Los Angeles, CA (August 7, 2023)—Connectivity is the watchword at the Department of Music Industry Studies at Loyola University New Orleans, where a five-studio production facility sits on a Dante network infrastructure.
No matter what platforms students and instructors are working on at the facility, from the Solid State Logic AWS 900+ analog console in Studio A, to the SSL controllers in Studio B, the two Slate Raven MTi 2 digital touchscreen boards in Studio C, or the in-the-box production and mixing environments of Studios D and E, a selection of Focusrite RedNet and Red interfaces link them all.
That RedNet network has been built up over the course of the last five years, says Lovell “U-P” Cooper, professor of the practice of hip hop & R&B, and the facility’s recording studios manager, starting with recommendations from Sweetwater sales consultants. “We outfitted the first studio, Studio A, with a pair of RedNet A16R 16-channel analog I/O interfaces with a RedNet HD32R 32-channel HD Dante network bridge, and it worked so well in letting us access any signal from the studio that we quickly put the same combination of RedNet/Dante technology into Studio B,” he says.
Red 4Pre 58-In / 64-Out Thunderbolt 2 and Pro Tools | HD-compatible audio interfaces, with Thunderbolt 2, Pro Tools | HD and Dante connectivity, are the main network interfaces for Studios C, D and E.
American Mobile Refines Festival Streaming Setup
Four RedNet MP8R eight-channel mic pre and A/D converters facilitate the program’s “remote” recording capability: racks that are placed in the program’s two tracking spaces and performance space. A roaming unit can plug into the school’s network anywhere on campus to create ad hoc recording environments as needed.
“We’ve had instances where we needed to use the tracking room in Studio A, but the control rooms for Studios A and B were both occupied with other projects. But we could use any of the other control rooms, routing the tracks from the recording room via Dante and RedNet,” Cooper explains.
RedNet AM2 stereo audio monitoring units, often used as a powered headphone interface, were installed in every studio during the COVID-19 shutdown. Cooper recalls, “We had entire classes working remotely, yet in synched-up ensemble, safe in their own environments on campus but also able to interact in real time.”
The program has also acquired two RedNet X2P 2×2 Dante audio interfaces, a RedNet PCIeR card for a planned Dolby Atmos suite and plans to add RedNet R1 desktop remote monitor controllers.
Additionally, the program has deployed a Focusrite ISA 828 8-channel mic preamp, as well as components from other brands in The Focusrite Group, including ADAM Audio monitors in the five studios plus a lesson room, and two Sequential synths.
