February 15, 2018

My Week at Lynda

Filed under: Main — admin @ 12:01 am

I’ve been visiting the Lynda campus for about four years now. It’s such an amazing place with smart, energetic people. Going there is like visiting a resort, though it’s work. And I suppose when work is fun, you’ve found the best thing to do.

Lynda is a recording studio. They have both audio and video recording facilities. I’ve used both.

Everything is state-of-the-art, top-notch professional. The video studios rival anything you’d find in Hollywood or New York. And the crews are superb, always looking for the best quality no matter what. It’s not a nickel-and-dime operation by any standards.

For example, on one shoot, they paid such meticulous attention to detail that they steamed my sweater to get out some spots. I couldn’t see the spots, but the camera could. Someone wheels in the steamer and in a few moments the sweater is camera-perfect.

They have a professional makeup artist available when you’re on camera. The crew spends time carefully working out the lighting and sound. The goal is always for the best product possible.

In the sound booths, I record audio as well as screen capture for either a computer or mobile device. For each session, an audio engineer checks quality and other technical stuff I’m clueless about. A producer watches and listens to ensure that everything is perfect. If not, I do it again and get it right. It’s an amazing process.

The staff is also very appreciative of visiting authors. I’m free to take breaks. Free beverages and snacks are available. And during downtime, I can use their high speed fiber network.

Lunches are provided free on-campus at the Pixel Cafe. Each day is different with a wide variety of choices, including healthy options that I always avoid. During lunch I can mix with the Lynda staff, connect with former producers and directors, and meet other authors from around the country who record courses on a wide range of topics from specific nerdy software to business topics like dealing with unruly customers. It’s amazing who you meet.

Last time I was in for recording was during the fatal mudslides in Santa Barbara County. The freeway I drive to get to campus was closed. In the spirit of a startup, the crew at Lynda setup makeshift recording studios in my hotel. They bought computers and sound equipment. Rooms were converted and made sound-proof. The team showed tremendous effort in the face of adversity and recorded courses in less-than-optimal conditions. I was amazed at how positive everyone was. The staff wanted to solve problems and not complain about the situation.

It’s good to be back at it, and I hope to record more courses in the future. LinkedIn Learning is a wonderful resource and you should check it out if you want to learn a new skill or brush up on stuff you already know.

2 Comments

  1. Did you take any pics of what your makeshift hotel room studio looked like? Id be very curious. Also where is Lynda studios located?

    Comment by BradC — February 15, 2018 @ 4:49 pm

  2. I wish I would have taken a picture of the hotel room, though it looked pretty normal, but with lots of computer and sound equipment installed. In some rooms they put the mattress over the sliding door to the balcony, but didn’t do that for us. I regret not taking a picture for posterity.

    Lynda is located just south of Santa Barbara in California. It’s truly the most advanced studio north of Hollywood.

    Comment by admin — February 15, 2018 @ 7:57 pm

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