PULLMAN, Wash. — The equipment list is complete. A request for bids is going out. Sound studio engineer interviews are scheduled. All of this is proof positive; the dream of a fully equipped digital recording studio in Washington State University’s Kimbrough Hall will soon become a reality.
A $625,000 grant from the Allen Foundation for Music announced last spring will allow the School of Music and Theatre arts to supply and maintain the studio. The actual studio space was incorporated in the redesign of the building that was completed nearly two years ago. Gleaming hardwoods grace the floors; high tech acoustics cover the walls and ceiling. A Fazioli piano takes its place on stage. Still needed are equipment and an engineer, but plans for both are nearly final.
“Two of the applicants for the studio engineer position are currently working in private studios and both have university recording experience,” says Professor Erich Lear who is heading the search and working with the equipment consultant. Another applicant is a WSU graduate who is teaching music in Germany. “The engineer we hire,” says Lear, “will be here in time to oversee installation.”
Sweetwater, the consulting company hired to assist with equipment selection is now working on pre-pricing. Using the consultant guarantees the hardware and software will interface.
The studio may be about a month away from reality. “We’re looking at the end of October or beginning of November,” Lear says. “Our time frame for a September completion was overly optimistic when faced with the schedules of outside companies.”
