The History of ProMedia Training, The First Pro Tools Training Center
Since 2002, ProMedia Training has been an official Avid Learning Partner offering Pro Tools training and certification courses in hands-on, live-online, and now self-paced classes. In the early days, ProMedia was known as "The Pro Tools Training Center," teaching Pro Tools long before any true Avid training program existed.
It was during that time that the manufacturer agreed it was time to standardize systems of training for Pro Tools users, and ProMedia Training rolled out the first nationwide Digidesign, now Avid, training program for users of all levels.
In 2005, ProMedia Training expanded its instructor team to include eight-time Grammy® winner Roger Nichols, multi-Grammy®-winning John Frye, Grammy®-winning Charles Dye, Grammy®-winning Phil Tan, and other respected music industry veterans. The company eventually grew to many locations, with hands-on training in New York, Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, Nashville, and Los Angeles.
Over time, ProMedia Training’s instructor team expanded to include leading university professors and professional audio educators, many of whom continue to teach at major universities while also training students through ProMedia. Their faculty experience includes institutions such as the University of Colorado Denver, Augustana University, Foothill College, SAE Institute Nashville, Full Sail, Syracuse University, Berklee College of Music, and others.
ProMedia’s instructor group also includes Frank D. Cook and Eric Kuehnl, long-standing authors and curriculum developers of the “Avid Learning Series,” Avid’s official Pro Tools Certification textbooks, exams, and course materials.
ProMedia Training remains one of the most comprehensive Avid Learning Partners, offering multiple course pathways under one roof, including Pro Tools User (Specialist), Operator (Professional), Expert-level music and post-production training, Game Audio, Avid Media Composer, Dolby Atmos Professional training, and now an SSL Certified Training Partner.
For more than two decades, ProMedia has trained students from around the world, from Pro Tools beginners to advanced audio engineers seeking faster, more efficient professional workflows. Today, ProMedia focuses on professional development for working audio engineers who need modern Pro Tools skills for music, post-production, broadcast, game audio, and immersive audio.
Many ProMedia Training students have gone on to earn Grammy® Awards, including former 2023 student Dani Perez, who was the credited audio engineer on 2026 Grammy® Award for Record of the Year on "Luther" by Kendrick Lamar and SZA.
Multiple ProMedia students have also received nominations and wins across Emmys® and other award categories, including the 2026 JMA Independent Music Awards. Students' credits span major label releases, broadcast productions, film and television, immersive audio, and other professional productions.
Class sizes are intentionally limited in both hands-on and live-online formats, allowing students to receive focused instructor attention and real support. Each student receives class materials, official course eBooks, session files, practice lessons, and instructor resources. ProMedia’s training guarantee also gives students access to free class refreshers for 12 months, providing continued support long after the original class ends.
Avid Expert Certified Pro Tools Instructor
Avid Master & Expert Certified Instructor
Grammy® Winner
Avid Master Instructor
Mixing Instructor
Mihai Boloni: Director & Expert Avid Certified Pro Tools Instructor
With over 25 years of experience, Mihai Boloni is a long-standing audio engineer, Avid Expert Certified Pro Tools Instructor, and technical consultant.
In his early years, he taught audio engineering at Full Sail University but eventually left to spearhead, with Digidesign, the opening of the first Pro Tools Training Center in the U.S.
“I remember being flown in by the executive team at Avid/Digidesign, where we decided on a strategy for how and what would be included in the curriculum of a new Pro Tools Training program,” he states.
Since then, he has become one of Avid’s most experienced and in-demand instructors worldwide. His clients include Netflix, Amazon Music, SiriusXM, MTV, PBS, NBC, Telemundo, Wall Street Journal, NBC’s The Voice engineers, Turner Networks, Cartoon Network, multiple universities, public school systems, as well as leaders in the commercial recording and post-production industry.
Mihai has continued to work as an audio engineer and ProMedia’s Director of Training. He also owns a commercial recording studio in North Hollywood, CA.
Eric Kuehnl: Avid Master, Expert Certified Instructor in Music, Post & Game Audio
Eric Kuehnl is a composer, sound designer, and long-standing professor. Avid Technology honored him as an Avid Master Instructor, a designation issued to only a few instructors worldwide.
His authoring credits include Avid’s “Pro Tools for Game Audio,” “Ableton Live 101,” and over 16 additional DAW textbooks, including Avid’s courses in post-production and control surfaces.
In 2021, Eric authored “Surround Sound and Immersive Audio,” while Dolby Laboratories contracted him to create the “Dolby Atmos Mastering Suite Handbook,” a guided resource for universities to use for teaching Dolby Atmos, as stated in Dolby’s foreword.
Eric has trained faculty at multiple colleges, including UCLA, USC, Full Sail, and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Previously, Eric was a Training Strategist in the Avid Education Department and a Senior House Engineer for Sony PlayStation.
As Co-Director of the Music Technology Program at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills, California, and Director of Partner Programs for NextPoint Training, Inc., Eric is a certified instructor for both FMOD and Wwise, the two leading game audio middleware tools.
He holds a master’s degree from the California Institute of the Arts, a bachelor’s degree from Oberlin Conservatory, and studied composition at the Centre Iannis Xenakis in Paris.
Chris Wainwright: Mixing & Audio Engineering Former Asst. Professor Berklee College of Music
Chris Wainwright: Mixing & Audio Engineering, Former Asst. Professor Berklee College of Music
Chris Wainwright is an audio engineering professor, official mixing instructor, and course developer at ProMedia Training.
From 2010 to 2019, he served as Assistant Professor of Audio Engineering at Berklee College of Music, following his role as an instructor at Boston University from 2008 to 2009.
Chris brings more than a decade of college-level and professional audio education experience to the program.
Since 2021, he has also worked with Interlochen Center for the Arts as a course instructor and author, developing and delivering high-level audio education for emerging creatives.
Chris holds a Bachelor of Science in Audio Engineering and Music Production from Berklee College of Music, as well as a master’s degree in Music Production from Berklee.
His background combines academic leadership, curriculum development, studio workflow, and advanced mixing education, making him a strong bridge between elite music-school training and ProMedia’s professional certification and mixing programs.
Terron Darby: Avid Expert Certified Instructor / Avid Elite Solutions Architect
Terron Darby is a 20-year professional audio engineer, Avid Expert Certified Instructor, and one of the few professionals designated with an Avid Elite credential by the manufacturer.
As former Systems Architect at T2 Computing in New York City and currently at Key Code Media in Burbank, he oversees the design and installation of complex post-production and recording facilities.
His work spans secure IT networks, shared media servers for film and television post-production teams, traditional analog equipment, large-format recording consoles, HD Pro Tools systems, and advanced studio integration.
His clients include NYU, Long Island University, Full Sail, CBS, NBC, HBO, Madison Square Garden, the New York Jets, the New York Yankees, and ITV Infrastructure.
Terron has taught Expert-level Pro Tools Certification at ProMedia Training for two decades and brings a rare systems-level perspective, helping advanced engineers understand how professional rooms are designed, installed, networked, and maintained.
Terron proudly oversaw and managed the design and installation of the first Dolby Atmos-Certified recording facility in NYC.
Frank D. Cook: Avid Master & Expert Certified Instructor
Frank D. Cook is a long-standing adjunct professor, ProMedia instructor, and concurrently serves as Director of Recording Media Arts at Augustana University.
He is also the author of the best-selling Pro Tools DAW educational textbooks of all time, the “Avid Learning Series – Pro Tools Certification” textbooks.
He was honored by Avid Technology with the status of Avid Master Instructor and the “Godfather” of Avid’s Pro Tools Certification Program after being responsible for authoring and maintaining the 101, 110, 201, 210M, and 310M course textbooks for 20 years.
As the President of NextPoint Training, Frank has been a consultant for Avid Technology since 2005, helping to shape learning initiatives and develop textbooks and exams, including the 310M Expert exam.
Frank has taught Pro Tools and other DAW technologies, including Ableton. He also provides Pro Tools certification for professors and instructors worldwide who aspire to become Avid Certified Instructors.
He also creates tools and technology to empower students and educators, including the Elements|ED online learning environment, ElementsED.com. Frank holds a degree in English from Cal Poly State University and has minors in music and technical communication.
Alex Thomen: Composer, Arranger, Program Director at Univ. Of Colorado, Denver
Alex Thomen, formerly the Chair of Audio at SAE Institute in Nashville, is part of ProMedia Training’s elite Pro Tools and audio engineering instructor team.
Currently, he teaches at ProMedia and also serves as Assistant Professor and Program Director of Recording Arts at the University of Colorado Denver.
Alex earned his Master of Music from the prestigious Belmont University in Nashville and, like many working industry professionals and educators, has also completed multiple Pro Tools Certification courses through ProMedia Training.
A producer, composer, pianist, mixing engineer, and music educator, Alex brings a wide range of professional experience to his teaching. Originally from Kansas City, he has arranged, produced, and mixed music for everything from chamber ensembles and rock bands to full symphonic orchestras.
His background spans commercial music, film, television, games, composition, arranging, and professional audio production. Alex holds a Bachelor of Music in Music Composition and a Master of Music in Commercial Composition and Arranging from Belmont University.
John Frye: Mixing Engineer - 3x Grammy® Winner
John Frye is a three-time Grammy®-winning audio engineer, mixing instructor, and ProMedia Training advisory Board Member for more than two decades.
He is credited with engineering and mixing OutKast’s RIAA-certified 14x Platinum-album Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, the best-selling rap album of all time as per verified album sales.
John’s mixing work has appeared on more than 100 million albums sold to date, with credits on over 350 albums for artists including Toni Braxton, Alicia Keys, Usher, Lil Jon, Pink, and many others.
John has won three Grammy® Awards for his work with OutKast, including Stankonia, which won Best Rap Album in 2001, and Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, which won Album of the Year and Best Rap Album in 2003.
He has also received many additional Grammy® nominations. His credits include OutKast, Lil Jon, Jay-Z, R. Kelly, T.I., Pink, Jamie Foxx, CeeLo Green, Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Babyface, Toni Braxton, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy, Soulja Boy, Goodie Mob, TLC, Gwen Stefani, and countless other artists, producers, and record labels.
John is currently recording, mixing, producing, writing, and managing new and established artist projects, along with new movie, television, video, and entertainment endeavors.
Ryan Benyo is a Los Angeles-based RIAA Gold® Record Award-winning producer, engineer, songwriter, keyboardist, and Avid Certified Pro Tools Instructor at ProMedia Training.
He has a master's degree from Berklee College of Music and bachelor's degree in Music Production from the prestigious McNally Smith College of Music.
His credits include composition for full scale orchestra for motion picture, and also albums for artists like Lisa Loeb, Parachute, Sheppard, Forest Blakk, Lime Cordiale, Baker Grace, The Aces, Alberta Cross, Cory Wong, Through Fire, Vusi Mahlasela, and Caro Emerald.
Ryan has also worked on music and sound design projects for visual media and major brands, including Riot Games, Paramount, Red Bull, Carl’s Jr./Hardee’s, NBCUniversal, and more.
He is a Grammy® voting member and active part of the Los Angeles production community.
His teaching connects contemporary record-making, commercial production, artist development, and Pro Tools workflow for students looking to work in modern music and media environments.
Joe Sears: Avid Expert Certified Pro Tools Instructor in Music & Post
Joe Sears is an audio engineer, sound designer, composer, arranger, long-standing adjunct professor, and Avid Expert Certified Pro Tools Instructor in music and post for over a decade at ProMedia Training.
He has worked in the music industry since 1985, with experience across film, television, radio, commercial music, albums, voice-over, sound design, and education. He mixed a project that received an Oscar nomination in 2023.
After studying at Le Moyne College and Syracuse University, Joe worked with David Horowitz Music Associates in New York City, collaborating with award-winning composers, musicians, vocalists, voice-over artists, and celebrity talent across multiple genres.
In 2013, he became an Avid Certified Pro Tools Instructor and earned Expert-level Pro Tools Certification in both music and post-production. Joe has taught at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Syracuse University’s Newhouse School of Communications, and the School of Visual and Performing Arts, where he helped implement Pro Tools suites and expand audio education resources.
Carter Jahn: Producer / Engineer - Grammy® Winner
Carter Jahn is a audio-engineering, mixing and Pro Tools instructor at ProMedia Training and a Grammy®-winning engineer, producer, and musician based in Los Angeles.
He won a Grammy® Award for his engineering work on The War on Drugs album A Deeper Understanding.
With years of studio and teaching experience, Carter has worked alongside leading engineers and producers, including Shawn Everett, Chris Walla, François Tétaz, Brent Kutzle, Damian Taylor, Tommy English, and others.
Carter owns Cherry Studios in North Hollywood, where he produces records and mixes artists across a wide range of styles.
His work connects modern record production, creative collaboration, artist development, and practical studio workflow.
At ProMedia Training, Carter brings a current, working-producer perspective to Pro Tools and mixing education, helping students understand how professional records are shaped from tracking and editing through mix decisions and final delivery.
Advisory & Visiting Mentor: 2× Grammy® Winner • 8× Emmy® Winner • 2× CAS Winner • The Oscars® Music Mixer
Advisory & Visiting Mentor: 2× Grammy® Winner • 8× Emmy® Winner • 2× CAS Winner • The Oscars® Music Mixer
Tommy Vicari is an 8x Emmy® and 2x Grammy® Award-winning audio engineer and mixer.
He is also the longstanding mixer for The Oscars®.
He is internationally recognized as one of Hollywood’s finest major motion picture score mixers as well with more than 20 additional nominations.
Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has recorded and mixed music across every major area of the entertainment industry, working with artists including Billy Preston, Prince, George Duke, Jeffrey Osborne, Philip Bailey, Quincy Jones, Barbra Streisand, Pino Daniele, Sammy Nestico, and the Grammy® Award-winning Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.
His television credits include The Oscars, Six Feet Under, The Newsroom, and Angels in America. His work on HBO’s acclaimed Behind the Candelabra earned him both an Emmy® Award and a Cinema Audio Society Award for excellence in sound mixing.
Vicari’s feature film work includes Brian De Palma’s cult classic Phantom of the Paradise, as well as Pixar’s Academy Award®-winning films Finding Nemo and WALL-E. Alongside longtime collaborator Thomas Newman, he has worked on major film scores including Road to Perdition, Little Children, Revolutionary Road, Cinderella Man, A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Adjustment Bureau, Saving Mr. Banks, Get on Up, The Judge, The Help, Bridge of Spies, Passengers, and The Highwaymen.
He has also collaborated with composer Nicholas Britell on acclaimed projects including Adam McKay’s The Big Short, HBO’s Succession, Barry Jenkins’ Academy Award®-winning Moonlight, If Beale Street Could Talk, and Netflix’s The King.
As a student mentor and guest lecturer, Vicari brings students rare insight from a lifetime of award-winning work in music, television, and film.
Charles Dye: Grammy®-Winning Mixing Engineer, Audio Engineering Professor
Charles Dye is a Grammy® Award-winning mixing engineer, producer, educator, and longtime ProMedia Training mixing instructor.
Based historically in Florida, he serves as an adjunct professor at Florida International University and previously served as Program Director and audio engineering instructor at SAE Institute in Miami for over 10 years.
Early in his career, Charles worked full-time as lead audio and mixing engineer for multi-platinum songwriter and producer Desmond Child. He won his first Grammy® Award for engineering Ricky Martin’s global smash album "Livin’ La Vida Loca."
As an independent recording and mixing engineer, his work has contributed to more than 90 million records sold for artists including Bon Jovi, Shakira, Ricky Martin, Aerosmith, Jennifer Lopez, Sammy Hagar, Lauryn Hill, Julio Iglesias, Gloria Estefan, Jimmy Buffett, Alejandra Guzmán, and Frank Sinatra.
Charles brings major-record perspective, practical mix decision-making, and decades of commercial studio experience into ProMedia’s mixing education.
His recent mixes include the Dolby Atmos® mixes for the first original KISS album and Ariana Grande.
Josh Harris: Producer - Composer - Music Industry Educator
Josh Harris is an internationally known multi-Billboard-charting producer, composer, engineer, remixer, and music industry educator. His credits include artists such as Seal, Madonna, The Killers, and James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem.
Classically trained as a pianist and composer, he has always focused on fusing different musical genres, resulting in memorable songs and productions that stay with listeners long after the first listen.