Facilities and Equipment

The SRT program at Del Mar College has excellent facilities and equipment for both recording and live sound. The main three environments used by the students are:

Studio A

Studio A is the larger of the two recording facilities and the showpiece of the SRT program. This space allows plenty of space to let the sound breathe, whether that is with a solo artist, or a chamber ensemble.

With high ceilings and a collection of absorption and diffusion, the acoustics of the room allow for a soft, even reverberance that is very flattering on a variety of instruments and voices. Communication to the control room is handled by a permanently mounted "listen microphone" which is attached to one of the curved hanging diffusors. Through talkback via the studio monitor speakers, communication through the glass is seamless - even before a microphone is set up for the session. Since this microphone is patched into the console's "Listen Mic Compressor" and available on the patchbay, many students use this as a recordable source during drum tracking.

The 6 backlit wall-mounted input boxes contain 36 XLR inputs, 4 direct inputs, 12 analog studio returns, and 6 ethernet jacks used by the Aviom monitoring racks. All of the XLR inputs are normalled through the patch bay to the console with the exception of the 4 direct inputs. In this case, these special connections bypass the patchbay and are directly connected to the Millenia HV-3D four-channel microphone preamplifier. This ensures the cleanest and most transparent sound possible .

The center of Control Room A is the Solid State Logic AWS 924 console. It is a hybrid console with super-analogue circuitry and DAW control under your fingers. Fully patched through five Switchcraft 96-point patchbays, the routing possibilities are impressive and quick to implement. Monitoring takes place primarily on the Barefoot M27 Micromain speakers which are known for their detail and precision.

Whether tracking large or small, or completing a final mix, Studio A has got the muscle and mojo...

Studio B

Studio B is the smaller, more intimate space on the second floor of the building. Warm and cozy.

Less than a quarter the size of Studio A, Studio B has a lower ceiling and a much tighter reverberance. While still behind insulated glass, the artist is much closer and communication can be made with the eyes if needed.

The (2) wall mounted input boxes contain 16 XLR inputs, 4 returns, and 2 ethernet jacks used by the Aviom monitoring racks (fed from Studio A). These I/O points are routed through the patch bay and controlled by the Solid State Logic Matrix console. Like the AWS 924 in Studio A, it is a hybrid console with 16 analog inputs, but capable of a full 32 inputs at mixdown if required. Being a newer design, the DAW control is vastly superior and sessions are made simple and efficient with the tactile controls.

The Matrix is a unique line level console meaning that all the microphone preamplifers are outboard. To this end, the studio is equipped with 8 channels of Focusrite Octapre, 8 channels of UA 4-710 (tube/trans with limiting), and a UA LA610 MK2. While normalled through from the wall plates to the console, Studio B features a full patch bay to enable even complex routings. Like the larger studio, Studio B has a fully loaded Universal Audio UAD-2 quad card

For smaller tracking and overdub sessions, Studio B has got it the soul, spirit, and sound where it counts.

Music Technology Lab

The MTL is the classroom dedicated to the SRT program for most instructional classes.

The lab is houses 15 student stations and a master teaching station. It also is the home of five of the SRT program's analog consoles (Toft, Mackie, Soundcraft, Allen and Heath, and Yamaha). Students in Audio Engineering I learn the features of all consoles simultaneously.

Each student station is loaded with Logic Pro, Pro Tools, Final Cut Pro, Sibelius, and Reason.

The lab has a the Behringer "Aviom-like" Powerplay personal monitoring system controlled from the front of the class. This allows musical examples played by the instructor to be heard under headphones in stereo with no room-related acoustic artifacts. The video image of the instructor's station - or any of the student stations - can be projected onto the student's computer screen as well as six 46" HD displays mounted in the classroom.

Equipment