UIndy’s music department is opening a music studio this semester to provide students a space to mix music in Dolby Atmos, a new music format, according to Director of Music Technology Programs and Associate Professor of Music Brett Leonard.
“The newest sort of evolution is a [sound] system that is more three-dimensional,” Leonard said. “Now you have surround [sound] around you but you also have sound above you so you really feel like you’re in a space with sound. This facility will give us the capability to teach classes and help students learn about this 3-D sort of audio technology.”
Leonard said the industry needs people, especially students who can mix in Dolby Atmos. There are rewards for artists to release a mix in Dolby Atmos.
“Apple Music and Amazon are about both paying artists higher royalties to release in immersive [Dolby Atmos],” Leonard said. “It’s really a need in the music industry, people are demanding that we do this kind of thing and this will allow us to get students involved with it so when they hit the workforce they can say ‘Yeah, I’ve done that before, I can do that for you.’”
According to Leonard, UIndy is special in getting the technology and ability to mix in Dolby Atmos on campus, one of only a handful of places in the state where Dolby Atmos mixes can be made.
“I think it’s really kind of awesome when this comes online, we’ll be only the third school in Indiana and the first place in Indianapolis, including private commercial facilities where you can do this.” Leonard said. “You gotta go an hour [away] somewhere to get another studio like this, it’s going to be a really cool, unique space and it’s been super fun.”
According to Leonard, five students and Associate Professor of Music Peter Nichols have contributed to the project. Exercise science and music major Jake Lin is one of the students involved in building the space.
“I’ve done things from … help paint to help put up frames for the bass traps, to help build some of the cable traps,” Lin said.
Lin described having the space at UIndy as a necessity. He also talked about the importance of having the skills to mix in Dolby Atmos from a student perspective. Even if the skill may or may not be used depending on the situation.
“It’s kind of hard to get your ears acquainted to that sort of sound if you don’t have access to it or aren’t taught how to use it either,” Lin said. “I definitely think it’s a necessary addition to have at UIndy and even if you don’t end up using that skill in your professional career, it’s like a pocket knife, right? You have that skill that you can pull out and use it if you need to, but otherwise you can just have it.”
AlthoughLin is primarily involved with music performance he appreciates his dedication to the new space and gaining experience in the studio.
“It’s been a really great experience to have the opportunity to work on something like this, especially as a performance major wanting to get into commercial music professionally in the future,” Lin said. “It’s been a really great experience to kind of get hands on on what goes on in the studio.”
According to Leonard, the studio should be open in the Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center in October if everything goes as planned. He said the department may host a studio party for the UIndy community once the space is ready to use.
