North West Regional College goes Audient mad!
North West Regional College recently decided to install an Audient ASP8024 and we chatted to Ciaran Haslett from their Technical Department to hear his thoughts on the console.
What research did you do in the process of deciding on the ASP8024?
We wanted to replace a 20-year-old Soundtracs Jade S console that was bought new when the courses first started. Our concern was the functionality and practicality of its operations in modern recording setups. It has features onboard (dynamics processors and flying faders) that are greatly outdated in terms of use. Think timecodes and single line LCD screens.
Mixing on it was an exercise in signal flow that was cumbersome to teach to students used to their audio interfaces and DAWs. Even the channel strips themselves are painful to look at. Cluttered and drab. It really felt like a step back in time. It was time to modernise.
We set ourselves strict criteria that the replacement desk had to meet. The new console had to:
Easily integrate into our new facilities (installed with common connection tie lines).
Display a clear, understandable signal path both into and out of a DAW for teaching students new to the discipline.
Have a current source of service/repair personnel. (there only one guy left in the UK that services Soundtracs consoles).
Meet our modest budget of 20k.
The ASP8024 met these and offered even more!
What features of the desk do you particularly like?
The very first thing that attracted my colleague and I (we are the department technicians) was Audient's use on common connections. Our Jade S was exclusively 56 pin EDAC. Apart from the amount of work required to wire this into our new building and the length of recording downtime that is required if an EDAC needs repaired, teaching fresh students who barely know what a mic cable is was a real challenge.
The ASP8024 is entirely built around XLR/TRS connections. This really helps explaining to students that there is no witchcraft afoot when you plug that microphone into the liveroom wallbox and it meters on channel 1. It’s a clear demonstration of plugging a really long mic cable directly into the back of the desk.
Then there’s the use of TRS for the Line/Insert points on each channel. This made fabricating a TRS patchbay for our small outboard collection a quick and painless affair.
The channel strip layout is very well thought out. As you move down the strip you are met with the next process required when recording into a computer i.e. Head amp > Bus > Aux/foldback > EQ > Fader. Clear, precise steps to follow in order to record without jumping to the bottom, then the top, then the middle of the channel etc. The ASP made the whole process a teachers dream.
Personal highlights include:
Foldback system and its ability select your source with the press of a button.Â
4 monitor controls (currently using 2 but planning for more).Â
The ability to bypass selected EQ bands (great for teaching EQ and demonstrating the difference between your tweak and the original).
What is the studio mostly be used for?
We are an education college dealing mostly with students new to recording. The studio caters for different modules within the course. Critical Listening, Recording Techniques, Post Production etc. So from mic techniques, tracking, mixing and mastering, we try to cover all.
How are you using the desk?
It’s the heart of the classroom. We use it to teach gain, EQ, signal path/routing, mono/stereo, everything. Every aspect of a studio can be taught directly from the console.
What other equipment is employed in the studio?
Some outboard (Focusrite RED, Joe Meek VC2, TLA EQ and Compressor, Lexicon PCM 81 to new a few)
Collection of industry standard mics (U87’s, 57’s etc)
What do you feel makes the Audient ASP8024 good for teaching? Any specific examples?
Clear/concise layout of signal flow. Uncluttered.
Foldback flip (SF button) making teaching headphone sends a doddle.
We purchased the 32 channel version so we could hardwire our stereo effects units outputs to the right hand side of the console. This allows us to teach the concept of internal/external signal routing without having to patch in first (again dispelling the witchcraft but offering a physical explanation of what’s going on when you turn that Aux knob).
We also extended our budget to stretch for the DLC (Dual Layer Control) DAW controller option. Our reasoning for this was simply for modernity. DAW controllers are how it's done in the real world and the DLC performs its duties flawlessly AND its right there in the centre of the console below the computer screens. We can teach software automation USING the ASP8024!
What made the console stand out from the competition?
As stated, it met our initial criteria but it offered so much more. Bus compressor, the DLC package, modern fresh layout, price. The common connections (still pleased with that one 3 years later!) As cheesy as it sounds, given the specs of the 8024, there was no competition.
What courses do you run that will be using the Audient console?
We teach 4 music courses that make use of the console in various ways. We have:
HND in Music Production (primary user). Modules cover Recording Techniques, Post Production Techniques, Critical Listening, Sound Design
Level 3 Music Technology. Modules covering same as above but with a few extras, ADR and foley
Level 3 Music Performance. Has one recording module
NCFE Music Production. A level 2 part time course that serves as an introduction to all the above
Have they changed since you first specified Audient?
Absolutely! Each module has been completely rewritten in the last 3 years. As I said, the Jade S was a cumbersome board to teach even the basics on. Lecturers found themselves recapping previous classes time and again as students had a hard time getting to grips.Â
The ASP8024 changed that the day it was installed. Suddenly we found ourselves running out of things to teach on the current teaching plans. The students understanding of core concepts was dramatically improved. This allowed us to really meat out what we could teach them. We started introducing new material. 5.1, foley, advanced mixing techniques. We started feeling less like a school and more like a studio. That change gave life to the place.
Are your studios going through an upgrade or are you building more in the future?
When our new building was built we specified two control rooms sharing a liveroom. They all lay side by side i.e. Studio A > Live Room < Studio B. We installed the 8024 in Studio A when we first moved in but largely ignored Studio B as the move was mid semester and was a rush to get set up with minimal class downtime.
Well only a month ago we got approved for £10k for a console for Studio B. I’ve been a subscriber to Audients newsletter since I first contacted Gareth when enquiring about the ASP8024. As soon as I was given the budget I already knew how I was going to spend it. So we bought the ASP4816.
Absolute no brainer! We were so impressed with the 8024 that it made perfect sense to get its wee brother. It’s an ASP! Identical to Studio A bar a few channels. Our students can jump right in and get to work. We allow unsupervised sessions where students book studio time and record themselves, other bands, their mates or just o sit and mix. With uniformity across both studios, we can increase the amount of time available for booking as there is no new learning curve. Perfect
What other Audient products are you using? Are they integral to the teaching?
Currently the ASP8024 and the ASP4816. But if I ever manage to win your Facebook competition for a Mico I will add that to the list (wink wink).
How did you find the service you received throughout the sales process?
I dealt with Neil Boia at Academia when purchasing the ASP8024. We were so pleased with the service that we expanded our relationship to software and even to sponsoring. Very friendly but more importantly, personal. Every time I lifted the phone, I could always get through to the person dealing with our account. That is getting rarer these days but having the assurance of accountability greatly lends to the whole experience, especially when spending the kind of cash we have in the last few years.
We bought the 4816 through Kazbar Systems. The guy there was Gavin Miller. Again a painless, pleasant experience. He was really a gent and was very flexible when dealing with the procurement processes we have to follow on our end.
Information on NWRC (North West Regional College)
We have 30,000 plus students spread throughout our campuses. The music department has over 200. Catchment continues well into the Republic of Ireland. Simply put, we are now one of the best spec'd music departments in the country that offer so much hands on, practical experience in the studios.
