Studio policies

LVC Department of Music
MRT Studio Policies

Hours of Operation and Scheduling

All studio facilities in the Music Recording Technology Program are for student educational use only. They may not be commercially utilized by faculty or students. They are generally available daily between 7am and 2am Monday – Saturday, and noon until 2am Sundays during the semesters. Security will completely shut down the building around 2am–everyone must be shut down, packed up, and ready to leave by 1:45am. Scheduling of each studio is accomplished through the use of the college academic computer network, where an intranet calendar system allows students to reserve times as needed.

All studios are closed during school holidays and vacations, including, but not limited to, fall break, spring break, and Easter. There will be no work in the facilities during summer and winter vacations.

Each individual may only reserve 6 hours maximum at any one time. You are advised to reserve only the time you actually need, and be considerate of all other students who must use the same facilities. Sessions may not be booked more than four weeks in advance. See below for guidelines concerning class and personal use of the rooms.

Know the studio schedule. If someone is booked after you, you must plan to be completely packed up and zeroed before this time. Remember to allow time for backing up your files.

Students conducting sessions in the studios without reserving time on the calendar will be banned from the studios for a set period of time. This may impact your ability to complete class projects, so act smart.
Studio Access

Your LVC student ID card will provide access into selected studios depending on what class you are currently enrolled in. If your card does not work for any particular studio, there’s a reason for it. Do not swap/share cards with anyone or you will be banned from the facilities.

The doors are designed to close and lock automatically. Do NOT prop doors open when you leave the room for any reason.

Any doors founds propped open will result in complete expulsion from the facilities (and therefore from the program).
Class vs Personal Use

Definition of personal projects: A personal studio project is any non-class-assigned work that is undertaken for the express purpose of gaining additional experience in the labs. Recording bands for the purpose of producing a CD or other commercial product is not allowed. Recording a demo for LVC music students is allowed subject to all other policies. Our mission is to ensure you learn as much as you can while you are here-that’s why the studios are provided for you. If you are recording a band you will tend to focus less on miking technique and processor nuances and more on getting your songs completed in the time you have. You can spend your time much more effectively by bringing in a drummer (or other musician) and working exclusively on that instrument, trying different mics, techniques, processing, etc. If you want to produce a CD for someone’s band, including your own, then use one of the many excellent regional studios that make their living doing this. You will absolutely not be allowed to record non-LVC people who are merely trying to get a free product.

People not currently affiliated with Lebanon Valley College as a student, staff, or faculty member may not engineer or perform in our studios. No off-campus projects. You can find plenty of talent amongst the campus community, especially within the music department.

The Directors have the authority to cancel or restrict student access to the facilities if evidence shows that extraneous studio sessions are interfering with academic status. Personal projects can be cancelled if it is determined they are interfering with class projects (see exception above).
Who Can Record Here?

All full-time students in the MRT program have access to certain rooms depending on which class(es) they have completed are or enrolled in. See list below under studio specifics.

There will be no outsiders (non-music) majors in the studios. If you are working with another LVC non-music student then confirm with the Directors. These facilities are school labs, not lounges. Act accordingly.

Any full-time or adjunct faculty who wish to record ensembles or personal projects are encouraged to work with an MRT major as time permits. As long as it does not create undue burden on studio availability during the semester, or on the student’s schedule, this provides a great opportunity for students to work with high quality musicians.
Violations

Any violations of these policies will result in either a one-time warning or immediate restriction of studio access, depending on the situation. Restricted access denies you the privilege of working in the labs during evenings and weekends for a period of time set by the Directors.

If you are under restriction and need to work on a class project, you must work during the day while the Directors are on-campus. Extreme restriction cases will result in complete denial of lab access. If this happens to interfere with completion of a class project then that project will have to be placed on hold and completed after the restriction is lifted. The student will receive late credit for the project submission.

Any student providing access for someone on restricted access status will face identical restrictions. If in doubt, check them out. We will make available a list of any students on restriction.

Repeat offenders may be permanently banned from the studios. This means you will have to either change majors or leave the college.
General Operation

A senior MRT major is hired each academic year as Studio Manager. Their job is to supervise the daily operations of all facilities, reporting to, and supervised by, the MRT Directors. Any operational questions, supply needs, etc should be directed to the Studio Manager. In addition, a current junior in the MRT Program is selected to assist the Studio Manager in these responsibilities.

Absolutely no food or drink will be allowed in the facilities. Keep everything out of the building. Do NOT bring anything in and throw away in the studio trashcans.

During those restricted sessions when non-LVC people are in the studios (Music Production Seminar), you are responsible for their conduct and respect for the facility and equipment. Keep an eye on things. Watch out for unknown people walking the hallways. Always ask nicely if you can help them. Don’t let them wander unimpeded.

It has taken many years to have quality facilities for you to use. You must absolutely treat them with respect. Any gear that’s broken or stolen may not be replaced due to budget constraints. If it gets gone, you probably will never see another like it.

The doors automatically close and lock when you exit the room. Do NOT prop it open for any reason.

We recommend you lock yourselves in the rooms during sessions, particularly late night and weekends for your safety.

Never harass security personnel at any time for any reason. They are not required to let you into any building after hours. This includes Zimmerman if you did not schedule them to help you.

No trash will be left anywhere at any time. Keep the facilities organized and neat.

Always zero the console.
Studio specifics

Fall semester availability: Studio A is available only to MRT 474 during the last half of fall semester and to MRT 278 last half of spring semester. No exceptions.

Studio B is available only to MRT 277 and 278 fall and spring semester and to MRT 373/374 spring semester. Seniors may request personal time in studio B first half of spring semester by submitting the Personal Project Request Form. Class projects will always take priority.

Studio C (ProTools, Logic, and Mastering) is available only to students enrolled in MRT 377 fall semester and 374 spring semester. It may also only be used for mastering departmental recitals and concerts. Seniors may use the room spring semester to practice on the equipment, but may not interfere with class-related projects.

Do not move, disconnect, or change any item of equipment without Directors’ approval. Period. No exceptions.

Leave the Trident console and Sony APR on all the time. Turn off everything else.

Do not remove mics from other studios.

When booking time, make sure you don’t need equipment that will be needed in another studio.

If an equipment item is damaged or broken, you are required to indicate this on the studio log form. Let the studio manager and/or MRT Director know so that repairs may be initiated. Don’t merely leave it in the box, or worse, return it to the shelves as if nothing had happened. We will not shoot you, but we need to know what happened so we can better diagnose the problem.

All equipment must be returned to its proper location. Cables must be wound neatly, other accessories go in the appropriate cabinets or shelves. Microphones must be returned to their cases so as to protect them.

Replace mic clips to the appropriate microphone case. It’s annoying to pick up a mic and have to search both rooms looking for the right clip.

If you tear down a mic/boom stand, put it back together when finished.

You may not leave any hardware lying around the rooms, such as adaptors, clips, etc. Put it all back in the box, cases, etc.

Always zero the console.

File management and backup

Radar and ProTools files must be backed up on a regular basis. Any files lost due to system crashes, drive failure, or other fault will not be an excuse for project submission issues. Drives will be erased the last Friday each month to ensure optimum system performance. Personal files may not be left on the drives and are subject to un-announced erasure at any time for maintenance or drive space reasons.

Radar backup media: Verbatim DVD-RAM (data-video) 4.7GB Type 4 cartridge. Manufacturer #: 95002

ProTools backup media options: CDR, external Firewire drive, USB flash drive
Specific equipment restrictions

The Neumann tube and AEA ribbon mics can only be used for MPS projects. No exceptions. You must sign the mic out from the MRT director.

The Sony APR-24 can only be used for MPS projects. The reason is that the autolocator switches are on borrowed time–when they wear out they are not replaceable.

Sophomores working in Studio B may not use the following mics: Any Neumann, AKG 414, Shure condensers (KSM, SM81, etc).
Using Other Rooms in Blair and Zimmerman

To use classrooms and rehearsal halls in Blair Music Center you must reserve the room through the music office. This holds for band rehearsals as well as recording sessions.

Zimmerman is a domain unto itself. You must reserve the room through the music office. It may only be used for class projects. You should be aware that other personnel on campus can and will preempt anything we plan over there.

You must call security to arrange for unlocking the building for you ahead of time-not the day of. Be aware of their schedule and always plan to meet them at least half-hour before you really need to be there.