Increasing numbers of students at the audio engineering branch of Oxygen College have resulted in the commission of a brand new, larger studio where a 36 channel Audient ASP8024 mixing console with Dual Layer Control (DLC) and patchbay now takes center stage.
Newly opened in May, this latest addition to the Geelong West music facility is in the care of head of audio Tom Isaac, who explains, “It is used predominantly by our Advanced Diploma of Sound Production students.”
He continues, “The students and staff are very excited and cannot wait to get in there to record. We have other analog studios here at the college but none as large as this.”
Keen to develop the students’ understanding of signal flow, the fact that the studio is analog is definitely advantageous, reckons Isaac. “The Audient desk fits in with our needs for a training platform which teaches students ‘out of the box’ mixing as well as being a great sounding desk.”
“In this very digital age it’s important that students still understand analog workflows, routing, gain structure, TT patchbays etc. It’s amazing to see their reactions when we say: ‘OK, lets mix this, but you cannot use ANY plug-ins. Only the Audient and the outboard in the rack. It really gets them thinking about their mixing craft and how records have been mixed in the past.
We have some great outboard units from TubeTech, Universal Audio, Manley, API, Drawmer, Lexicon and Eventide to work with giving students all they need to pull together a great sounding mix.’
“Flexible routing is one of the key strengths, having so many inputs available on mix down is the main reason the ASP8024 got the job. Our students are very excited about this feature.” Keeping the students’ minds open to analog has certainly had an interesting effect, as he explains: “Whilst they appreciate our studios based on a control surface, ProTools and ‘in the box’ mixing, a lot of students are very passionate about classic analog outboard and an analogue summing environment. They may not be able to pinpoint specifically what exactly they like better about the sound of an analogue summed project versus an ‘in the box’ summed project, but as their critical listening skills develop, it’s been a great conversation starter.”
As the largest studio at Oxygen College with a large live tracking room, plus vocal and isolation booths, it helps to teach the finer points of running a commercial facility: they have simulated budgets, worked out a cost per hour of hire and have strict deadlines for recordings. They also work in tandem with Advanced Diploma of Music students, who release EPs as part of their course.
“The Sound Production Diploma students record and mix these with guidance from their trainers. Some go on to be released and enjoy radio play,” says Isaac.
The Audient console’s patchbay is getting a thorough workout as well. “Students are very much looking forward to combining their favourite plug-ins with some high-end outboard dynamics that they can insert via the ASP8024’s patch-bay.”
Oxygen College has been a creative arts training hub for five years now, providing state-of-the-art, industry-standard and ‘real-world’ education, for a range of arts including music, photography, painting and drawing. The college’s commitment to a low student-to-facility ratio, ensures students have excellent access to studios, equipment and training staff.
