An Audient ASP8024-HE console has recently been installed at the Universidad Profesional Dr. Carlos J. Borrero Ríos (UP University) in Puerto Rico in the brand new, on-site recording lab. Designed to be centred around an analogue recording console, the new studio comprises a control room, live room and isolation booth.
About ASP8024-HE: “the EQs have been a pleasure to work with”
Taking advantage of Audient’s unique modular console design, UP University was able to specify a console which aligned perfectly with their needs: a 36-channel console with Dual Layer Control and Patchbay. Armando Sepulveda, an Audio Engineer Professor at the university outlines the decision. “The Audient console is a great fit for us here at UP University since it gives us the flexibility and capability to run big live sessions and mix in the console. It’s also a great tool for teaching how to run a recording studio in the hybrid studio era combining the DAW with the analogue console and outboard gear.
“Thanks to this console we can better teach the use of an analogue console in a recording or mixing session and we can also help students learn signal flow, thanks to its built-in patchbay.”
The AS8024-HE was originally specified by his colleague, Professor Ramon Martinez, who appreciated having preamps and EQs on all 36 channels. It’s worth noting that the Audient Console Mic Preamps and EQ’s are splittable across both the short fader and long fader paths, for ultimate flexibility in a tracking session.
UP University: “we can help students learn signal flow, thanks to its built-in patchbay”
Armando himself is a musician, recording artist and audio engineer, therefore perfectly placed to teach the next generation of audio engineers in Puerto Rico. From the get-go he admired the features of the console, including “the clarity of the preamps and the flexibility of the signal flow. Also, the EQs have been a pleasure to work with. The ability to control the DAW with the DLC control has also been really useful,” he adds.
In the years since his graduation from Full Sail University some 15 years ago, he had got out of the habit of working with an analogue desk. “I’ve used a mouse and keyboard for too long, but now having the DLC is a truly great and efficient way to interact with the DAW.” He confesses to have been “pleasantly surprised by its quality” – so much so in fact, that he’s since started buying Audient products for his own use!
UP University has its eponym, Dr Carlos J. Borrero Rios to thank for the launch of the new audio technology program. Armando tells us a little more about the university’s founder: “Here at UP University we strive to provide diverse educational opportunities, combining arts and medicine. It is Dr Carlos J. Borrero Rios’s great passion for music production, live sound and recording that inspired this newest course, and this passion is really what drives the audio program here. I’m very proud to be part of the team.”
“we strive to provide diverse educational opportunities”
Students working towards an Associate’s Degree in Audio Engineering at UP University are exposed to sound theory, operation of Digital Audio Workstations (DAW), music theory, recording techniques, live sound, mixing and post-production, as well as entrepreneurship and ethics. All of this is being taught through lectures and labs with an emphasis on giving students a real-world experience of the working environment in this profession.
The audio program is currently in its infancy, but with the inauguration of the brand new studio there are great plans to grow as word begins to get out. Indeed, Armando envisages the Audio Technology department becoming the largest in the university, and the audio engineering program itself to be recognised across Puerto Rico.
For further information on the Dept of Arts at UP University check out the website.
