Located just outside of Los Angeles, Concordia University Irvine recently opened the Borland-Manske Center in a significant expansion of its music education programme. Anchoring the studio is a new 32-channel Rupert Neve Designs 5088 console.
The acoustic spaces in the US$30m building were designed by Walters-Storyk Design Group and include a 1,100sq-ft studio suite connected to a 3,000sq-ft orchestral hall and a 2,500sq-ft choral hall for large scale recordings. The 5088 console is fully loaded with 32 Shelford 5052 Mic Preamp/Inductor EQ modules, nine Shelford 5051 Inductor EQ/Compressor modules, and the company’s own SwiftMix automation.
‘I have been fortunate to work on consoles designed by Mr Rupert Neve for many years,’ says Concordia Director of Commercial Music, Prof Steve Young. ‘One of our core values for the new facility is to provide students with an opportunity to learn, create and grow in an environment featuring tools and technology to which they might not normally have access.’
Concordia’s commercial music programme is a ‘diverse, immersive experience, designed to prepare the student for the demands that face today’s music professionals’. The curriculum, which emphasises both musicianship and artistry, includes study in areas such as performance, composition/songwriting, arranging and music production.
‘While students learn best practices in music-making, we also want them to experience best-in-class audio quality,’ Young says. ‘The 5088 was an obvious console choice for its vintage heritage, modern capabilities and sound. It has a transparency and clarity that separates it from the other consoles we considered – and it looks amazing installed in the room.’
‘Concordia University Irvine’s new audio education and production complex represents the epitome of contemporary audio education and production planning,’ says WSDG founding partner, John Storyk. ‘Our design engineers engaged acoustic modelling, measurement and instrumentation tests and programs to predict and pre-tune the acoustics and auralisation throughout the building. We are confident that this facility will play a significant role in preparing the next generation of educators, musicians, recording artists and production professionals for 21st Century careers.’
