Record Factory Music Academy, a music production education facility in downtown Seoul, South Korea, delivers real-world recording experience to students, which is now aided with the addition of a Solid State Logic AWS 924 hybrid console/controller in its newly built studios.
More than 1,000 students have gained an education since Record Factory Music Academy was established. Through hands-on workshops covering everything from MIDI production to in-studio engineering and music video creation, the facility is gaining a reputation for its advanced programs and knowledgeable faculty.
The academy recently opened one of the largest private music production facilities in South Korea, near the renowned Seoul Arts Center. The new studio, says Jong Hee Park, Record Factory CEO, was assembled to provide contemporary methods of music production, coinciding with the caliber of the school’s courses.
“We considered a number of other consoles to equip Record Factory’s studios,” says Park. “But the AWS was the only one that could meet our expectations. Our mission is to give students real-world experience in a rapidly changing music scene, so we needed to build a very modern and innovative studio. The AWS is perfect for our studio because of its hybrid design that excels in both analogue and digital-based production. It’s like having both an analog console and a very well made DAW controller together. It allows our students to concentrate on the sound, rather than struggling with a mouse and keyboard.
“The console’s small footprint allowed two additional isolation booths to be added in the control room,” he continues. “Our instructors and students are amazed by its clever ergonomic design, flexibility and, of course, signature sound, which is absolutely amazing. We especially love the high-input headroom and pristine signal path. The AWS definitely has the warmth and musical harmonic character that we expect from a highly respected analog console.”
According to Park, the AWS’s sonic excellence was apparent to the engineers when they routed previously recorded audio through the console. “The difference was obvious,” he says. “We actually decided to remix some of our in-the-box mixes because we love the extra sparkle that we could only get from the AWS. The clarity was so great, it felt like we had removed curtains between the mix engineer and the speakers.”