Tom Zalduendo

Tom Zalduendo ’08 graduated with a Music Merchandising degree and minor in Music Technology. Today, Tom is an assistant engineer for one of the top recording studios in the country, Chicago Recording Company. For Tom, success comes from being true to himself and his abilities and by setting realistic goals. 

“Every time I check a goal off, it rekindles the fire and makes me work harder for the next. That’s what really keeps me going,” he says. 

Tom has checked off many goals at the studio. He started there as an intern, then worked on the professional music production side of the studio where Lady Gaga recorded 75% of her album, Art Pop. He enjoys where he is in post production now, and the next goal on his list is to transition to a senior engineer.

Speaking of goals, one of Tom’s favorite projects at the studio is the EA Sports NHL game production. “I am a huge hockey fan, and we get to record the NHL game announcers.”  He is referring to NBC Sports Net color analysts, Eddie Olczyk and Mike “Doc” Emrick. “Basically, EA provides the play by play scripts for the announcers to read and it is our job to ensure we capture the highest recorded audio quality for the game.”

Then Tom and his team provide the superior client service that has kept Chicago Recording Company the longest standing studio in the city.  “We organize the files in such a way that when we send them back, the EA editors don’t have to sift through days of recorded audio to find the parts they need.  We label all files and lay them out to follow the script, so it’s an easy road map to piece together. I always try to go above and beyond for my clients.”

This work ethic was shaped by his experience at Lewis. “We had smaller class sizes and Dr. McFerron and Dr. Fisk took time before and after classes to chat about projects, homework or anything that was giving me a challenge.  “Their attention prepared me for professional life. They were able to guide me in the right direction and show me how people in the industry work.” 

And according to Dr. Mike McFerron, Music Professor at Lewis University, “Tom is a real success story for us.”

As he becomes more seasoned in the industry, Tom is inspired to assist those just starting out. “I like to guide them and help them just as I was supported at Lewis.” 

June 2016

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