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Recording
Services

Recording Policies

Studio Use Policy

USC School of Music Recording Policies

All official School of Music events held in the Recital Hall (206), Instrumental Rehearsal Room (016), or Choral Rehearsal Room (006) during an academic term are eligible to be recorded. For recording outside of the School of Music building, please contact the Recording Engineer directly.

Recording of Public Performances:

Student Recitals:

Recitals are not automatically recorded. A Request for Recording Form must be filled out and turned in, along with any applicable fees, to Laveta Gibson in the School of Music front office (101) at least three weeks before the event. Requests made less than three weeks beforehand may not be honored and will be subject to a late fee.

Click here to get the recital scheduling and recording forms.

Copies may be picked up from the School of Music front office (101). They are typically ready one week after the performance date, longer at the end of semesters.

Fees must be paid in advance.

Graduate students (performance majors): You must provide one copy of your recital (on Compact Disc) for inclusion in the School of Music Archive. If you elect to utilize the SOM Recording Services, the first CD will be entered directly into the SOM Archive and the Graduate Music Office will be notified.

SOM Ensemble Concerts/Faculty Recitals/Guest Artist Concerts:

All official concerts by SOM ensembles, faculty members, and guest artists are recorded for the School of Music Archive. The ensemble director, faculty member, or guest artist will receive one CD copy of the event free of charge. Additional copies may be ordered by contacting the recording engineer.

MUSC 100 Seminar:

Other Events:

Please contact the Recording Engineer directly for availability of staff and equipment.

SOM Recording Archives:

All SOM ensemble concerts, faculty recitals, and guest artist concerts will be recorded and archived in the Music Library on Compact Disc. Graduate students must provide a copy of their recital for inclusion in the School of Music Archive. This copy must be on Compact Disc for performance majors and VHS videotape for conducting majors. Once these media enter the non-circulating Archive, they will only be handled by Music Library staff and the Recording Engineer. Copies of any archived performance may be obtained from the Music Library Archive for the fees listed below.

Special Project Assignment:

Except for the recording of public performances, the Music Technology Committee will determine which ensembles and faculty projects are recorded and prioritize these projects. All requests must go through the Music Technology Committee.

Non-SOM Projects:

For demos, audition tapes, and recording sessions, please contact the Recording Engineer directly. The Recording Engineer will assign a recording area employee to the project and schedule a session. At least one member of the group being recorded must be a staff member or full-time major in the School of Music. All members of the group agree to adhere to University, School of Music, and Recording Studio policies. The School of Music charges for both studio usage (on an hourly basis) and supplies. Studio time may be limited due to the availability of facilities and staff. Fees are listed below.

Non-School of Music recording and editing projects are outside the scope of the Recording Engineer's job description, but may be undertaken during off-hours.

Fees:

Note: Because compatible stock is required to insure quality duplication, no outside stock will be accepted.

Student Use of Recording Facilities:

Recording area employees and students enrolled in recording classes are eligible to use the Recording Studio (019). These individuals, with permission of the SOM recording engineer, may use 019 for Non-SOM Projects in accordance with the SOM Recording Policies and 019 Studio Policies. All hourly fees and stock charges apply.

The Legal stuff:

The University of South Carolina School of Music retains all mechanical rights to all recordings created in, through, or by its recording facilities or staff. These rights extend only to the recording itself, not the underlying music work. The individual or group requesting recording services is responsible for obtaining all necessary copyright clearances for the underlying musical works. By requesting recording services through the School of Music's recording facilities or staff, the requester agrees that any portion of the recording may be used for advertising or promotion for the University or School of Music. Recordings are intended for archive, instruction, demo and audition purposes only. Release of the mechanical rights for commercial purposes must be negotiated separately.

Studio C Policies

Security:

• No food or drink in the studio at any time.
• No one other than recording students or someone directly related with an ongoing session in the studio at any time. This means musicians, composers, and producers only! People wanting tours should contact the School of Music Recording Engineer during business hours.
• Never leave the studio door propped open or the studio insecure.
• When you enter the studio, check to see that the red ARMED light is lit. If it is, type in your code on the keypad. The green READY TO ARM light should light. You may now enter the studio.

Microphones:

• All microphones are expensive, delicate instruments. Handle them with extreme care and guard them at all times. Mics are either magnetic or electrostatic and will therefore attract dust and metal particles. Use a windscreen or pop filter for vocal mics. Do not touch the capsules with anything. Move them directly from their case to a microphone stand and back again. Do not place them in your pocket, or on any surface.
• Inventory all microphones at the start and end of every session - whether or not you are actually using any microphones. This is the first thing you should do after turning off the alarm when you arrive and the last thing you should do before turning on the alarm when you leave. If the inventory does not match the previous inventory, leave a message on 7-6406 voice mail. This will time stamp your call.
• When your are finished recording, immediately collect all microphones before doing anything else. Do not leave microphones unattended in an empty room or while musicians are packing up.

Normalling/Clean-up:

• Normal the studio completely at the end of every session.
• Set all faders to zero, all knobs fully counter clock-wise (or at the center detent if it exists), all pans to center, all switches up, EQs at unity and out, etc. (recall NORMALLED snapshot)
• Be sure the control room and headphone monitor volumes are turned all the way down.
• Pull all patches and hang the patch cords with others of like size.
• All mic cables must be coiled with Over-Under cable coiling method (starting @ the female XLR)
• Store mic stands in their collapsed position.
• If you have used the A/V systems in 006 or 016, set the speaker switch back to classroom.
• If you have used the A/V systems in 040 or 059, set the Control Room Playback level control to off.
• Remove all personal items from the studio when you leave.

Log book:

• Fill out a log sheet for every session.
• Be sure to enter your actual session start and end times and who else was involved.
• Log all technical problems. Be sure to be specific about your signal chain, patching, specific gear involved, etc. If a problem cannot be recreated, it cannot be fixed. If a problem has not been logged, it does not exist!

Media Stock:

• Media stock in the stock drawer is only for recitals and School of Music projects.
• All stock used should be noted on the stock drawer sheet.
• You must provide stock for personal projects and class work. Stock may be purchased from the School of Music or from third parties.

Power up:

• Make sure the control room and headphone monitor volumes are turned all the way down.
• Go to the left rack in the machine room. At the very top is the FSR SP-ES power sequencer. Press the System Power button and wait. Power-up takes about a minute
• Start computers from their front panel.

Power down:

• Turn the control room and headphone monitor volumes all the way down.
• Make sure there are no tape or CDs in any machines.
• Shutdown all computers and wait for them to turn completely off.
• Shutdown the console. Press and hold SHIFT and CTRL, then press ALT. Press ENTER to confirm the shutdown.
• Go to the left rack in the machine room. At the very top is the FSR SP-ES power sequencer. Press the System Power button and wait. Power-down takes about a minute. Do not turn off the red circuit breakers.

Booking the Studio:

• Recording area employees and students enrolled in recording classes (MUSC 365, 399, 565, 566, and 567) are eligible to reserve time in the recording studio.
• Students must pass a policies quiz before they may schedule time in the studio.
• Booking time in the studio does not give the user permission to use any other space in the School of Music building. These spaces (i.e. 006, 016, 040, 059, and 206) must be booked separately.
• Students are allotted studio time based on their course enrollment. MUSC 365: 10 sessions. MUSC 565 & 566: 12 sessions. MUSC 567: 15 sessions.
• Students who have completed MUSC 365 but are not currently enrolled in a recording course may request sessions, based on studio availability.
• The studio calendar is available online here.
• The following session times are typically available for booking:

• Session time will be deducted for all sessions booked, whether used or not. You are responisble for passing the studio keys onto the next session, even if you decide not to use a session or to end a session early.

• Leave the studio keys with the inventory clipboard in the mic cabinet. They will be passed from session to session.
• There is an additional key to the 019 door that can be temporarily signed out from the Music Library (2nd floor) during normal Library hours. You will have to leave your student ID. Use the library key to get the master set from the studio, and return the key to the library. The library key should never be checked out for more than 5 minutes. Pay attention to the library hours when you schedule your sessions.
• Library Hours (subject to change - confirm with Music Library):

Violations

• Violations of any USC, School of Music, or studio policies can result in loss of hours or studio priviledges.