Design and installation of new recording equipment is complete at Packard Hall for the Colorado College Music Department, just in time for their annual Summer Music Festival!

The new system features adjustable microphones on servoreelers, preamps and monitor control from Grace Design, and a Dante network for distribution of audio signals to other spaces in the building.

All this in addition to upgraded room acoustics finishes, improved sound isolation to the hall, and noise control improvements in the recording booth!

Here’s an audio sample we recorded on 16 June 2016:

Dvořák – String Sextet in A Major, Op. 48; I. Allegro moderato

Equipment List

Microphones

• (4) DPA 4011C (on servoreelers)
• (2) Sennheiser MKH8050 (stereo pair on servoreeler)
• (2) AKG 414

Microphone Preamplifiers

• Grace Design m201 with ADC
• Grace Design m802 with Dante card

Recording Interface/DAW

• RME Fireface UFX
• iMac/ProTools 12
• Allen & Heath ICE16 backup recorder

Monitoring

• Grace Design m920
• Genelec 8030B

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Appropriate space layouts for recording, control, and equipment rooms are essential. Room acoustics, sound isolation, and noise control are design issues which are often overlooked, but which still have a tremendous impact on the overall operation of the facility. In particular, sound isolation and HVAC noise control should be considered at the outset of a facility design since retrofitting these improvements is difficult and costly.

Some music schools have multiple venues for different uses, such as a concert hall for large ensembles and a recital hall for soloists and small ensembles. In situations where a room must be shared between different ensembles, however, variable acoustics allow the room acoustics of the space to be adapted and changed to the needs of each ensemble. While variable acoustics are traditionally implemented with adjustable curtains, moveable panels, and reversible hinged baffles, one emerging trend is to vary acoustics with electronic enhancement systems.

While variable acoustics are traditionally implemented with adjustable curtains, moveable panels, and reversible hinged baffles, one emerging trend is to vary acoustics with electronic enhancement systems.

Since these systems change the acoustic response of the room itself, electronic variable acoustics can provide some interesting possibilities and alternatives for recording engineers accustomed to recording with software reverb plug-ins. Electronic acoustic enhancement technology is developing and improving quickly, notably by companies including Acoustic Control Systems, b.v. and Yamaha Pro Audio.

Control room acoustic treatments are no less important to the successful operation of recording facilities in music schools and may also be easier to retrofit than sound isolation or noise control upgrades. Since many music schools also include courses in audio production, some control rooms must function also as classrooms with seating for both instructors and students. Carefully considered selection and placement of monitor loudspeakers, sound absorbers, and sound diffusers can help to broaden the optimal listening area in control rooms. Listen Audio has recently developed a new line of sound diffusers which are quite useful for this application.

Network-based audio distribution is opening new doors for audio recording in music schools, by offering more flexible routing between rooms with good audio quality and high reliability while reducing infrastructure costs.

Audio routing and signal flow between rooms sometimes separated by large physical distances must be carefully considered. In the recent past, routing analog signals between rooms was commonplace. This approach typically requires large patchbays and relatively expensive wire pulls which are prone to audio problems. The signal routing complexity of these systems can also quickly become a major impediment for students and other less experienced engineers to make audio recordings. Audio distribution via Dante networks, in particular, is opening new doors for audio recording in music schools, by offering more flexible routing between rooms with good audio quality and high reliability while reducing infrastructure costs. Dante is an audio networking protocol developed by Audinate and is seeing increasing support from a wide variety of audio equipment manufacturers, including Focusrite and Grace Design.

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