing by signing artist COMAR - who today has over 20 M views on Youtube and over 10 M Streams - to his label TheKponeProd.
In 6 months' time, he will open 5 new studios in Issy-les-Moulineaux, where he plans to develop his company's Directing, Production, Publishing and Training divisions.
Alexandre FOUCAT then shared a Pro Tools session and technical insights into the way he works with students. He also talked about his personal experience as an alumnus of the school, in particular the strength of the network that opens up to everyone, and the importance of keeping in touch.
He spoke more concretely about working with artists and the importance of knowing how to adapt to them, take charge and then step aside when necessary, particularly appreciating the instinctive and psychological side of the sound engineer's work. Indeed, artists need to feel confident in order to reveal themselves.
Alexandre FOUCAT now employs 6 alumni and two trainees from the school.
Alexandre FOUCAT always needs to learn and train. He knows that he can find sound engineers at ISTS, and because he took the same courses, he knows where the students stand in terms of skills. Studios Empire now has 8 former and current students of the school:
