Montgomery County Community College’s Sound Recording and Music Technology Program is gaining a new, state-of-the-art mixing suite that will be a world-class addition to the already robust curriculum and experience offered to it’s students. The new facility will seamlessly incorporate industry standard digital and analog equipment, proving to be a recording studio rivaling all like it on the East Coast, and also serving as a destination for major recording artists.
AroundAmbler.com was lucky enough to not only get a tour of the new facility and mixing suite, which is on track to open in January, but also speak with David Ivory, one of the visionaries behind the project.
photo © David Ivory
In addition to being an assistant professor and coordinator of the Sound Recording and Music Technology program at MCCC, Ivory is owner of Ivory Productions, working with and recording some of the music industry’s biggest names. He is a Grammy-nominated and multi-platinum music engineer and producer, and has earned numerous awards for his work, including three Gold and two Platinum awards from the Recording Industry Association of America for his work with: The Roots, Erykah Badu, Patti LaBelle, Syleena Johnson and Halestorm among others. Ivory also serves as a national trustee representing Philadelphia for The Recording Academy (aka the Grammys).
photo © MCCC
He and Michael Kelly, co-coordinator and professor of MCCC’s Sound Recording and Music Technology program, believe that with the addition of the mixing suite, the students will experience the entire scope of the recording process, and learn the real world experience of the music business. The students will have the opportunity to collaborate with artists and industry professionals who will be invited to use the facility and share their expertise. In turn, the students will gain invaluable and experiential skills, while intimately learning how the music business operates and get professional recording credits in the process. Ivory explains the main reasons behind the new facility:
“…to get the students involved with serious recording artists, not just hobbyists…we want them exposed to great singers and great players, which will help their ability to record….The best studios draw the best artists and create a music scene. That’s what we want to do at Montgomery County Community College and that will help cultivate the music scene here in the County as well as the Philadelphia region…we want this to be a ‘destination spot’ for artists passing through town.”
renderings courtesy David Ivory / © MCCC
The suite design was commissioned by the College and was created by John Storyk of the Walters-Storyk Design Group, who’s design resume includes: Electric Lady Studios for Hendrix, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Jay Z Studios, NYU, and Alicia Keys Oven Studios in New York.
The cost to design, build, and equip the mixing suite with technology is approximately $1.2 million. The College received a grant from the from the PA Department of Education for fifty percent and the remainder will be funded through private support and additional grants. Additional donations are being sought for to support funds for student scholarships and experiential learning labs. For more information on raising funds to support this invaluable project, donate here.