With the installation of an Audient ASP8024 analogue mixing console Fullerton College for its Music Technology Audio Recording Program, Coordinator Markus Burger is confident that ‘the era of consoles is coming back’.

‘We decided to buy the Audient console to allow students to experience a real studio environment,’ he explains, citing the fact that all students benefit from the upgrade. ‘Having a real board is an integral part of the authentic studio experience. The console itself helps conjure up that extra magic, highlighting to the musician that they are in a special situation. Seeing and hearing a great console also makes sure everyone is in that moment together.’

Burger is speaking as both a studio engineer and a professional musician. His personal technology collection includes an Audient ASP880 eight-channel mic preamp and iD22 audio interface. ‘Wherever I go, I take these with me,’ he says. ‘We’ve done multiple recordings with the ASP880 and our RME gear. My piano recordings with the iD22 are really good.’

Burger’s dedication to the Fullerton Recording Program has had a direct effect on student intake, too: ‘We grew from 40 students when I took over the programme, to about 450 students a year. Every one of these 450 students will come into contact with the console during the year.’

‘I believe that students who study traditional music and play an instrument should learn how to record themselves. If all of them were to take our classes as well, we would more than triple the demand for our classes. That may come once we get a new building.’

And of the desk he says: ‘It sounds great. From an educational standpoint, it’s important for the student to really understand signal flow. A DAW will be the first tool most students see, but with a console all of a sudden it all comes to life.

‘It’s also the reason we bought more preamps – and will buy more Audient preamps in the future. They sound great for jazz, classical and pop music alike and offer great value for money. They are clean, transparent and breathe without forcing too much colour onto any given recorded sound, and yet still have that real analogue warmth.’

Some Fullerton students have already bought themselves an iD22 or iD14 after their experience with the Audient desk at the College: ‘They are excited to have the “big console” sound in their home studios,’ says Burger.

‘We cannot fear technology,’ he adds. ‘People forget that someone like Bach was an avid music technology fan – organs were the synths of his day.’

More: https://audient.com