The Institute of Sonology at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague has installed an Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition console in a new purpose-built facility.
With its roots in the Philips Research Laboratories and a history of pioneering electronic music since 1964, the Institute of Sonology (IoS) at the Royal Conservatoire in When it came time to equip the new facility in the city centre, Head of the Institute, Dr Kees Tazelaar, knew a console that would bridge the analogue heritage with modern educational demands was needed. The answer was the ASP8024-HE.
Replacing a previous D&R Vision desk, the new console sits at the heart of the IoS analogue studio. It serves as a link between a vast voltage-controlled modular synthesiser set-up – developed over decades – a multitude of Studer analogue tape machines mainly used for archiving the Institute’s collection of electronic music dating back to 1956, and a digital audio workstation.
‘It was not easy to find a replacement that was analogue, easy to work with – which is of particular importance for a studio used for education – and flexible enough to work with an eight-channel loudspeaker system,’ Tazelaar explains. The ASP8024-HE was chosen specifically for its high bus count, the integrated producer desk and its ability to accommodate near-field monitors directly on the shelf.
For the 40 or so Bachelor’s, Master’s and one-year course Sonology students who get hands-on with it each year, the ASP8024-HE offers a clear, tactile learning environment. ‘The advantage is that you see all the knobs, switches and faders and don’t have to dive into layers,’ says Tazelaar, highlighting the console’s transparency in a teaching situation.
Beyond its ease of use, the console’s technical flexibility is a standout feature for the IoS team. ‘It’s analogue, it has enough inputs, it has enough buses, it’s flexible,’ Tazelaar notes. ‘I also like that it has many auxiliaries, and effect returns that can be assigned to buses’.
The installation comes at a celebratory time for the Royal Conservatoire, which marks its 200th anniversary this month. As the IoS continues to thrive – receiving more than 170 applications annually for just 36 spots – the new Audient console ensures that the next generation of composers can continue to push boundaries while staying grounded in the Institute’s storied past.
‘We do our best to have an open mind for the future and take our history seriously,’ Tazelaar says. With the ASP8024-HE now a permanent fixture, the Institute of Sonology is perfectly equipped to do both.
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