Joe Ciaudelli and Volker Schmitt from Sennheiser talking about wireless in their traveling RF roadshow, live in the Conservatory’s 6,000 sq. ft. Live Sound Classroom.

photo caption: l to r, Harry Warman (Warman Marketing), Keith Morris (CRAS), Mike Reinhard (U of A Asst. Tech. Director), Jim Kinkella (L-Acoustics), Mark Miceli (U of A), Gary Lotze (U of A Production Mgr.) and Mark Cowburn (AZ Pro Sound)

Today was an interesting day at the CRAS. A host of audio pros from the University of Arizona in Tucson, about 90 miles south of Phoenix, came to hear and evaluate our L-Acoustics Kudo line array system. The world-class speaker rig hangs in our 6,000 sq. ft. Live Sound classroom where each student learns the operation and setup of the system. The University is considering Kudo as a live sound reinforcement solution for the U of A’s Centennial Hall. The Hall opened in 1937 and now serves as a concert venue hosting the likes of Herbie Hancock, Martha Graham’s Dance Company, Wynton Marsalis and others. It has been repurposed and renovated several times and has presented an acoustical challenge as it was first designed as a lecture hall.

Robert Scovill teaching a group of 22 students the finer points of audio

If you follow who’s who in audio, then the name Robert Scovill is a familiar one. He’s been FOH engineer for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Prince, Def Leppard, Rush and Matchbox 20. Under the banner of Audioseminars.com, Scovill recently held a 3 day intensive seminar at the Conservatory of Recording Arts. The Conservatory’s 6,000 sq. ft. live sound venue offered attendees access to professional staging, lighting and live sound gear including a V-Dosc line array, Dolby Lake Processing and amps from Lab Gruppen. During the seminar, students had their hands and ears on Digidesign’s VENUE live sound console, which has quickly become the #2 console in sound reinforcement.

Another view of a Cycle 10 session in Studio B, Gilbert from student Gabe Noto.

video caption: Cycle 10 student Gabe Noto made this video during a setup for a session class in the Conservatory’s Studio B at the Gilbert location

Cycle 3 class waiting for the band to set up before setting up microphones and lines to FOH. Musicians include Drummer Dowell Davis, Bassist Felix Sainz and Guitarist Anthony Kinchion

photo caption: Poster announcing DIY cable tester building clinic

One of the most common problems in the studio affecting workflow is a failed cable. Yet because of the uncomplicated nature of an interconnect–no moving parts and simple construction–it often gets overlooked in day to day studio operations. That’s where having a cable tester handy can save the day, quickly pinpointing a problem so it can be fixed in short order. As part of on-campus extra curricular activities, students construct their own testers, polarity flippers and other handy studio tools to add to their bag of tricks.

photo caption: Francisco Carranza and Christine Green upgrading their new mics

Students at the Conservatory not only get a lot of class and studio time while they’re in the program, but they can also sign up for a number of extra-curricular DIY projects and activities. One recent event was a microphone modification clinic where a group of students upgraded stock, large diaphragm tube mics imported from China.

The mic mod clinic was held Conservatory’s 6,000 sq. ft. live sound room where they upgraded their new mics with a 6072A Groove Tube, Peluso C-12 replica capsule, better capacitors and transformer. Students who signed up for and paid for the mic, ended up leaving with a much improved product, upgraded by themselves.

photo caption: Neve fader modules on the bench awating a refurb

Regular upgrades and maintenance are essential when you’ve got 8 studios to keep running. It’s even more important when your studios run 24/7. Conservatory students have campus access around the clock, allowing them to experience audio recording and production as much as they’d like. During the day, classes occupy both campus locations, but at night, they are loaded with students and bands recording, mixing and exploring. It’s this exploration that makes your on campus experience at the Conservatory unique, you are welcome to have your fill.