206A

206A is a production studio with Genelec stereo and 5.1 surround monitoring and a selection of outboard equipment designed for mixing and mastering. It also contains a high-powered PC for working with audio in game engines.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Welcome
00:12 - Powering on
00:41 - Connecting a laptop or the studio computer
01:34 - Using the RME audio interface
02:19 - Remember to power on the Ferrofish Pulse 16!
03:14 - Recording audio
04:27 - Mics, cables, and headphones
04:47 - Using headphones
05:14 - Using the MIDI keyboard

• Mac mini
• PC

• 2x Genelec 8351B
• 5.1 Surround
  • 5x Genelec 8020B
  • 1x Genelec 7050B

The PC in this studio has been setup slightly differently to the way that the Macs in other studios are. The most important difference is that it is directly connected to an audio interface (the smaller Fireface UC, NOT the Fireface 800) and therefore no USB patching is required to get it working with audio. Everything else is relatively similar, but with some other key differences outlined below:

• The PC is powered on via a physical button on the top of the chassis. Press and hold the button briefly. You should see some lights activate on the unit to indicate that it has been powered on.

• Unlike with the Macs, we ask that you shut down the PC via the start menu when you are finished using it because it consumes a lot of power.

• You can login with the same user account that you use with the Macs:

  • Username: emsstudent

  • Password: rockmore2011

• Unlike the Mac, the PC doesn’t have any of its USB connections exposed via the patch panel. Connections can instead be made via the USB hub mounted on top of the desk.

• Note again that the Fireface UC, the audio interface, is permanently, directly connected to the PC and that no USB connections need to be changed or made in order to use the Fireface UC.

• You may prefer to connect more fragile devices like hard drives directly to the PC, which you can do via the USB ports on top of the chassis, but please under no circumstances remove anything from or otherwise attempt to access the rear of the PC!

• Please note first of all that it is ultimately your responsibility to ensure the safety of your files! You can of course save things to the computer but please do so in accordance with the guidelines below.

• You can save files on the PC at D:\Staff and Student Files\<YOUR_NAME>. A folder with your name will not exist by default, so please create one if you need to.

• Note that any files outside of this location (e.g. in the Desktop, Documents, or Downloads folders) may be regularly deleted! Note also that files stored anywhere on the PC will be deleted at the end of the academic year. If there’s anything that you absolutely cannot risk losing, please use an external drive to store your files.

• The USB hub connected to the PC is 10 metres long, which is a long cable run for a digital connection like USB. It is from a high quality manufacturer, and therefore shouldn’t present many issues, but for safety and peace of mind you may prefer to connect more delicate devices like hard drives directly to the PC. You can do this via the USB ports on the top of the chassis, indicated in the photo at the top of this page, but please under no circumstances remove anything from or otherwise attempt to access the rear of the PC!

• Please scan any external drives with Microsoft Defender before using them: (Connect drive > Right Click > Show More Options > Scan with Microsoft Defender)

• Therefore, please respect other users of the computer by

  • refraining from installing any software, plugins, drivers, etc.

  • tidying up your files when you’re done

• If there is something you need that isn’t already on the system, please get in touch with Seth (seth.scott-deuchar@gsmd.ac.uk).

• i.e. not for casual gaming! Hopefully that goes without saying.

• Using RME interfaces
• Using Drawmer monitor controllers
• Making an audio recording
• Using outboard gear
• Using a patch bay