Personal Mixers Ensure Students Graduate With Knowledge of Professional Gear
DALLAS, NOVEMBER 9, 2011—At the start of the new school year, Dallas Baptist University (DBU) opened the doors to its new Joan and Andy Horner Music Hall—built specifically to support its creative degree programs for music and engineering. The new 12,000-square-foot, $5-million multi-purpose academic building houses the disciplines of music business, communication theory, broadcast communication and graphic design communication, as well as the College of Fine Arts academic leadership program. To encourage a well-rounded educational experience for its music and engineering undergraduates, the new recording studios inside the facility have been equipped with Aviom A-16II Personal Mixers.
“Our philosophy is that our students need to learn by using the best equipment,” says Dr. Terry Fansler, director of studies in music business, DBU. “How will they know what good sound is if they don’t have superior equipment and a first-class environment in which to create it? We made a commitment to ensure the equipment is industry standard and that’s exactly what Aviom is.”
Recognizing that today more than ever people have the opportunity to enjoy a successful career in the music industry, DBU prepares its students with a quality education, offering the ability to specialize in various career paths. During undergraduate studies, students are required to collaborate on class projects, encouraging a cross-disciplinary effort among students aspiring to be recording engineers, song writers, live performers, or worship leaders. Students are tasked with creating a song and ultimately an album from start to finish. “By the time our students graduate, they have at least two completed projects to take with them, so our studios and control rooms are kept busy all the time,” says Randy Adams, adjunct professor in audio engineering for DBU with more than 35 years of experience in the field.
The recording studio, designed by Russ Berger Design Group, was built to replicate the space and tools available in a typical professional environment. During recording sessions in the new studio, audio is delivered to the A-16IIs from an AN-16/i Input Module over a single Cat-5e cable. Outputs from Avid Pro Tools are able to interface straight into the Aviom AN-16/i and the audio can be distributed around the facility to Cat-5e connections that are available in every room via an Aviom A-NetA® distributor. “I love being able to run everything down one Cat-5 cable without having power supplies all over the stage,” says Adams. “The Aviom system makes it simpler and keeps the stage and studio nice and neat.”
In total, the studio uses eight personal mixers, including seven freestanding A-16IIs, and one A-16R Rack-mounted Personal Mixer. “The intention in each session is that each musician creates his or her personal headphone mix, freeing up the engineers,” explains Adams. “Instead of going back and forth or simply setting one mix, the Aviom personal mixers allow each individual to customize his or her own mix. It’s better for performers and it’s better for engineers.”
Adams says DBU expects other groups to utilize the equipment in the new recording studio for activities beyond curriculum requirements. “Whether it’s an up-and-coming singer/songwriter, rock band, Classical artist, contemporary Christian artist, worship group, or local church choir—thanks to Aviom’s ease of use, we can do it all. Aviom personal mixers are simple to operate and put the listening back into the hands of the musician,” he says. “As an engineer, it lets me do what I need to do and the musicians hear what they need to hear.”
Dallas Baptist University is a comprehensive Christ-centered university dedicated to producing servant leaders through the integration of faith and learning. With an enrollment of 5,545 students and its main campus located in the foothills of southwest Dallas, a satellite campus located in Plano, and academic centers located in the Hurst-Colleyville area and in Mansfield, DBU offers 68 undergraduate majors, 22 graduate degrees in a variety of fields, 40 dual-degree programs, and two doctoral programs—a Ph.D. in Leadership Studies and Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. DBU provides nationally recognized programs in adult education and online education.
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Aviom pioneered personal mixing with its Pro16A® Monitor Mixing System and continues to break new ground with the revolutionary Pro64A® Series of audio networking products. With tens of thousands of products in the field today, Aviom has set the standard for high performance, scalable digital solutions. All Aviom systems harness the power of A-NetA®, Aviom’s innovative digital audio technology that simplifies system design while enhancing flexibility and fidelity. All Aviom products are designed, tested, and manufactured in the USA. For more information, visit
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