MDIA Sound Studio Policies

I. Introduction

One of the many jobs required of a beginning recording engineer is to ensure that the place of employment is in proper operating order. Your current "place of employment" is the MDIA Sound Studio complex (referred to throughout as MDIA Sound). Rooms governed by these policies include:

RTVC 329: MDIA Sound Recording Studio
RTVC 315: MDIA Sound Mixing and Mastering Studio
Schoonover 448: MDIA Sound Post Production and Listening Lab
Schoonover 351: MDIA Electronics Lab

In an effort to make us all responsible users of MDIA Sound, the school has implemented the following policies. These school wide policies & procedures supersede any studio procedures that may be spelled out in course syllabi.

All students are responsible for the order and cleanliness of MDIA Sound as well as issues that may arise through the normal course of studio use. The pictures included in this manual show the condition that each of the rooms shall be in at the conclusion of any session or class of which you are part. To ensure all students are properly informed on studio operation please reference the individual room guides through this online manual.

Learn about reserving time for course assignments & projects using Media Cal.To report an issue with the studio please submit an online trouble report.

II. Access

Access to MDIA Sound facilities is provided only to students actively enrolled in courses that necessitate their specific use. If a student is not enrolled in a course that specifies one of the MDIA Sound facilities as the class location they will be denied access. Facility access is provided between the end of the first and second week of course once all students are enrolled in classes. Students should not expect access to be instantaneous as we are reliant upon OU Facilities to reprogram the locks. Students must also sign the MDIA Sound Studios Policy & Procedure Agreement.

Students access MDIA Sound facilities using student ID cards. Students who lose / replace their studnt IDs during the semester must notify the MDIA office immediately to retain access as the ID must then be reprogrammed. Students will be charged a $25 fee for all lock reprogramming after the second week of the semester. This fee is also assessed for students who add the course after the second week of the semester. Any fees associated with investigating a studio incident will be assessed to the guilty party. Please note that the MDIA Sound facilities operate 24hr/day during the semester.

III. Policies & Procedures

There are several general policies and operational guidelines which must be abided by at all times:

There is absolutely NO FOOD or DRINK of any kind allowed in ANY of the control rooms in the recording complex by anyone, including the artists you bring in to record. Water MAY be consumed in recording spaces (not control rooms) provided it is kept in a sealed container.
Bringing any alcoholic beverage or any recreational drugs into the studio is strictly prohibited by the laws of the State of Ohio.
Sessions are to be limited to 6 hours each.
You are not allowed to book back-to-back sessions.
Outside of booked sessions, MPRI students are able to use the facility for practice if it is found either a) empty and unbooked or b) empty with time abandoned. Studio time is considered abandoned if the facility is not in use within 1 hour of a session’s start time. MPRI students should use common sense when determining if the facility is likely in use and must verify availability by referencing Media Cal. Walk in sessions must operate within the boundaries of all other booked sessions. Any students found to be abusing the privilege to walk and use unbooked time will be punished accordingly.
MDIA Sound may be closed over breaks / holidays, at which time usage is prohibited. These closures are noted in MediaCal. If you do not have access to MediaCal, you should do not have access to the studio.
Equipment is to be used in a safe, orderly, and appropriate manner that does not affect / damage its normal operation.
Student Engineers will be held financially responsible for damage to any studio equipment caused by negligence that occurs during their booked studio time by any member of the party.
All studio equipment shall be inventoried (microphones, headphones, cables, etc) before and after your sessions as you are solely responsible for ensuring these items don't leave the studio.
Your scheduled studio time includes setup and cleanup so always plan accordingly.
Reports must be promptly filed via Media Cal following all studio time in which any issues within the studio should be reported (within 2-3 days). All reports should indicate complete details of issues encountered (what piece of equipment, channel number, etc.), troubleshooting steps taken, etc. Do not provide a one line incident report - the more information provided the better. If a piece of equipment is damaged, which could be confused with other (headphones, mic stands, cables, duplicate mics, etc), you should mark the gear as damaged so facility staff can easily identify the equipment in your report. Remember, failure to report an incident is an admission of culpability.
Be aware that your studio usage may be monitored and recorded as part of our ongoing livestreaming efforts.
Verify your artist’s availability prior to reserving studio time on Media Cal as time wasted due to engineer/producer negligence is unacceptable.
Studio doors are not to be blocked open at any time. Ensure that all studio doors are securely locked when leaving.
Granting studio access to unauthorized persons is strictly prohibited. This includes providing your ID to anyone not enrolled in classes that require use of MDIA Sound Studio or simply opening the door for someone. If they can't open the door with their ID, they don't need to be in the room. This also includes booking studio time for a friend, swapping hours with an individual who has run out of their allotted time (or been banned), modifying your past studio usage in Media Cal to acquire more time, or using the studio “off the books” so that it doesn’t count towards your usage.
Make sure you and everyone associated with your session understands these policies and their related consequences.

Your job at the end of your time in the studio is to "zero" the facility just like a console. This will at least include:

Zero the console.
Remove all patches and replace patch cables to the cable rack.
All mic cables properly wrapped and stored on the pegs.
All mics returned to their proper peg in the mic closet.
All headphones returned to storage pegs.
Mic stands, headphone boxes, lamps, and music stands stored neatly in a line, as illustrated in the photos below (Section IV).
Trash cans emptied if full into the dumpsters located at first-floor loading dock area.
Floors free of debris.
Video monitors and projectors in control rooms turned off.
Lights turned off by the last person to leave.
Any other miscellaneous equipment returned to the appropriate storage spaces and closets, not Isolation booths which are not storage rooms.
Foley pits closed and Foley props returned to the prop closet and organized on the shelves.
All chairs returned to their "nested" position.

IV. Violations & Consequences

If, at any time, faculty or staff finds one of the MDIA Sound Studios in anything but pristine condition or a violation of any of the policies stated above is discovered, there will be consequences.

The studio is inspected every morning for studio policy infractions: should a piece of equipment show damaged in any way, the facility be found not-zeroed (microphone cables improperly wrapped, microphones not stored in their appropriate spot, etc.), the facility found messy by the unauthorized presence of food /drink, or any other infraction of studio policy be discovered, one or all of the following corses of action will be taken:

All students may be denied entry (with the exception of regularly scheduled class meetings) for a period of time to be determined by Scripps College of Communication Faculty and Staff.
An investigation may be conducted by both the School of Media Arts & Studio and Ohio University Police into the matter.
Following the completion of MDIA and / or OUPD investigations:
- MPRI Faculty will convene within 2 days to determine an appropriate course of action.
- Offending student(s) can be fined with the loss of (at minimum) 10 hours from Media Cal. A second violation may result in a failing grade in the student’s enrolled audio course(s). MPRI faculty can, at their discretion, determine that the offense is severe enough to warrant immediate failure of their enrolled audio course.
- If any physical equipment damage is discovered to be caused by negligence during a session (by any member of a session) the engineer of record will be held financially responsible for damage and charged to the student(s) bursar account. If the damage is determined to be malicious, criminal charges may be filed against the offending student(s).
- If any facility damage is discovered to be caused by negligence during a session (by any member of a session) the engineer of record will be held financially responsible for damage and charged to the student(s) bursar account. This can include issues such as as messes caused by artists which require cleanup by facilities, damages that require repair, etc. If the damage is determined to be malicious, criminal charges may be filed against the offending student(s)

Non-equipment related violations:

Granting studio access to unauthorized persons as described above which is considered fireable offenses in a commercial facility and therefore will result in the loss of 10 hours from Media Cal. A second violation of this type may result in a failing grade in your enrolled audio course(s).
Not-reporting damage to MDIA Sound facilities is unforgivable and is considered fireable offenses in a commercial facility. This will result in the loss of a minimum of 10 hours from Media Cal. A second violation of this type may result in a failing grade in your enrolled audio course(s).
Bringing any alcoholic beverage or any recreational drugs into the studio will result in removal from the facility by OUPD, permanent suspension for the academic career of the student of MDIA Sound access privileges for all individuals present, and likely end in the filing of criminal possession charges.

Note: Consider all consequences above “minimum sentences”. The School of Media Arts & Studies in coordination with MPRI faculty have ultimate discretion as to how policies are administered. MPRI faculty can, at their discretion, determine that any offense is severe enough to warrant immediate failure of a student’s enrolled audio course, a permanent facility ban, the suggestion of criminal prosecution, and / or a damage charge to a student’s bursar account.

Keep reading for example photos of a clean MDIA Sound which are contained in Section VI.

V. Scripps College Photo Release Agreement

As indicated in my signing of the MDIA Sound Studio Policies, I either:

A: Agree to the Scripps College Photo Release Agreement
B: Decline to agree to the Scripps College Photo Release Agreement

Agreement With Ohio University

I understand that films, photographs, or reproductions have been made in which I appear. I agree to let the Scripps College of Communication, its subsidiaries, and its agents publish or make other public use of these films, photographs and other reproductions.

I also agree to give the Scripps College of Communication, its subsidiaries, and its agents all responsibility and authority for inspecting, approving and selecting these pictures.

While the Scripps College of Communication agrees not to make any deliberate distortion or other alteration of these pictures, I agree not to hold it liable for any distortion or alteration that may result.

VI. Example Photos of a Clean MDIA Sound Studio

RTV 329

RTV 315

SCHN 448