The Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław has upgraded its STM (Studio Technik Multimedialnych) studio with the installation of a Harrison Audio 32Classic mixing console supplied by Commercial Audio.
The studio was built in 2012 and is available for commercial projects alongside serving students and the faculty. It recently began a revitalisation and modernisation process. ‘STM is designed to bridge education, art and professional production, and our goal is to create a facility that meets high production standards while remaining an effective learning environment, and the Harrison 32Classic is a central element of that vision,’ says STM engineer/recording mixer, Dr Przemysław Jarosz.
The 48-channel analogue console includes a Dante interface this is now part of the academy’s Dante network to enable patching to/from four Harrison D510r 10-slot 500 Series racks and a DAW, plus access to sources anywhere in the building.
‘For students, the 32Classic is a unique opportunity to work on a legendary analogue console and truly understand how audio behaves in a classic in-line signal path,’ Jarosz explains. ‘At the same time, the system is built for today’s workflows thanks to AoIP (Dante) interface integration. This hybrid approach lets students and engineers learn both worlds: traditional analogue technique and modern networked audio.’
The studio handles a variety of musical styles and production scenarios: ‘We wanted to start with a console that has a strong sonic character, especially well-suited to jazz,’ Jarosz says. ‘The sound is warm, thick and powerful. The EQ feels very musical and safe; you can make bold moves without the sound becoming harsh or unnatural. Also, having 48 faders gives us greater flexibility, both for live mixing of large ensembles from the concert hall and for work in our studio spaces. And the wide armrest is surprisingly important, for comfort and ergonomics during long sessions.’
The console’s Dante interface has rewritten the way faculty and students approach recording and mixing sessions, Jarosz reports. ‘It’s a truly unique feature in the world of analogue consoles, and for us it’s been an absolute game changer. First, it enables a highly flexible in-line workflow. We can return signals from the DAW straight back onto the console faders during a recording session, which makes tracking and monitoring feel immediate and intuitive.
‘When we’re working on already recorded material, we can route DAW outputs to the console channels in a very efficient way, with quick changes and minimal set-up time,’ he continues. ‘On top of that, the console’s matrix capabilities and external inputs implemented via Dante significantly streamline day-to-day operation. They allow us to switch sources – both at the console and within the digital routing – and build monitoring or routing scenarios quickly, which greatly increases the overall flexibility of the entire system. It’s something no other analogue console on the market really offers, and it makes a huge difference in daily work.’
The four Dante-enabled D510r 500 Series racks, loaded with 20 SSL and 20 Harrison compressor modules, further expand the console’s capabilities. ‘We now have fully featured channels with both EQ and dynamics – the kind of complete, hands-on channel processing you normally associate with classic large-format analogue desks – but with full AoIP routing flexibility over the Dante network,’ he says.
A digital audio format converter with Madi and Dante cards transcodes signals from the Academy’s Madi network to Dante for direct input to the console. ‘With the digital integration, we can record and route virtually any analogue or digital audio signal from virtually anywhere in the Academy – from multiple studios and concert halls, or even from several locations at once – while keeping sources separated and organized through flexible routing and different transmission domains. In practice, this means we can capture complex sessions efficiently, combining various spaces and ensembles into one coherent production workflow.’
Since the installation, the 32Classic has already been used across a broad range of Academy-related work, including classical, jazz and film-orientated sessions, as well as live and streaming productions. Projects range from solo recordings through chamber music to full symphony orchestras. ‘
The console feels like a strong, long-term platform for the studio’s modernisation,’ Jarosz says. ‘We also feel fully supported by Commercial Audio – not only did they supply the console, but they also handled the complete integration with all of our studio rooms, the concert hall and the entire outboard set-up.’
Looking ahead, STM is considering expanding the system toward Dolby Atmos: ‘The console’s monitoring bus capabilities and flexible routing make it a strong foundation for immersive monitoring and playback. It fits naturally into that direction of development.’