Fanshawe College Upgrades MIA Studios

Fanshawe College has installed two Solid State Logic (SSL) Duality SE consoles in the first and second-year Music Industry Arts recording studios as a program-wide upgrade to next generation equipment. Music Industry Arts (MIA) is a comprehensive two-year diploma program that covers everything from music recording, mixing, music production and audio post-production to music business, entertainment law and artist management. The Duality SE consoles are the ideal educational platform for the program's multiple missions.

From left to right: Sy Potma, MIA Technologist; Joe Vaughan, MIA Engineering professor; Jeff Wolpert, MIA Engineering professor; Rob Nation, MIA Engineering professor; Steve Malison, MIA program coordinator; Andrew Hollis, SSL New York.

"Our MIA program is highly competitive because it is high level and very comprehensive," says program coordinator Steve Malison. "The Duality consoles cover all bases for our program. They integrate fully with our current industry-standard software to do any type of recording and mixing scenario that we need them to do. Also, the Duality consoles work in a way that is very teachable so both staff and students enjoy an industry-relevant learning experience."

The MIA program has six rooms that operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. From June 21 to 23, 2010, MIA Technologist Sy Potma and graduates Evan McClorry and Steve Vance performed the installation, assisted by Andrew Hollis of SSL, the world's leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post-production professionals. Existing technology was relocated to make room for the two new custom-made Duality consoles, which now occupy the main studios where first and second-year students record, mix, and produce major projects.

One such project for first-year students in Studio 1 - room D1057 - involves 'lifting' a popular song by re-creating each sound and nuance. Another project sees the students cover a song by rearranging it into a different musical style. Studio 2 - room D1048 - is the place where second-year students apply their skills to more advanced projects involving 5.1 surround mixing, and motion picture soundtracks, effects and dialogue.

"Our philosophy here at Fanshawe is to keep the course-work wide, active, progressive and leading-edge," says Malison, indicating the new equipment meets both the technical and physical demands of the program. "The Duality consoles, in addition to providing the perfect sonic environment, are extremely well-built, giving us fantastic sound together with the durability and robustness necessary to hold up to 220 students using them around the clock, year after year."

Malison praises SSL as an extremely professional and diligent company to work with, adding he considers this upgrade to be an investment for the future of music industry education at Fanshawe College.

"We are dealing with amazing technology that offers our students two years of fantastic studio experience, and will also push MIA well into the forefront of leading recording engineering education in Canada and North America."