Project Description
Overview
Founded in1889, Elon University is a private campus comprised of six individual colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business, Communications, Law, Health Sciences and Education. Situated in North Carolina’s Piedmont region between the cities of Greensboro and Raleigh, Elon U has established an international reputation for outstanding academic accomplishment. Focused on the intrinsic values of hands-on experience and supportive mentoring relationships, Elon U serves a student body of 6,277 undergraduate and 811 graduate students from 47 states and 53 countries.
Program
The increasing popularity of Elon U’s Music Education/Production/Recording and Liberal Arts A.B. & B.S. Programs underscored the need for a purpose-built “immersive” music mixing and production Control Room. Requirements for the proposed multi-purpose C.R. called for sophisticated acoustical treatments including wall applications and ceiling clouds, and an arsenal of top-drawer gear including highly-rated monitors and a digital mixing console. Programmable lighting would further contribute to establishing a quantifiably “slappin’”pro-recording studio vibe.
Design
The Studio D Control Room is situated in a 250 square foot space with a 9’ 7” ceiling height in a corner of the single-story brick and concrete Elon U Art West Music Production Building. Able to accommodate six students and an instructor the C.R. is centered on a custom-designed production desk and precisely tuned to enhance listening potential. WSDG developed a construction program with decoupled-walls, double drywall, ISO clips, and a double pane glass window to ensure optimal isolation. An Avid Pro Tools S6M10-32-5 digital console, Neumann KH310 main monitors, KH 805 subwoofers, and eight, wall and ceiling-mounted Genelec 8030 surrounds. The C.R. is linked to a Dante Network to facilitate remote recording from various music production / performance venues around the camp. Acoustic wall treatments and a suspended ceiling cloud fashioned from stretched fabric and wood planks, and natural light from the sole window, complete a room charged with providing students with a superb creative/technical hands-on learning experience.