University of Salford S6

University of Salford Upgrades to Avid S6 Consoles

Being an educator in sound engineering isn’t easy. You need to be not only technically excellent, but also forward-thinking enough to prepare the next generation of audio professionals for an industry that evolves rapidly.

The audio engineering team at the prestigious University of Salford understands this perfectly. When it came time to replace their ageing Avid D-Command and Avid S5 consoles, they looked five years into the future to ensure their students would be job-ready upon graduation.

Bernard Steer, Creative Technical Demonstrator, explains:
“When you invest in new equipment for a university, you have to imagine what the audio world — both in music and post-production — will look like by the time the current students graduate. If you get it wrong, they won’t be ready for the industry. Being able to think ahead is absolutely crucial.”

After careful consideration, the university chose the Avid S6 — specifically an M10 and an M40 — to upgrade its two main training studios.

Steer continues:
“The D-Command and S5 were reaching the end of their lifecycle, so we needed the right long-term solution. Looking at a five-year plan, the Avid S6 stood out clearly. Larger production houses are steadily transitioning to the S6, so we wanted our students to be training on the same console they’re likely to use professionally after three or four years with us. The modular design of the S6 also allowed us to replace the consoles like-for-like in both studios.”

Steer is particularly impressed with the new desks.
“I really like the Spill function and how the S6 handles metering and channel locking,” he says. “It’s excellent for teaching.”

Alongside the S6 consoles, the university installed the Avid Pro Tools | MTRX monitoring system with extensive analogue and digital I/O, making both studios fully Dolby Atmos ready and capable of handling the most demanding music and post-production work.

Having two identical studios has been a big advantage for both students and staff.

“Students are creatures of habit,” Steer notes. “They don’t like switching between completely different setups. Because both studios are now the same, they can get straight to work without relearning the layout. It also makes life easier for the lecturers, as we can quickly reset the console to our preferred configuration after students have been experimenting.”

The upgrade is also helping attract new talent.
“Prospective students pay close attention to the equipment when choosing where to study,” says Steer. “The S6 definitely has that ‘wow’ factor when people visit our facilities, and that can make a real difference.”

Eric Joseph, Managing Director of Mediaspec, who supplied and installed the new systems, is equally pleased:

“We were delighted to work with the University of Salford on this project. They were impressed with our competitive pricing and already knew us through our many clients in the nearby MediaCity area. The choice of the S6 consoles was excellent — it future-proofs their facilities. Combined with the expertise of their teaching staff, the University of Salford is set to go from strength to strength.”