The next time you login to book a session at 970West Studio, things may look a bit different on the web page. That's because we have updated the studio calendars to more clearly show which rooms are available and when! Instead of both rooms -- the live room and the control room -- being on the same calendar, there are now two calendars, one for each room. If you would like to book a session, you can now clearly see which room is open for you to reserve.

Charles Walker, whose nickname is “ChuckJay,” is from San Jose, California, where he and his three sisters were raised by Charles and Felicia Walker. He began learning music from his father, who was a church organist, and studied music at West Valley College and San Jose State University. He started producing music and playing piano in 2015, after his father’s passing.

He moved to Grand Junction in 2016 for a fresh start and new beginnings.

Walker formed Wave 11, one of Grand Junction’s premiere bands, in 2017 with Zack Couron. Wave 11 released an album, “Wisdom and Strength,” and performed at many big festivals and local venues in Colorado. The band now consists of Derek Suiter and Walker, producing a new high-flying hip-hop show that makes crowds jump!

Walker also teaches private lessons for singing, music production, songwriting, drums, piano, and music theory. He lives in Grand Junction with his wife Zoe and daughter Winnie.

The Elvid Fieldvision 4K monitor is a lightweight, easy-to-use, ultra-powerful piece of gear that 970West Studio staff use for nearly every photo/video shoot we do. Mount it to a hotshoe (metal bracket on top of a camera) or spin it onto a light stand, then connect the HDMI cable and rechargeable battery, and you're ready to go!

Say goodbye to squinting through tiny viewfinders, or relying on odious and inaccurate built-in LCD displays! The Elvid Fieldvision 4K monitor makes focus adjustments, depth-of-field checks, and histogram monitoring a cinch. With the touch of a button (F2), this 7-inch ultra-high-definition monitor displays crisp focus peaks, or bright red lines, around objects in sharp focus.

Meanwhile, the pop-art-looking "false colors" feature (F4) does more than look snazzy. This clever feature reveals details about your image's light distribution. In this particular mode (F4), red areas on the guitar's pickups and fretboard indicate overexposed details in the image. As the final photograph (center) reveals, our gorgeous Gibson Les Paul itself is in focus and has a nice overall color, but the beauty of its mother-of-pearl inlay is completely lost due to overexposure. The Elvid Fieldvision 4K monitor sees what our eyes simply cannot. It's an amazing little tool that quickly reveals where, and how, to make critical adjustments to your photos, before it's too late!

If you would like to reserve the studio and try our equipment out yourself, attend a 970West Studio Orientation, and then book the ‘Live Room'.

To find this information and schedule your next visit to the 970West Studio, visit mesacountylibraries.org/services/970weststudio.

Take the first step toward using the 970West Studio. Orientation classes last an hour. Registration is NOT required.

Studio Q&A takes place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, July 6

Beat Makers Workshop takes place at 3 p.m. Friday, July 8

If you’re interested in checking out one of Mesa County Libraries’ camera kits, but don’t know where or how to get started, this class is for you! We will cover the basics of camera care, lens attachment, manual/automatic settings, ISO, lens apertures, and focus adjustments. This class, along with a valid Mesa County Libraries card and a little inspiration, will have you creating amazing photos in no time!

Camera Kit Basics takes place at 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 1. Seating is limited, and registration is required.

Mac OS Basics takes place at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, July 14. Seating is limited and registration is required.

Logic Pro X is a popular, user-friendly DAW (digital audio workstation) that became a major creative force with its recent update.

Intro to Logic Pro takes place at 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 15. Seating is limited, and registration is required.

Green Screen 1.0: Assembly takes place at 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 19. Seating is limited, and registration is required.

Green Screen 2.0: Chroma Key takes place at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 19. Seating is limited, and registration is required.

In this introductory class, we will cover the Photoshop workspace and basic tools. Participants will follow along with the instructor while using Photoshop brushes, selection tools, and layers to create a postcard-sized work of original digital art.

This course is ongoing -- bring your questions, requests, ideas for future art projects, and please keep coming back to continue learning.

Digital Illustration with Photoshop takes place at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 29, and 9:30 a.m. Tuesday, July 12. Seating is limited, and registration is required.

Introduction to Video Editing takes place at 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 29, and 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 12. Seating is limited, and registration is required.

Let’s get weird! Are the beats and bass lines of traditional beat making a bit too structured for you? Are you searching for a sound, your own sound, that doesn’t live on today’s popular playlists? Come to an Audio Alchemy session and explore some experimental soundscapes with us!

We’ll primarily use Alchemy, a sound module included with Logic Pro X, but other ingredients like real-world sampling and DAWless knob-twisting are definitely on the menu. A basic knowledge of Mac OS and music production is strongly recommended. Attend multiple times for best results!

Audio Alchemy takes place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 25, and 9:30 a.m. Friday, July 22. Seating is limited, and registration is required.

Additional technology resources are available on our Technology Guide: Tutorials and Classes page. There you will find printable class handouts, basic tech help for your computer or mobile device, and a selection of tutorials. Still not finding what you're looking for? Fill out a Book a Librarian form to receive one-on-one instruction for your tech-related topic.

Follow @970west_studio on Instagram for weekly posts about all things 970WestStudio. We share gear updates, local band highlights, video releases, and more!