Sonic Scientists: Soundlab Crew Feature
Tyson Lewis | November 17, 2022
The Soundlab Crew at Warren Wilson College (WWC) uses two recording studios to record and mix a variety of audio projects that students of WWC or local musicians may have. This can include podcasts, school related or personal music projects.
Depending on the needs of the person or people recording they go to either soundlab A or soundlab B. Soundlab A is a studio in the downstairs of WWC’s Ellison Library and soundlab B is in the Kittridge music building.
David Bradshaw is the Electronic Resources Librarian and Director of the Sound Lab.
“I spend a lot of my time working on more traditional kinds of library stuff, like related to electronic resources, and the online databases and ebooks and journals, and all that good stuff,” Bradshaw said. “The sound lab stuff came about, like in 2016, when we wrote a grant to get all this stuff. And so it's kind of like a side gig.”
He recognized the way that libraries are progressing in what they do and the resources they have. He cited the boom of podcast recordings among other media formats that require sound.
“There was a library in here at the time that was doing documentary film,” Bradshaw said. “I kind of have a background in doing all the other work anyway. So it was sort of a natural fit, and we saw a need for it. And especially like with the podcasting, boom, that's, you know, that's still happening. So yeah, we wrote a grant and got the money for the equipment.”
Since the crew’s implementation in 2016, the recording spaces have been put to several creative uses.
“Work crews might be working on a video where they need audio recorded or faculty that are working on podcasting that we work with either the faculty members or if they're classes involved with the classes,” Bradshaw said. “You know, like people doing animation classes has been a recent one that's come in so like, if they're working on sounds for their films, then we've worked with that class recently.”
Audio projects include musical ones, and because of the range of types of music that people record on WWC there are two soundlabs.
“It's hard to make a bunch of noise in the air and have full bands and all this, although I like my little red notice from years ago where the note says no drum recording in the library,” Bradshaw said. “We try to be, you know, sensitive to noise levels here. So I mean, we can do more low key acoustic music and things that aren't super noisy, but it's tough to like having a drum kit and a full band in here. So anyway, with the space and Kittredge the idea is that would be a place where that sort of thing could happen, you know, so for louder full band recording, and also just to make it available, different hours, like more extended hours than when just when the library is open.”
He added the importance of student led initiatives such as the addition of soundlab B. The secondary studio for louder recordings was spearheaded by senior Walker Russell.
“This was like a total student-led initiative, which I really support and appreciate,” Bradshaw said. “Like, the work is really Walker's doing that established what we're calling studio B, which is under the Kittredge music wing.”
Russell used their personal recording equipment to set up soundlab B and because of the success of that recording space Bradshaw is looking into keeping the space going.
“We're hoping that space can be a continuing thing and can grow also, we're currently trying to figure out some funding for that,” Bradshaw said. “Right now, it's mostly just student equipment in there. And then Walker graduates in May, he's gonna be taking a lot of that stuff with him. So we're trying to figure out how to keep that space going.”
The crew is small; there is only one student working on the crew. The crew is hoping to hire two new members.
“Currently, there's one student, which is me,” Russell said. “I recently got upgraded to the leadership position. However, typically, we have two students who each do like a full week's worth of work. But like I said, right now we just have me, but we are looking for more people.”
Russell has been on the crew for the majority of his time studying on WWC and recounted what the crew has looked like over time. It has regularly gone between one and two students due to COVID-19 and students leaving.
“So I actually started working on the Sound Lab crew — let me see — it would have been the 2020 to 2021 school year, which is, if you remember, the first COVID-19 year,” Russell said. “At that time, we had one person due to COVID-19. We had the other members of our crew leaving and whatnot. So it has fluctuated a lot between having no people, having one person and having two people. And I've been on the crew for pretty much three years.”
After joining the crew, Russel learned how to do the work. A process of trial and error.
“So before, I honestly didn't know much, I knew that you're supposed to hit record,” Russell recalls. “I knew that the buttons and knobs changed the tone a little bit, but I didn't know what anything really did. But like I said, I knew how to hit the red button, and how to perform under pressure.”
They explained their average day on the job as a crew member for the soundlab. He spends time working roughly half of his time at either of the two soundlabs as well as recording the various official music events on campus. The post recording process tends to be longer for the soundlab B projects.
“With acoustic moves you might have to do some EQ stuff, some vocals and cut a couple of lines rearrange stuff but for bigger louder more tense instrumentation, you're gonna have to get every mic setup get every everything tune, you know, get everything adjusted, how you want it and then try to mix it together and then try to have it sound good,” Russell said.
They described the most rewarding parts of the job.
“Most of it is like you're servicing like these artists that have probably never been able to record before or maybe have struggled coming out of their shell, I know I did,” Russell said. “So it's like you get a little free concert. Or you get to really help somebody push themselves.”
Junior and musician Ani Jaffe shared her experience recording with the soundlab crew.
“I think it's really cool because I don't know if I would have gotten an opportunity to have access to all of that equipment,” Jaffe said. “ I've kind of had experience in the studio, like in a studio environment. But it was kind of nice.”
She elaborated on what she had preferred about the Sound lab recording experience.
“It was really nice to be able to collaborate with other people my own age and have more say in what was going on and kind of have it be a very collaborative process,” Jaffe said.
Similarly to how Russell learned how to record and mix while working the job, Jaffe explained how having the soundlab as a campus resource helps musicians learn how to be recorded.
“Compared to the actual studio experience, there's this kind of rushed mentality of get this done because I wasn't paying to be in the studio, but like, time is money, sort of thing,” Jaffe said. “So it was nice. You will take your time and make mistakes and have a more collaborative thing. When you're in a professional recording studio, it's like this, the producer and the engineer kind of run the show.”
Jaffe shared a highlight from her experience recording her song Bruises the Son.
“We were just very committed to it,” Jaffe said. “So just like Walker's consistency and enthusiasm, and getting it done was the first time I've experienced someone being as excited about my song as I was in like a really long time.”
Russell is graduating in May 2023. As such, the crew will not only need new recording materials but also crew members.
“If you have an interest, it's a really important thing, interest, interest interest,” Russell said. “If you have the technical ability, that helps as well. But interest is where we're coming from.”
Those who would like to record at the Library Soundlab can book a recording session online and can email Walker Russell to record at soundlab B.