|
|
| PDF floor plans, acoustic plans, wiring plans |
|
Executive As the first part in a three tiered project, my objective is to design, budget, and build a modular audio production suite for use in room 1208. Following the completion of the audio production suite is a live concert series to be promoted, produced, and performed in the second semester. The concert series will be recorded and released as part of the culminating and final product of the audio production facility, which is the final stage of the project, the creation of a publishing label under which the intellectual property will be released. Development 1208 was recently transformed into a blackbox theatre. As this suggests, the main function of 1208 as a space that is used by students, is that it is made for performance-based work. With this in mind, it is nearly serendipitous and quite beneficial for both my project and room 1208 as a blackbox theatre that the changes that have occurred already and those I propose to make coincide with one another. I approach the idea of turning 1208 into a 'recording studio' with several points of origin. The first being that 1208 is now a designated performance space; adding production capabilities only enhances the potential of the space as well as its usefulness and versatility for future students. This is done in more ways than simply enabling the capture of near-professional quality audio. Structural elements such as acoustic ceiling tiles designed to control sound would stand to improve any performance that relies on sound. Sound proofing materials on a whole would eliminate a performance from bleeding into classrooms potentially in session. The idea of a blackbox is containment. The second encouraging factor behind the project is departmentally motivated and it is our absolute need for a space where multimedia students can work with audio in ways that are not accounted for in a midi lab. There isn't a multimedia class, graduated or in current attendance at the university, that does not contain musicians that wouldn't use the space if available. So many of my peers are in bands, are singer-songwriters, or even just interested in gaining experience with recording music (audio) into the computer. This has somewhat of a Pandora's box effect. For instance, I am unaware of the current state of Aural Concepts, but the last time I heard anything of the class it was long due for an overhaul. Maybe it would be relevant to develop curriculum that is focused around audio production - something that has seen little attention paid to it during my time in the multimedia program - whose three tiered approach to information is text, image, and sound. Another niche potentially created is a technical assistant in the form of a work study job that can be scheduled much like a tutor schedules sessions. An experienced student can work as the production tech for those interested in accessing the facilities but who may not necessarily posses the technical chops to fully utilize it. This is a delicate idea in that audio production can become a very intimate exchange between musicians and audio engineers and complex relationships develop - I find that exciting. This leads me directly to the final cementing factor for proposing this project - the plethora of overlapping relationships and potential connections created within many, as of right now, separate university organizations. This could truly be one of the most utilized spaces school wide simply because of the ways it implies connections to all of the major areas of study. A performance, whether in theatre, dance, or music, or even a multimedia piece, in the space of 1208 with my project completed, is allowed the potential for production capabilities beyond the confined space of that room. In conjunction with another school organization such as Web Radio, it would be immediately possible to patch live audio from my recording console and feed it through Web Radio live over the internet. Web Radio is also equipped to handle streaming video as well, so this does not neglect visually dominant performances. The repercussions of this are even greater than simply sharing the experience with the entire world via the net, it also enables more focused opportunities that are useful for the university, such as tuning in to watch the performance on a television in Dorrance Hamilton Hall, or anywhere in the University an ethernet cable is run. Imagine live performances taking place all day long during an Open House where parents view on a screen in Dorrance Hamilton Hall a performance that in a short while, they will see in person down the street when they embark on their tour of the campus. There are elements of my proposed project that will directly benefit the nature of the space as a blackbox theatre. Performances, beyond being produced and sent out via the internet, can be recorded digitally to computer hard disk, audio as well as video, and published as part of another university organization. Those involved in student literary productions could hold poetry and short story readings which could be produced to DVD or CD and sold or distributed accompanying the traditional texts or even as their own sovereign media elements. Moreover, it doesn't necessarily have to prescribe that the author is the same individual as the reader. A crafts major enrolled in Ellie Juska's Fiction Writing Workshop elective could team up with interested acting majors or voice majors to 'perform' the pieces. Live Uarts music performances by the college of music kids. The space is large enough to encompass a full size band and an intimate sized audience. The music could be recorded and published to CD. If it were a particularly successful jam session, the musicians themselves or the small number audience members may desire a copy. The course Image & Performance as part of their final project performs in The Drake. These same performances could be documented and produced as part of a final class DVD if done in 1208. This project is as much about the planning and construction of the production space as it is about harnessing the potential of collaboration and enabling these interactions to be documented in a rewarding way for all involved. The mission of Ambiance Committee, which is currently run by Lauren Sammet, is focused on turning the space of the 11th and 12th floors into the most usable and comfortable environments for the CMAC students. Previous efforts include painting the lounges and outfitting them with bookshelves, couches, and even old donated Sega gaming systems. Enable 1208 to be used for playing and recording music would transform it into a new kind of node between the floors, the same way the old Sega system created an interesting forum where kids borrow and return games; creating an ever changing library over the school year. The aforementioned Open House example is a very attractive and very visceral experience for the prospective students and their parents. It could create open house jobs for music majors by commissioning them to play for the day. MM Town Meetings, as a topic of interest and for discussion, an added responsibility could be to 'book' the room for an event once a month. A budget could be established for things like refreshments. The Town Meetings could focus on establishing another community building forum amongst the students. Cmacweb.org, as a portal for CMAC, should already link to web radio. Web Radio's website should already be up and running. In conjunction with this, content created through use of the 1208 facilities gains exposure through the portal and the portal gains exposure through the students: "Hey check out our show online! You can get to it through www.cmacweb.org!" The publishing label created as the third tier of the project is ultimately the manifestation of documenting the recordings that take place in the space after it is built. This stage of the project is certainly reserved for in depth development in the spring semester - but it is still important to consider the implications and applications of a label in this context. It would effectively unify the recorded content emanating from 1208 under a single entity and it is something that is born within the university and has the potential to carry on beyond my time at the university. But in what ways does a label change contextually the content recorded in 1208? One question of many that I am required to answer next semester. Procedure My course of action is as follows, I first need to obtain permission to use the space of 1208 for the first two phases of the project - the actual recording studio and the live concert series. I must take inventory of equipment available for use that the university already owns and based on this list generate another list of equipment and materials necessary to complete the studio. After having generated this second list it will be possible to draft an accurate budget for the project and further plan actions necessary to assemble the studio space. Along with the audio equipment it will also be necessary to account for the space in which it will be used and the space in which it will be contained when not in use. Multiple solutions are currently under exploration: Construction of a temporary wall inside 1208 to serve as a closet or perhaps a locking self-contained cart with cabinets that can be mobile and stored where necessity or convenience allows. Something to consider when transforming 1208 is that the space must remain usable for purposes other than the recording studio, so the installation of components such as acoustic absorption foam must be easily undone. I am currently exploring design solutions that employ industrial strength Velcro or Grommets and Hooks as a means of hanging foam covered tiles on the walls. A clear procedural outline must be developed before any stages of construction can begin. A layout of the room and a design plan for the studio must be drafted and authorized. A budget must be approved. A list of materials must be compiled and purchased. I am currently working with Chris Garvin as the Liaison between myself and Neil Kleinman in seeking financial support for the project. Risks I have no fear of failure with only one exception. I do not even have $20.00 in my bank account: If I cannot obtain financial support enough to work out a budget to do this for the university, I cannot continue with the project with the same objectives I set out with. The idea is to leave something behind. To build something, experiences between the collaborators within the space, but also to build a space where these experiences are inherently born even after I leave. Without financial support, borrowed musical equipment would still make this possible, but only as a one-time event and hardly as grand as my envisioned senior project. |