When the Clive Davis Department of Recorded Music, now a fixture atNew York University’s Tisch School of Arts, was still in itsplanning stages, Clive Davis (chairman and CEO of BMG North America)approached Troy Germano of the Studio Design Group to discuss his partin the project. Davis’ goal was to build a studio for a universitycourse, which would provide students with a well-rounded background inthe inner workings of the recording industry. Knowing that theclassroom facility should resemble a high-end professional studio,Germano brought in longtime colleagues Dave Bell of Whitemark LTD inEngland and Dave Malekpour of Professional Audio Design (PAD).
“The idea was to build an educational facility for recordingthat also had a strong emphasis on the overall studio process andbusiness,” said Germano. “We wanted the students to get agood cross-reference of what goes on in the record industry from how anartist is signed and lead by an A&R person to the technical aspectof engineering, as well as day-to-day studio life.”
Germano knew that the gear needs for this type of educationalenvironment would be a little different than in a normal recordingstudio. Solid State Logic’s 24-channel XL 9000 K Series SuperAnalogueSeries console made the most sense because NYU wanted SSL qualitywithout overwhelming the students with an intimidating 96-channelconsole. “The idea of the school is to have a hybrid of bothanalog and digital,” commented Germano. “The marriage ofPro Tool|HD with the SSL console is the right combination for enablingstudents to acquire practical experience.”
PAD’s Malekpour and his team aided with the equipment selection,provided all of the gear (with the exception of the SSL console, whichwas supplied by SSL), installed it and also provided some training onthe Pro Tools setup.
“After a great experience while working with the Tisch Schoolabout a year ago when we sold them an SSL 4040G+ console for theirmusic department, we were excited to be a part of their new project,which accrued this level of equipment in a school setting,”Malekpour said. “We are happy about our relationship with thepeople at the Tisch School and would like to continue helping them withanything they need.”
PAD continues to service and support this facility as it begins itsoperation. “When the project is over and the school has tofunction on its own, Dave and his team are still there,”explained Germano. “He has always had an ongoing relationship interms of maintenance and technical support, which is often somethingyou don’t see from other equipment dealers.”
For more information about the gear involved in the construction ofthis facility, refer to the PAD Website at www.ProAudioDesign.com. For more information aboutthe school, visit www.tisch.nyu.edu.
