analogue
spelt this way sounds better
featuring
some
of our console installations
COLLEGE
MAKES SOUND DECISION
Installs second-in-nation Trident Series 80 5.1 Audio Console

Boston,
MA - The audio production students who returned to class at The New England
Institute of Art & Communications (Ai New England)
this past September were in for quite a treat. There, in the studio was the
new - custom-designed and ready-to-go, analog,
48-channel console, designed and installed by the "Father of British EQ,"
John Oram.
"It's
only the second of its kind in the United States," says Oram. "Half
the modules are tried-and-true Tridents,
with the special sound only they can deliver.
The other half are new, Oram modules, with automated, motorized faders and complete
recall."
"When
the College began thinking about upgrading its facilities to meet the ever-increasing
student demand,
we had to carefully consider what console would best serve our needs now and
in the future," says Rob Lehmann,
Chairman of the audio production department. "We've grown a tremendous
amount over the past decade.
Our student body has doubled, and we are continuing on a huge growth curve.
We needed to decide whether our current and future students would be best served
by investing in a digital or analog console."
The
solution was a hybrid. The Trident half of the board is the Series 80 5.1, based
on the 1975 design, according to Oram.
"We have gone to a lot of trouble to keep the board the same, with the
same mic pre-amps and EQ.
We've been able to pull off an authentic reproduction of the consoles used by
such artists as The Beach Boys, Neil Young and others."
The
Oram modules, making up the right-hand side of the console, are based on "21st
century requirements,
but both the Trident and Orams produce the highest quality analog sound. Sound
is a feeling, and analog is just better," says Oram.
"We
are excited about the studio environment we've designed," says staff audio
systems engineer, Andrew Lypps.
"The board interfaces extremely well with our equipment. The 21st century
Oram modules are clean and don't add
any noise to the signal path of our two-inch machines. The other half (the Tridents)
add personality
and are sonically a good complement to the digital."
From
an educational standpoint, "this is the perfect choice," adds Lypps.
"The console is infinitely flexible in all the routes and it is logical.
A student can look at it and find everything clearly labeled and it's really
easy to use.
Our instructors can teach many methods with this piece. Also, because it can
be put in so many different configurations,
it can interface with equipment anywhere in our entire facility, from our live
music studio to our television production studios
to our internet radio station."
"We've
created a fantastic learning - and recording environment" for our students,"
says Lehmann.
"They will get a better experience at Ai New England than they might at
professional studios.
Sound is about character. We're confident our choice of console will not only
provide a quality space in which to record,
but will offer our students the best preparation for jobs in the industry."
The
New England Institute of Art & Communications is one of The Art Institutes
(www.artinstitutes.edu),
a system of 24 education institutions located nationwide, providing an important
source of design, media arts, fashion
and culinary professionals.
The
parent company of The Art Institutes, Education Management Corporation (www.edumgt.com)
is among the largest providers of private post-secondary education in North
America, with 40 primary campus locations
in 26 major cities, and with approxi- mately 39,000 students as of fall 2001.
EDMC's education institutions offer doctoral,
master's, bachelor's, associate's and non-degree programs concentrated in the
creative and visual arts, the behavioral sciences
and education fields. EDMC has provided career-oriented academic programs for
40 years,
and its education institutions have more than 150,000 alumni.
The
photos are provided by photographer, Adam Gooder