The University of Salford’s new £30m digital learning, teaching and research facility at MediaCityUK has been fitted out to support a live production programme.

The centrepiece for Studio A Sound is a Solid State Logic C10 HD Compact Broadcast Console, which is used for a wide range of live production teaching situations. ‘With players like the BBC and ITV next door, it was imperative that we had a recognised industry standard console for our students to learn on,’ says Ash Tidball, TV Studio Manager for the University at MediaCityUK.

The teaching situations cover one-on-one interview and panel programmes, to music programmes featuring everything from a pop band to a full classical orchestra.

‘The University of Salford’s MediaCityUK campus was created to host our media production, graphic, animation and video game departments, among others, as part of the very exciting MediaCityUK project,’ says Ash Tidball, TV Studio Manager for the University at MediaCityUK. ‘For our Studio A Sound control room, we needed a console that was very flexible and could be set up very quickly for the different types of shows produced. We chose the SSL C10 because it offered us the best feature set and sonic performance for all our production needs. For example, the snapshot recall of program settings greatly increased our teaching capabilities, as a push of a button gets the console ready for each succeeding class in an instant.’

Part of a £650m mixed-use property regeneration programme in Salford and Trafford, the University of Salford at MediaCityUK facility is next to a major BBC complex where BBC Children’s, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Research and the BBC Sport departments are housed. The University’s building space will also be shared with ITV later this year.

‘Our new location is right in the heart of this major production hub. This proximity presents a great opportunity for our students to be able to work with industry professionals and to possibly gain employment in the future,’ Tidball explains. The console delivers the proper, advanced production experience, while providing a platform our graduates will likely find in the industry at large. We believe that learning on an SSL C10 can only benefit our students in the future.’

Spread over four floors, the facility includes HDTV and radio broadcast studios, digital media and performance labs, postproduction suites, a living lab research facility and meeting rooms with video conferencing. Studio A offers separate video and audio (Studio A Sound) control rooms, while Studio B offers a full 3D virtual studio. As Studio A is available for students, researchers and commercial clients, the unique features of the C10 make it the ideal choice.

‘Studio A is our flagship studio, delivering a no-nonsense, professional, state-of-the-art HD production experience,’ Tidball says. ‘The C10’s Feature Match and Preset systems can accommodate all our needs as we have different operators with greatly varying skill levels. Some students might be at the beginning stage, so the engineering staff can set the console to lock out all the controls, except the ones needed for a particular class. At the same time, a professional engineer can come in and access the full power of the console. The one button mix-minus system is outstanding, as is the 5.1 Upmix feature. The C10 allows us to address every aspect of TV production with great sonic integrity.’

More: www.solidstatelogic.com