An Audient ASP4816 is at the heart of a brand new studio setup at Kofa High School, which happens to be the only school in the Yuma district to offer a Music & Audio Production program. Career and Technical Education (CTE) Instructor, Adrian Matthews, describes it as “an incredible opportunity for our students”.
ASP4816 “an incredible opportunity for our students”
“We are currently in our second year of the program and it is going extremely well,” says Adrian, who since the new studio opened has been overwhelmed by the feedback from other staff members. “Reactions have ranged from complete amazement, to utter disbelief that there is a professional recording studio in a high school.”
“The flexibility of the EQ section is incredible”
When it came to specifying the gear, Adrian was looking for professional quality and an uncomplicated interface. “We only have 180 days in the school year, so I didn’t have the luxury of spending eight weeks teaching students how the console works. The inline configuration of the ASP4816 makes it extremely easy to use, so students get to spend more time using the console rather than just learning it.”
The studio itself is centred around the British console and a ProTools HDX system with AD-DA conversion handled by the Apogee Symphony I/O MkII. “The flexibility of the ASP4816 and the Symphony I/O allow us to track up to 24 inputs simultaneously. More than enough to handle any student session,” confirms Adrian who teaches levels I & II of Music and Audio Production. In time, his level II students might well get additional experience running recording sessions. “There are plans to offer studio time to other students within the Yuma Union High School District, which will serve as a continuous fundraiser for the Music and Audio Production Club,” he says.
“In CTE there is an emphasis placed on providing industry-standard facilities for the students to learn in,” explains Adrian and initial reactions have been very positive. “Like the staff, the students were blown away by the professional look the console added to the space and are loving having a place where they can come and explore their musical creativity,” he says, having collated a few of their comments.
“The Audient ASP4816 is an amazing tool for anyone looking to record music in the studio,” said one student. “The Audient is awesome! Just being able to use it is a dream,” said another adding, “It is very easy to learn, especially for someone like me, who is new to audio production.”
“The inline configuration of the ASP4816 makes it extremely easy to use, so students get to spend more time using the console rather than just learning it.”
ASP4816 has proved itself to Adrian too, who notes the mic preamps in particular. “They sound amazing. It’s great to be able to plug in microphone and capture a source exactly as it sounds. The flexibility of the EQ section is incredible as well. The ability to split the EQ between the channel and monitor paths is extremely beneficial in a hybrid workflow.”
With an upwards trend in audio recording programs overall, Adrian has noted a significant increase in interest from non-traditional music students. He comments, “It’s a great opportunity to reach those students who enjoy the creative process but don’t have a background coming from the traditional band, choir and orchestra programs. It is opening doors for those who may have otherwise never explored the exciting world of music and audio production.”
Audient is so pleased to hear this!
