New broadcast studios for UWL students

Students at Ealing School of Art, Design and Media, part of the University of West London, are now enjoying broadcast facilities dedicated to those training for a career in radio, thanks to Veale Associates (VA).

Studio design consultancy VA worked closely with the school’s academics, technicians and principal contractor Willmott Dixon to create studios that reflect the latest ideas and practices of commercial radio so students gain real experience of the commercial world.

The development is part of a £50 million campus regeneration scheme for the University aimed at improving students’ learning and social experience. The BA (Hons) Radio and Multimedia Audio Production course equips students with creative and technical skills relevant to the production of audio for radio, and the wider broadcast and entertainment industries. Blast Radio, UWL’s official student station, gives students a chance to get real hands-on experience in a radio studio.

Both studios are identically equipped and centred around the Lawo Crystal mixer with Vistools. They use the Tieline Commander for external reporting and contributions, ProTools with RedNet to ingest music from other parts of the campus and they can record live studio productions and Myriad for play-out.

The studios also feature Burli for news capture and script editing, Phonebox for phone-in contributions, IDS clock and information display, DJ kits comprising a range of Pioneer equipment, Neuman microphones, PMC twotwo5 monitor speakers, Adder integrated KVM switches to seamlessly link the kit in the CAR/Racks room to the studio desk and wall display screens.

Veale Associates’ head consultant Eddie Veale said: “Studios need to look and sound impressive, but it’s not as straightforward as that. Today’s studios need to remain flexible, operating 24/7, and have to make sure they deliver optimum performances from a host of different users. At the same time they have to live for the future to guarantee longevity so there is a lot of detail to the design and build. I am proud that we achieved that, and the University is enjoying the results."

Paul Lohneis, head of film and media at UWL, added: “Together with an exciting new curriculum, and a dynamic team of connected-creative academics working at the heart of the industry, this new facility will put us at the forefront of HE radio and multimedia audio teaching in the UK.”

http://www.va-studiodesign.com