The University of Salford has chosen a Solid State Logic C10 HD Compact Broadcast Console to power the live production programme in its new £30 million digital learning, teaching and research facility at MediaCityUK. As the centrepiece for Studio A Sound, the console is used for a wide range of live production teaching situations from one-on-one interview and panel programmes, to music programmes.
“The University of Salford’s MediaCityUK campus was created to host our media production, graphic, animation and video game departments, among others, as part of the very exciting MediaCityUK project,” said Ash Tidball, TV Studio Manager for the University at MediaCityUK. “For our Studio A Sound control room, we needed a console that was very flexible and could be set up very quickly for the different types of shows produced. We chose the SSL C10 because it offered us the best feature set and sonic performance for all our production needs. For example, the snapshot recall of programme settings greatly increased our teaching capabilities, as a push of a button gets the console ready for each succeeding class in an instant.”
The University of Salford at MediaCityUK is part of a massive £650 million, 200-acre (81-hectare) mixed-use property regeneration programme in Salford and Trafford. The new facility is next to a major BBC complex where BBC Children’s, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC Research and the BBC Sport departments are housed. The University’s building space will also be shared with ITV later this year.
“Our new location is right in the heart of this major production hub. This proximity presents a great opportunity for our students to be able to work with industry professionals and to possibly gain employment in the future,” continues Tidball. “With players like the BBC and ITV next door, it was imperative that we had a recognised industry standard console for our students to learn on. The console delivers the proper, advanced production experience, while providing a platform our graduates will likely find in the industry at large. We believe that learning on an SSL C10 can only benefit our students in the future.”
Spread across four floors, the new facility includes HDTV and radio broadcast studios, digital media and performance labs, post-production suites, a living lab research facility and meeting rooms with video conferencing. Studio A offers separate video and audio (Studio A Sound) control rooms, while Studio B offers a full 3D virtual studio. As Studio A is available for students, researchers and commercial clients, the unique features of the C10 make it the ideal choice.
