A newly opened facility on the University of Westminster’s Harrow campus has availed students studying music and audio production access to a recording facility that incorporates some of the most advanced pro audio equipment available. The studio includes a control room equipped with an SSL Duality console and the first pair of PMC’s new QB1A’s main monitors to be installed in Europe, in addition to a 5.1 surround sound monitoring system featuring PMC twotwo.8s. Able to accommodate up to 25 students, it is connected throughout using Van Damme cable and assemblies, as it the rest of the facility..
‘Our philosophy is to introduce students to equipment that is industry standard,’ says Alan Fisher, previously acting Dean and Head of the University’s Music Department, and now consultant. ‘We realised some years ago that we needed an acoustically accurate recording studio that was of sufficient size to accommodate a large group of students. It has taken five years to accomplish our mission, but the University of Westminster now has a facility that is easily on a par with commercial recording studios, enabling us to educate students the techniques and skills they need to progress in the real world.’
Adjacent to the control room is an equally large live room with variable acoustics. This also has PMC twotwo.8 monitors in a 5.1 configuration, for use by students studying audio techniques for television, film and computer games. The control room is permanently linked to the University’s existing live spaces, including its large performance venue, so that concerts and performances can be recorded.
The facility was designed by Peter Keeling of Studio People and constructed by his team alongside Langdale Technical Consulting, who looked after the technical install.
‘This was a big install, with an SSL Control Room housing the 48-channel Duality console, a machine room, live area, vocal/drum booth, three rehearsal rooms, two performance rooms, a fully equipped live venue and, just for good measure, two further spaces allocated for future use and expansion,’ says Langdale Director, Bill Ward. ‘It all equates to a lot of rooms that all need interconnecting, over some huge distances and with a complex variety of cabling and infrastructure options. There was only ever going to be one shot at getting all the cabling installed.’
After looking at all the options, Langdale chose Van Damme cable and used vast quantities of Van Damme analogue Blue Series, video, HDMI, data and control cable, along with connectors, patchbay and studio hardware – all supplied by VDC Trading.
‘We designed a complex multi-room system and I have to say Westminster University now has in its possession one of the finest audio recording facilities to be found at any university in the world,’ Ward adds.
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