With increasingly specialized recording programs springing up throughout the
country, Lebanon Valley College, (LVC) sets itself apart by combining a traditional
liberal arts based education with a “professionally oriented’ Audio & Music
Production Program, a formula that has been successful for the school’s students
since the late 1980s.
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.
In order to meet the demands of training students for a diverse job market, the
program employs a duo of Audient consoles to provide a solid audio foundation.
“Audient consoles are perfect for students to learn on,’ says 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 color-
coding of the channel, mix path, and operational layout is very accessible for
learners.’
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 Program 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 organized makes it a great learning
tool for college students like me.’
Fellow senior Luca Gienow agrees: “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.’
Visit www.lvc.edu/music/program-audio-music-production.aspx
for additional
information on the Lebanon Valley College Audio & Music Production Program.