In order to meet the demands of training students for a diverse job market, the Audio and Music Production Programme at Lebanon Valley College employs a duo of Audient consoles to provide a solid audio foundation.
With increasingly specialised recording programmes springing up throughout the country, Lebanon Valley College sets itself apart by combining a traditional liberal arts based education with a “professionally oriented” Audio & Music Production Programme, a formula that has been successful for the school’s students since the late 1980s.
“Audient consoles are perfect for students to learn on,” said Dr. Barry Hill, professor of music and director of audio & music production. “Signal flow is extremely easy to see and follow on these boards. It’s not crammed, and the colour coding of the channel, mix path, and operational layout is very accessible for learners.”
Students in the Audio & Music Production Program study music, studio recording, mastering, electronic music, audio for digital media, live sound, game audio, and more. Graduates have gone on to work in recording studios, live sound, broadcast, game audio, retail, and performance with leading creative companies such as The Hit Factory, DreamWorks Animation, ESPN, Insomniac Games, Sony, Universal Music Group, Disney, and even the Ringling Brother Circus.
Both LVC studios have been around for a long time. Studio A is a traditional control room/tracking room setup centred on an Audient ASP8024 with 36 channels and a Command 8 that the school has used reliably for some time. Studio B has classroom seating and features a brand new Audient ASP4816 added for this school year. The two consoles are configured to meet the needs of each space while providing students with the continuity to easily move from learning in a classroom setting to working on projects in the studio.
The Audio & Music Production Programme has approximately 60 students that spend time on the consoles. “Using the Audient board is a great way to learn signal flow,” said senior Nate Merrill. “The way the board is organised makes it a great learning tool for college students like me.”
Fellow senior Luca Gienow agreed: “The Audient has been a fantastic board to learn how to engineer on. I continue to find new ways to run signal through the board during tracking and mix downs that benefit my particular style, and yet it is designed simply enough that new engineers can sit down and work on it after a few short lessons.”
