Brand new studios at Chesterfield College are giving music production students and local musicians a professional space to practice and record, using industry standard equipment.
The studios are the latest addition to the college’s new music department. They are designed to allow students the opportunity to develop the technical and creative skills they need for their future careers. At the same time, they will also provide a useful resource for musicians in Chesterfield to use a collaborative recording space in the evenings and at weekends.
What are the new facilities?
The new facilities provide a perfect mix of practical and academic spaces. They offer a combination of classroom based learning and hands-on experience at music making and recording. They are made up of three elements. These include, a traditional classroom space with a suite of macs for learning and editing; a control room including a mixing desk and analogue equipment; and a ‘live room’ which has been designed for traditional collaborative music making. The live room has features which are designed to reflect acoustics and help musicians perform better together.
The student perspective
After spending the first week of term using the new facilities, some level 3 music students told us about the difference it had made to them.
Josh Clark, who is a rapper, singer and songwriter, with an interest in production said:
“I am very happy that I have the opportunity to come in and use an actual studio and work with my peers. The course gives us the chance to learn lots of different skills and practice on different equipment that I don’t have at home. I am excited to know how I can use it next. I am hoping to record my own EP using the facilities we have here so I am really looking forward to that.”
Connor Cartledge, who wants to be a producer or sound engineer said;
“It has made a massive difference now we have this equipment. When we leave college to pursue a career in music, whether as a producer or as a musician we will have the knowledge we need. We have got top of the range microphones and a full studio. This will mean any assignments and projects we work on will sound a lot better. Last year we had to record on whatever we had because we couldn’t be in college, so it is going to make a lot of difference. We have got a lot to learn about how to run and work the studio, but it is good to have it ready for the start of the new college year.”
Hands-on experience
Kane Wood explained how the skills he is developing will help with his future career:
“I want to work in audio engineering and this gives me some hands-on experience setting up microphones and setting levels, for example.”
Sam Murdock, a passionate musician said:
“I love this space. It gives me more chance to put my passion for music into practice. The studio gives us more opportunity with the ideas that we have. It is going to be so much better than recording in a room with no sound dampeners, or anything like that.”
Professional environment
Music tutor and musician, Jonathon Salisbury said;
“Having the music studio gives us a professional environment the students can walk into and use. You don’t need that level of equipment to make good music. However, if you learn how to use this kind of facility you can always scale back to whatever you need. It is fundamental for students to understand how a professional studio works and get used to that kind of environment. It will help them build up an amazing portfolio of recordings which will launch them onto whatever they choose to do after college.”
“The studio is designed with analogue equipment so it works best for traditional collaborative music making. You can put a whole band in one space. There is real magic that happens when you get musicians together in one room. All the old great bands worked that way. The students who have used it so far have been amazed that they are in this professional space making music with other people again. Students are definitely inspired by the quality of what they can produce in the new facilities.”
Music studios for hire
One local band has already used the space to record parts of their album. We hope to hire out the new music studios to more local bands and musicians. We are particularly keen to offer the space to those just starting out who are looking for a resource like this on their doorstep.
To find out more about hiring the music studios contact hello@weststudios.co.uk.