Oxford installs Harrison console in new humanities centre

The University of Oxford has installed a Harrison 32Classic mixing console in the new Stephen A. Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities. The desk is housed in one of three music studios used by the Faculty of Music.

The installation is part of a wider audio setup across the building, which brings together studios, rehearsal areas and performance venues on a Dante audio-over-IP network. In Studio Three, the 32-channel analogue console is linked to an Ensemble Room and four smaller practice spaces, allowing staff and students to record live performances from multiple locations.

Studio Manager Daniel Hulme said Studio Three was designed to support conventional recording methods alongside electronic and experimental work. "Studio Three is a traditional recording studio. As well as more experimental and electronic compositional work, we teach students the traditional ways of making music in the recording studio, with small- to medium-sized ensembles performing in a room together."

The nearby rooms are connected to the Harrison console through the network. "The Harrison gives us connectivity between all those spaces in that immediate area, so you can really capture a good-sized ensemble with separation," Hulme said.

Teaching focus

Oxford selected the console in part for how students would use it in teaching sessions. Hulme noted that many users are musicians rather than trainee engineers, and that this shaped the studio workflow.

"They're not technicians, they're not engineering students; they're musicians. It's not an engineering course; it's a creative practice course. So the workflow of the Harrison was perfect, in that it's a relatively simple, open architecture. Some other products are more geared towards tech-heavy engineering and have multiple layers; there's lots of stuff that could be overwhelming for a music student. There are no hidden layers to the Harrison. It's all there to see."

He also cited the sound of the desk as a factor in the final choice. "The thing that I liked about the Harrison was primarily the sound of the console, the sound of the EQ and the mic pre. It did not disappoint. I ran some stems through it and listened to the EQ. It was a beautiful thing. The 32Classic has the right balance of function, form and sound. That really appealed to me."

Networked rooms

The building's Dante network extends beyond the studio complex. It also connects the 500-seat Sohmen Concert Hall and the 120-capacity Black Box Performance Lab, giving the Faculty of Music the option to route live performances back to the studio for recording through the Harrison desk.

Hulme said this setup simplifies the teaching process for students moving between live rooms, the console and digital audio workstation software. "The functionality with the Dante integration means that there's a really simple workflow that we can create for the students. It's one-to-one from the live room into the console and one-to-one from the console into the DAW. It's an easy thing to teach and for students to understand. They get good results quickly, and we can move through the curriculum quickly."

He also described the acoustic and technical specification of the main concert hall. "The concert hall is pin-drop quiet and has a beautiful, variable acoustic, and there's a multitude of concealed microphone ties and various other connectivity to connect back to the studios."

Joshua Rush, chief marketing officer at Audinate, said the project shows how a single network can link different types of spaces in a teaching building. "We are excited to be part of the audio infrastructure at the University of Oxford's new multi-studio facility. Dante was built to make audio routing as flexible as creativity itself, and this project is a perfect example of what's possible when a whole building shares one network. By connecting studios, rehearsal spaces and performance venues to a common Dante backbone, the Faculty of Music can capture performances wherever they happen quickly, reliably and at the highest quality."

Immersive audio

The centre's other two music studios are also connected to Dante interfaces. Studio One is configured as a Dolby Atmos 9.1.4 room, while Studio Two is designed for several immersive audio formats, including NHK 22.2, Dolby Atmos, Sony 360 Reality Audio and Ambisonics.

All three studios were acoustically designed by Level Acoustics. Hulme said the 32Classic can monitor a 12-channel surround source from the Dante interface, and he is considering workflows that would let students record with immersive formats in mind while monitoring projects through Studio One's Dolby Atmos speaker system.

His preference for an analogue console reflects his early experience in recording studios in the north of England and later work in London and Liverpool. Hulme said that background informed the design priorities for Studio Three and the wider balance between established recording practice and newer production formats.

"I wanted an analogue console. There's a view to the future of music production here and what that might mean. We are very invested in exploring immersive technologies and workflows creatively, but let's not forget about the past and where we've come from. If you've got good foldback and you can combine things together in an easy and immediate way, and it sounds fantastic without you having to do too much, you're in a good place creatively. That makes things more fluid and makes the whole production process happen quicker. I think a good analogue console uniquely brings that to the table."