JULY 31, 2025 INTERVIEWS
Chris Breest: Adaptation
Chris Breest is an entrepreneur and jack-of-many-trades. He is the CEO and founder of Plymouth Rock recording studio in Plymouth, Michigan, plays music with BandB and other groups, works as a music publisher, and has done a lot of sound recording, composition, scoring, and audio post-production work for film, television, and video. Chris was also instrumental in designing and developing the Bachelor of Science in Audio Engineering Technology program at nearby Lawrence Technological University, and his studio serves as the satellite campus and hands-on training location for students in the degree program. Chris has worked with a diverse range of clients, including Walt Disney Imagineering, Royce da 5′9″, Ford Motor Company, Regina Belle, MIT, PBS, Juan Atkins, and the Old 97s, to name just a few. He knew he wanted to work as a recordist from an early age, and already co-owned a studio by the time he was in his early twenties. When Chris was just 27, Lawrence Tech contacted him and asked if he would be interested in helping them develop an undergraduate degree program in audio engineering technology. Since that time, the program has expanded and grown rapidly. It differs from many audio recording programs in that students study not just how to record music, but also audio acoustics, math, physics, electronics, entrepreneurship, transducers, audio systems integration, communications and project management. They acquire, in other words, technical engineering skills that programs focused mainly on recording music often lack, as well as real world business, communications, and leadership skills. Thanks to the broad training students receive, they can work in broadcasting, film and video, audio systems design, industrial and commercial settings, as audiologists, and as recording engineers and producers. Chris has trained countless students through the LTU program, at his studio and in the field, has helped prepare them to become audio professionals in the real world, and to land jobs by the time they graduate, not just at music recording studios, but for companies like Ford, Panasonic, and Harman International. In fact, one of the things Chris has accomplished since the program began is to establish relationships with companies like these where students can intern and work. Like many recordists and audio professionals, Chris has always kept an open mind about expanding his skill set. He has been able to acquire a plethora of skills just by being open to working on virtually any creative project that involves technology, from films and videos, to television shows, to teaching, to starting and running multiple small businesses. For him, constantly learning and expanding upon what he can do professionally is what keeps things interesting and challenging.
