Although these are early days for Hennepin Technical College (HTC) Audio Production students, initial reports suggest that they have taken to the recently installed Audient ASP4816 console. ‘Students have already noted that the simplicity in design and operation is easier to wrap their heads around than virtual controllers and layers that may be found on some of the digital equipment in other rooms,’ says Matt Holmes of the Audio Production Faculty.
Replacing a 24-channel digital desk, HTC’s new console is part of an upgrade to Studio B in the Audio Production department. The desk boasts all the features of a large-format desk in a compact ergonomic form, with all main input channels offering class-A mic preamps and four-band EQ. Holmes cites the analogue circuitry in particular as helpful to degree and diploma tutors highlighting the signal path: ‘The dedicated functions on the channel strips are useful in teaching students signal flow in their productions,’ he says. ‘So far, it has been useful in demonstration how an in-line mixer operates and is integrated into a modern DAW workflow.’
‘We had demoed an Audient desk a few years ago and it got the members of the department thinking about implementing an analogue desk workflow as the centrepiece of one of our studios,’ he adds.
Hennepin Technical College is the largest stand-alone technical college in the Minnesota State College System, offering more than 45 fields of study on two campuses (Brooklyn Park and Eden Prairie). It is also reported to be one of the most affordable colleges in the state of Minnesota, and boasts between 5000 and 6000 students annually, up to 70 of which pass through the Audio Production studios.
Supplied by Vintage King LA, the ASP4816 looks set to be joined by a large Audient ASP8024 as part of an upgrade to another studio.
