CCU music students learn, play on campus recording studio

In a back room on the second floor of Wheelwright Auditorium at Coastal Carolina University sits a little-known, state-of-the-art gem.

The recording studio, which students use to gain hands-on experience, connects to the auditorium so any performances or talks can be recorded and tracked, and there’s smaller rooms inside the actual studio for ensembles or singular artists.

“A lot of people don’t know it’s up there,” said Matthew White, a trumpet professor and director of CCU’s jazz ensemble who also runs the studio.

The studio includes an open room for ensembles and several smaller side rooms for isolated recordings. There’s a smaller room encased in glass where students control the soundboard and can mix tracks on a large screen with several smaller screens surrounding it.

“It’s an invaluable tool,” said J.P. Taylor, a music student who plays the keyboard in the jazz band. “It’s really practical exposure; it’s really applicable to the real world.”

While the studio does record some professional groups – including “Gullah - Voice of an Island” – the studio is mostly used for academic reasons. Students learn how to record artists, track and mix recordings and edit with state-of-the-art software, White said.

Individual students cannot use the studio to record their own music, but any student can enroll in recording technology courses to learn the ins and outs of how a professional studio works. The studio is open for public use only under special circumstances and to record Wheelwright Auditorium’s events.

“We don’t really open it up for public use, because to be able to do that we’d need a full time staff,” White said. “And right now it’s just three student workers and myself.”

McKinley Devilbiss, a music student and studio employee, said learning how to use a professional studio before leaving college is key to becoming a truly well-rounded musician. Because musicians generally don’t make all of their income through one revenue stream, knowing how to work recording equipment and how to edit tracks gives students several options later in life.

“Even though it’s not directly related to playing music, it helps you understand every part of the industry,” Devilbiss said.

Learning different recording software and the terms behind studio work isn’t just good for those behind the microphone; knowing how to communicate with sound technicians also makes life easier for musicians, according to jazz ensemble member and music student Tim Hardwick.

“The studio work helps you be able to speak the language of music producers,” Hardwick said. “You can tell them how you want it to sound, and they’ll understand you.”

The studio is fully funded through the university and most of the expenses come from purchasing new equipment and software, White said. Last year, the college spent about $20,000 upgrading some technology so students could continue learning on one of the most up-to-date studios in any South Carolina college, White said.

“We’re definitely the highest tech and most capable studio in this area, and easily comparable to anyone in Columbia or Charleston,” he said.

High-end technology is one of the ways White recruits music students to come to Coastal, and the ability to learn on state-of-the-art equipment is a big draw, he said. Many students are not aware CCU has its own recording studio and “it’s something they might not get at a bigger, more prominent school,” White said.

“It’s just awesome,” Taylor said. “I wish more people knew about it.”

This story was originally published December 25, 2015 at 11:31 PM with the headline "CCU music students learn, play on campus recording studio."