Dec 05, 2017 Audio Studio vs Recording Studio

In today’s blog post representing the offerings within the Audio-Visual Services team, I will describe the difference between the Audio Studio (located in the Faculty Center) and a recording studio.

Since 2010, the Marriott Library has provided Students, Staff, and Faculty with the opportunity to take advantage of a professional Audio and Video studio to assist in digital learning objects supporting curricular projects. As it relates to the Marriott Library’s Audio Studio, these are the typical voice/vocal projects that enhance Student coursework, Faculty research, campus marketing and audio project endeavors:

• Narration to accompany a slide show or online course
• Focus groups and interviews
• Digital storytelling
• Podcasts
• Special effects for video games
• Drama auditions
• Audio book recordings

These vocal/voice projects take place in a Soundproof studio space, with Audio-Technical vocal microphones recorded on a ProTools digital recorder.

As the Audio Projects Librarian, I have nearly 30 years of radio experience. I have recorded and edited sound Digitally as soon as .mp3’s replaced ¼” magnetic tape. I was Podcasting before it had a name. I serve as consultant, producer, editor and/or engineer of the projects.

What I don’t have experience in is recording music. While the Audio Studio can accommodate music recordings, that is not its intended purpose. Often, when students discover the services of the Audio Studio they assume that music recording is available to them. Not really…I will use some recent examples of how the assumption of a (music) recording studio objects with the mission and purpose of the Audio Studio.

• I was approached by a Student in Business wanting to record a personal song as a gift to a loved one. Another Student, in Engineering, wanted to bring his band in to record music demos.

While I don’t like to say no, these types of projects do not align with the policies of accepted use of the Audio Studio.

From our Studio policies document:

• Reservations by type:
  • “University Course”: Offered by a degree-granting program at the University of Utah which, when completed, will result in the awarding of credit hours verifiable through the Office of the Registrar.
  • “Library Class”: A training session taught or co-created by an employee of the Marriott Library for the purpose of learning library research and technology skills or to obtain information about library services and resources.
  • “Student, Staff, or Faculty Individual Use”: For educational purposes and the legitimate business of the University of Utah

• General Policies
  • The Creativity and Innovation Services Department approves University Departments, Student Groups, Sponsored Groups, or University of Utah Students, Staff, or Faculty to use the Audio and Video Studios in the Faculty Center after hours.
  • The studios may only be used for a University Course, Library Class, or for individual student, staff or faculty use.

Audio Studio services are reserved for coursework, not personal music projects. As our Studio bookings have expanded greatly since we first opened in 2010, the curricular recordings take most of the staff time. Studio reservations serve to accommodate projects germane to course assignments, Faculty research, campus marketing and curricular development.

I am not a musician and use the ProTools recorder for its vocal/voice potential. There is a whole separate template to record the complexity of mixing, mic’ing and editing music. I have neither the time nor the requisite skill set to accommodate extracurricular music endeavors.

In sum, we have worked with ASUU groups or Music students to become approved, unmediated users of the Audio Studio. Once they are trained by me in the use and permissions of the recording equipment, they can use their booked time to learn how to record and mix music. How do we turn the personal into the curricular?

Robert Nelson | Audio Projects Librarian & Head of Audio-Visual Services
Creativity & Innovation Services / Audio-Visual Services
robert.nelson@utah.edu

View the original article on the Creativity and Innovation Services Blog