In New Zealand PL, a Recording Studio Opens
Jennifer Pinkowski -- Library Journal, 09/05/2007
Is Beatbooth “the first recording studio in a public library anywhere in the universe”? Librarians at New Zealand’s Palmerston North City Library (PNCL), claim it is – well, “as far as we know.” Beatbooth is a DIY recording studio housed in a previously under-used piano practice room at the Sound and Vision Zone, the Central Library’s audiovisual wing.Earlier this year, PNCL Librarians Sean Monaghan and Craig Johnston were looking for “new and innovative ways” to use the AV area, Monaghan told Library Journal. “We wanted to provide a cheap way for people to learn about music recording, and for more advanced users to make demos.” Aiming to foster creative arts, they sought to complement the professional recording space found at The Stomach, a nonprofit community arts center just around the corner—albeit within a budget of about $3000 USD.
They equipped the studio with gear that includes an iMac; ProTools recording software; an Axiom49 MIDI keyboard; and a Digidesign MBox 2 sound editor. Since it opened on May 24, Beatbooth has averaged about ten bookings a week. Most users are teenage and twentysomething musicians, who pay about $3.50 USD an hour. Drum kits aren’t allowed in Beatbooth, so some users bring drum tracks recorded at The Stomach. Others plug their guitars directly into the computer and listen through the headphones. Strings, bass, and drum tracks can all be input through the MIDI keyboard, and vocals are recorded with the built-in microphone. Users can burn finished tracks onto a CD.
Though librarians periodically give basic tutorials, the recording studio is essentially provided as is. The few libraries that have contacted PNCL about Beatbooth have been curious but cautious, Monaghan noted: “I get a sense of trepidation and fear of change.”
