Mark Mealy, right, manager of user services at Southern Wesleyan University’s IT Department, makes adjustments to equipment in a new recording facility as music professor Greg Day looks on. The digital multitrack facility will be initially used by the Fine Arts Division and by Media Communication majors in the Humanities Division for training in recording technology and recording of performances in the adjacent rehearsal hall.

CENTRAL — Southern Wesleyan University is moving a step closer to equipping students to better understand the technology that connects musicians’ performances with their audience, regardless of whether it’s by download or by disc.

A new recording facility, located in the Newton Hobson Chapel and Fine Arts Center, was equipped by the university’s IT department and designed by Mark Mealy, manager of user services at the university’s IT Department. Space for a recording facility was initially planned into Newton Hobson, adjacent to the recital hall. Thanks to the university’s IT department and LightSound Productions, plus donations of materials and Mealy’s efforts, the facility is now a reality.

Recording equipment includes a 32-channel digital mixing console capable of simultaneously recording several voices and instruments at once, and able to “memorize” several input mixing combinations for different recording projects. The facility also has Macintosh computer-based Logic Pro X audio editing software. The console also allows recording to a USB memory stick and has a wide array of audio effects to digitally shape sounds being recorded. Acoustic panels and furnishings were made possible by a donation of materials and time by Mealy and others. The university has also acquired several dynamic and condenser microphones designed for different recording applications.

The digital multitrack facility will be initially used by the Fine Arts Division and by Media Communication majors in the Humanities Division for training in recording technology and recording of performances in the adjacent rehearsal hall. Mealy notes that the university is studying future uses for the facility. Future plans include converting an adjacent room into a smaller studio and adding the ability to record performances taking place in the auditorium upstairs.