Full Sail was recently visited by representatives from Korg USA, the exclusive US distributor for all Korg, Marshall, and Vox electronic musical instruments, guitar amplifiers, and other music-related accessories.

These companies’ products have all played crucial roles in the music/recording world. The sight of a Marshall amplifier stack has become an iconic image of rock music, Vox amplifers were used in the creation of classic albums from groups such as the Beatles and Led Zeppelin, and Korg’s keyboards and synthesizers have opened up technological doors that have furthered the possibilities of modern music production.

Doug Nestler (Director Sales), John Chase (District Sales Manager), Richard Fromidoni (Marketing Specialist), and Freddy DeMarco (Product Specialist) came to campus for two days to share their experiences from working in the Musical Instrument business, talk about the changes that their industry has recently faced, and demonstrate some of their latest products.

Students were treated to a History of Rock Amplification clinic in Full Sail Live, where DeMarco walked the audience through the progression of Vox and Marshall guitar amps. Far from a PowerPoint lecture, DeMarco utilized his 32 years of guitar playing experience to deliver an entertaining (and loud) demonstration of the concepts and products he spoke about. Starting with the Vox AC-15 (the earliest of the company’s amps), he took listeners through a historical musical journey that incorporated classic rock, blues, metal, and funk. The presentation culminated with Vox’s latest product, the JamVox, an interface/software combo that simulates dozens of guitar tones and effects.

Fromidoni then took the stage to show students some of the latest Korg products and features. Running through the various sounds and capabilities of products like the M50 workstation, microKORG XL synthesizer, and M3 keyboard, he also answered product questions from students and even took requests for sounds and styles that the audience wanted to hear demonstrated. “It’s not too often that I get to do a clinic that’s this cool,” he laughed, as cameras zoomed in to show the intricacies of the M3’s touch-screen display on the projection screens behind him. “It seems like Full Sail is definitely the place to do it!”

The group also held a panel discussion with students in the school’s Entertainment Business Auditorium, where they shared their personal stories and insight as to where the industry is headed.

“There are a lot of professional choices that you can make as you pass through the halls of Full Sail,” Nestler told students from the Recording Arts, Music Business, and Show Production & Touring programs. “I think that all people, whether you’re in sales, marketing, operations, tech support, development, or advertising, can help their entire community prosper if they do their job well. It’s all about collaboration, and I get the sense having walked around this campus that there’s a whole lot of collaboration going on here.”

“I always felt that sales was an interesting career path because if it’s done right, everybody involved should win,” he continued. “We’re all proud to be in the musical instrument distribution business. We could all be just as successful selling chain-link fences, but I don’t think it would be as much fun. And you all could be going to a college to learn about lots of other things, but instead you’re learning about something that you’re going to carry with you for your whole life.”