A progressive learning institute offering vocational education and training – from college-level courses to postgraduate degrees – the Confetti Institute of Creative Technologies has expanded from its base in the UK Midlands with a new centre in the Whitechapel district of East London. Here, it was established a high-end digital and multipurpose campus for students seeking a future in the entertainment industries.
Part of Nottingham Trent University, Confetti is home to almost 3,000 domestic and international students. Learners study vocationally-focused degrees in performance, production and business for the music and live events industries, and emerging technologies such as eSports, virtual production and content creation.
The new 35,000sq-ft campus includes a 600-capacity multipurpose venue for live music, entertainment and eSports. The building also incorporates specialist music recording studios, rehearsal and live rooms, broadcast facilities, virtual production stages and teaching spaces.
A key feature of the new campus is a 9.1.4 Dolby Atmos facility equipped with SSL’s new TriniTy, combining the capabilities of SSL’s Duality Fuse SuperAnalogue console and DAW controller with the adaptability of System T for Music in an integrated console that can be used for tracking, mixing and immersive audio production. TriniTy was conceived as a direct result of discussions with Confetti’s technical team who wanted to push forward the toolset available to audio engineers mixing in these new formats.
‘Recording engineers are part of the creative process,’ says Joe Duckhouse, Chief Technology Officer for Confetti Media Group. ‘They shape the sound and develop the artist’s vision for their music. Having tools that enable this is vital. The combination of Duality Fuse and System T SSL have created as a result of our input is incredibly flexible, capable of mixing immersively and gives engineers the ability to route audio objects through analogue hardware as they would in a traditional mix room. Our students will be the first in the world to learn Dolby Atmos mixing techniques on a desk specifically designed for this purpose.’
The design for Confetti’s Dolby Atmos room was carried out internally, in conjunction with acoustic specialist White Mark and installation specialist Langdale Technical Consulting. Cabling was supplied by VDC and includes the world’s largest deployment of Van Damme Purple Patch audio patchbay. The room is equipped with a monitoring system from UK manufacturer PMC, comprising PMC6-2 monitors for the LCR channels, PMC8-2 subs, four PMC Ci65 monitors for the surround channels and six PMC Ci45 monitors for height. The passive Ci monitors are driven by PMC’s new power 750-8 eight-channel amplifier.
‘There were various reasons for choosing PMC monitors,’ Duckhouse says. ‘First, we already have PMC in most of our other studio and students enjoy working on them. Also, the company has extensive experience in equipping high-end music facilities for Dolby Atmos mixing. The monitors we have chosen for Confetti’s LCR, bass, surround and height channels match really well so there isn’t the need for a lot of calibration. Also, the fact that PMC’s ci series can be soffit mounted and compact design gave us plenty of flexibility, which resulted in less compromise on the room design.’
Working with world-leading equipment manufacturers, studio designers and system integrators has allowed Confetti to drive the development of new tools for those mixing in Dolby Atmos and create a studio that will enhance the way in which music production is taught.
‘We aim to equip students with the expertise they need to find work and succeed,’ Duckhouse says. ‘Understanding how to mix music in Dolby Atmos is an important skill for all audio engineers and this is why we have invested heavily in our new Dolby Atmos studio. Allowing students access to the best and latest equipment will give them a head start when they enter the job market.’
He adds that having an Atmos equipped studio will benefit many Confetti students, not just those studying music recording. ‘Immersive creative technologies are becoming increasingly important to many sectors of the entertainment industry. Within the next five years, immersive audio sound systems will be commonplace in cars, creating the ideal setting for people to listen to Atmos music in a calibrated environment. In addition, more venues will be working immersively, and we are already seeing cutting-edge work around virtual production and artificial reality where immersive audio will play a key role. Our Atmos studio is primarily an uncompromised music room, but by combining the full Atmos for Music specifications with the flexibility of SSL’s TriniTy console, we can tackle all kinds of immersive audio projects, from film and TV post-production through to live productions for broadcast.’
The Confetti Institute is part of Confetti Media Group, a family of innovative and entrepreneurial businesses that work together to support and develop those studying and working in the creative, digital, and entertainment industries. At its Nottingham campus, these include Metronome, a music and events venue, and Confetti X, a complex dedicated to eSports and mixed reality production that last year proudly hosted the Amazon University eSports Masters (AUEM) Finals, the first international university eSports event in the UK. The new London campus will replicate that model through its studio and teaching facilities and its multipurpose live events venue. Studios and live venues across both sites are linked via digital SMPTE 2110 technology so that projects can move seamlessly between them, and Confetti has also upgraded its Nottingham studios to full Dolby Atmos specifications, equipping it with the same PMC monitoring system as the Confetti London Atmos room.
‘With a growing generation of young people in London and the South-East looking to enter vocational education, our new London campus will have just what they need to launch into an exciting career in the entertainment industries,’ Duckhouse adds. ‘In addition, our undergraduate and post graduate courses, which are open to both UK and international students, are delivered by industry experts in high-end facilities equipped with the kind of technology that students will undoubtedly encounter when they move on to jobs in the real world.’
More: https://confetti.ac.uk
