Do you have an inner voice that is dying to get out for some air? If you find yourself in a musical mood or just in need of some private space to let your creative side out for a quick breather, make your way over to the Silver Center where they have recently installed four stunning new practice rooms.
Four of the old rooms were completely broken down and had brand new sound systems installed.
Brad Robinson, a Music Education major with a concentration in voice, and frequent visitor of the Silver Center, provided the inside scoop on these new practice rooms and how they function.
Each of the four rooms is equipped with soundproof walls and a small panel with a few controls on it. The doors to these rooms have a special seal that the old rooms did not have, which is what makes them soundproof.
The most impressive features on the panel are the different room settings. There are six different settings you can choose between: a regular practice room, an arena, a medium or large recital hall, an auditorium or a cathedral. Each setting is tailored to give a unique sound effect that mirrors the types of sound in those atmospheres.
The purpose of the settings is to be able to practice in the environment that you will be performing in, which is incredibly useful for anyone who performs. Robinson gave a preview of a few of the settings as well as the differences between each of them.
The panel also has a recording feature that is connected to two different microphones that are inside the walls of the room. With a USB fire wire, you can download recordings onto a laptop and then continue using them outside of the practice room. The Silver Center hopes to be able to have a few of these cords to lend out in the near future, but these cords can also be found in stores such as Wal-Mart.
Anyone who does not want their recordings heard by others after they’ve left is advised to push both the rewind and fast forward buttons at the same time and it will erase what has been recorded.
The practice rooms are located on the third floor of the Silver Center, at the top of the stairs past the recreation lounge. They are available to any student that wishes to use them in their free time. You do not have to sign in or reserve any of them because they are all on first come, first serve basis.
Robinson states that, “the Silver Center always encourages all students to come in and utilize our space, especially the new practice rooms.”