When Kirt Shearer became Commercial Music Program Director at American River College (ARC) in Sacramento, California, his first priority was to purchase an Audient ASP8024-HE large-format analogue mixing console – a decision based on experience teaching with another ASP8024-HE during his previous tenure at Sacramento City College where he also determined that choice.
‘I love the upgraded master bus with the switchable Carnhill transformers and the 990 op-amp summing circuit,’ he says. ‘And I still say that the ASP8024-HE is amazingly well thought-out. It has 14 aux sends and includes the very unusual feature to route different aux buses together so you almost never run out of routing options when using both small and large faders at the same time.’
Feedback from the staff at ARC has been positive: ‘The intuitive flexibility of the ASP8024-HE just stays out of the way and allows for absolute freedom and creativity,’ says Jon Talbot, who runs the ARC labs. ‘Oh, and it sounds great.’
Shearer estimates around 120 students will get their hands on the desk each semester. ‘We have four studio techniques classes, one sound design class, and a mixing and mastering class that will all be using the console. We also will be using it on our ‘Friday Sessions’ series, where we bring bands in from the community for an “all class” extended recording session. All of these will be exclusively using the recently upgraded studio.’
He also reports that the arrival of the new console has caused a stir amongst the youngsters: ‘We did the installation over the summer, and we couldn’t keep the students away from the studio. So far, they have been very happy with the features and sound of the console. Just as with the SCC installation, we have had students enrol in classes because they wanted time on the console.’
American River College boasts a strong Commercial Music faculty, many of whom are working professionals in the industry and bringing that experience to the students. In his role as ARC Program Director, Shearer is already making headway with his plans.
‘I have already been able to accomplish a few major goals,’ he says. ‘Our next project is adding a new hybrid mix room with a Pro Tools HDX system and a full array of outboard gear. This room – as the three others – will have a great selection of virtual instruments in and will be available all day for students to work on their own productions. After that we are looking at expanding our current 5.1 mix rooms to Dolby Atmos.’
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