Audio Factories get a refit.

The Audio Factory at Cape Audio College consists of 4 recording studios fitted with a Yamaha recording console, Pro Tools software and hardware and various outboard processors. The studios also have a recording booth off each unit enabling tracking of instruments and voice over recording.

Recently it was identified that the consoles in these studios had served their time…..8 years hard labour and were now ready for retirement. It is imperative that students at Cape Audio College work on up to date equipment that is well maintained and in good working order. If a channel is down an inexperienced engineer might dought their ability and get confused, if the gear is not in tip top shape, it results in a barrier to learning.

The audio factories were stripped down, and the desks were redesigned to accommodate the new recording consoles, The Yamaha MG166c mixers were fitted and allowance was made to accommodate the computer keyboards in front resulting in a much improved ergonomic aspect to the rooms. All the studio wiring was checked and relabeled and the patch bays were relabeled to accommodate the addition group outputs that the new consoles offer. When all the work was completed the studios were thoroughly tested to ensure that the rooms were ready for the students staring this semester.

The new Yamaha consoles offer more input channels than their predecessors with added features like sweepable mid EQ and compression on some of the mic inputs. The pre amp quality is also a welcome improvement on the older consoles and this should result in some great recordings in the future.

The old mixers are ripped out and the desks are modified for the new boards on the block.

The older Yamaha MG's are put out to pasture and are looking for good homes. They served the College very well as entry level mixers and come highly recommended.

And now……. As I commit these consoles to the earth….. I implore you…… (Most ex students will appreciate this joke.)

And the end result? A new layout and mixer. Looks pretty nice, doesn't it?