Recording and Production in the News

Prism Sound forges strong links with the Royal Northern College of Music

Cambridge, UK, March 2008: Prism Sound has supplied a range of equipment to The Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester.

The RNCM, formed in 1973 from the merger of the Royal Manchester College of Music with the Northern School of Music, has, for many years, been the first choice institution for a large number of aspiring professional musicians from the UK and overseas. It currently has two recording studios, which are used to record student performances and commercial projects throughout the year.

Prism Sound has supplied the college with 3 ADA-8XR multichannel AD/DA converters complete with HD cards so that they interface seamlessly with the RNCM's Pro Tools HD3 and HD1 systems. It has also supplied a Maselec MEA-2 equalizer, a Maselec MLA-2 mastering compressor limiter and 12 channels of Maselec MMA-4XR microphone pre-amplifier.

David Coyle, Sound Engineer at the RNCM, says: "We first came across Prism Sound equipment during a visit to Air Studios in London. We were in the market for high quality converters and the company's products were recommended by AIR's Tim Vine-Lott, who has used them for many years. Prism Sound lent us some equipment to demo and we were very impressed with the results we achieved. The ADA-8XR was the ideal choice because it offers multi-channel facilities and works brilliantly with the Studer D950 digital console and Pro Tools HD3 system in our main control room. We are also very impressed with the sound quality delivered by the Maselec EQ, compressor and mic pre-amps, which are being used for analogue signal processing."

The RNCM is in the process of extending its recording facilities by installing a third control room and two live rooms on the top two floors of its new Oxford Road Wing extension. When the new facilities are completed, the Prism Sound equipment will be moved across and the studio will be named the Prism Sound Room.

"We already handle a large number of commercial projects, primarily Jazz and classical recordings for clients such as the BBC," Coyle adds. "The new facilities will allow us to expand and attract a broader customer base, although student projects will always take precedence. At the moment these include everything from recording individual performances to full symphony orchestra concerts and a copy of each recording is kept in the college archives."