MTSU Opens Main Street Studios Facility

MTSU College of Media and Entertainment Dean Beverly Keel, left, and university Provost Mark Byrnes, right, smile as Department of Recording Industry chair John Merchant, center left, and audio production professor Dan Pfeifer cut a ceremonial ribbon Friday night, Dec. 3, in the control room of Studio D.

Murfreesboro, TN (December 7, 2021)—Middle Tennessee State University opened its new, nearly $2 million “Main Street Studios” facility last Friday night with a ribbon cutting, kicking off the new homes of the school’s relocated Studios D and E—nearly 5,000 square feet of customized, expandable, classroom, lab, production and gathering space adjoining the university’s main entrance.

“It took the dedication and commitment of the university and so many of our faculty members and friends to bring this project to fruition,” said recording industry professor Dan Pfeifer, an MTSU School of Music alumnus and producer/engineer who minored in the department where he’s been teaching since 1991.

Pfeifer, who also coordinates the department’s audio internships for students, co-chaired the Main Street Studios project. “We’re fortunate to have so many talented students in our program, and now that they have these state-of-the-art facilities, I can’t wait to see what they do.” Having the larger studio setup with Solid State Logic consoles, Avid Pro Tools production software, ADAM Audio main monitors and PhantomFocus HD-1000 monitors will make that easier.

Fox DeVaughn, left, of Tupelo, Miss., a Master of Fine Arts in Recording Arts and Technologies student in Middle Tennessee State University's Department of Recording Industry, listens as fellow MFA student Nate Stoll of Portland, Oregon, checks the levels. — Fox DeVaughn, left, of Tupelo, Miss., a Master of Fine Arts in Recording Arts and Technologies student in Middle Tennessee State University’s Department of Recording Industry, listens as fellow MFA student Nate Stoll of Portland, Oregon, checks the levels.

When classes are fully integrated into the studios by fall 2022, up to 180 students will be working in the hands-on classrooms around the clock. Recording industry undergrad majors at MTSU can focus on audio production, the Commercial Songwriting Program or Music Business Program, and more than 1,000 students are currently recording industry majors at MTSU. About two-thirds are audio production majors, and the remaining third are music business or commercial songwriting majors.

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Department chair John Merchant, who remains a working producer and musician , said he’s “thrilled beyond measure” with the months of collaboration that led to Friday’s grand opening. “These studios turned out way better than I thought they were going to, and although the path to get here was often rocky, we’re thrilled for what we’re seeing and hearing,” he said. “Obviously it’s hard to know what the impact of these new studios will be, but I can tell you that in the short term, our students are extremely excited about this opportunity, as they should be.”