Sonic College enters music production with SSL

This university in Denmark has created a Dolby Atmos music production room 7.1.4 which features a digital audio mixing console SSL System T.

Sonic College is part of the University College South Denmark offering bachelor's degrees in a variety of audio disciplines in the media and entertainment industry. Last year he moved to a multi-story building and took the opportunity to install a complete sound system., based on Solid State Logic (SSL), to introduce students to the future of immersive music production.

A digital audio mixing console SSL System T, selected for both performance and educational value to students, is the centerpiece of an immersive music production room Dolby Atmos 7.1.4 located on the third floor of the new building.

According to the audio technology specialist Lars Tirsbaek, professor and technical consultant at Sonic College, audio over IP, an immersive mixing bus and the fact that System T is the console used throughout Denmark's media and entertainment industry were factors in the decision to install the new S500 console 32 faders. “We decided to opt for a digital desktop. Our job is to educate students for the future, and the future is digital”.

Provide a AoIP infrastructure to students was a key factor. “We also decided that we wanted to have an audio over IP infrastructure in the new building. For studio builds, Dante is the right thing right now; Audinate has the largest market share, point. We wanted a network based desktop and our specification was that it should be able to do AES67, so we thought it was a good idea that it should be based on Dante.", continues Tirsbæk.

Sonic College programs cover sound design, sound for image, music production, gaming audio and podcasting. The university also conducts research on sound in wellness technology.

New facility focuses on immersive audio, from the central atrium equipped with 180 speakers and a live performance stage with a PA system 7.1.8 to the numerous Dolby Atmos mastering and mixing rooms.

The university made the decision to build its first Dolby Atmos music room several years ago while it was at its previous location, affirms Tirsbæk. “It was always the dream to have an Atmos music studio. But the biggest problem when monitoring in immersive mode is that, if you use Pro Tools and the Atmos renderer, will have latency. You can't use that for recording purposes. It was obvious we needed something with a mix bus capable of doing 7.1.4.”.

SSL makes its mark in Denmark

Since SSL System T is very flexible, Tirsbæk and the university's technical team developed a basic template to help students start their sessions.

“We could evolve the template quite quickly so that it is very, very complex, but it can also just be a very simple online console. If you connect a microphone to channel one in the live room, will enter Pro Tools on channel one and return to channel one. You don't need to do anything, this is how it behaves. In the standard template, the cue system is just a copy of the stereo mix you have in the control room, so if you can hear it in the control room, is sent to the cue system. It is a totally simple way of working”.

They also added a split console template for students who need that workflow.

Eight months into this school year, Tirsbæk says he is already seeing results from advanced recording course students benefiting from working on the new System T. “I would say they are between a 10 % and a 20 % better than last year, because they have learned much more by having a console in front of them. They are pushed much more to learn things”, dice. “It's amazing to see how they use all the possibilities they have in front of them with the System T. And they find it really easy. They don't think about it that much, "They just do it.".