For the past two years, six months, and 12 days, Marauder Music Productions held their weekly meetings in a cramped classroom in the basement of Jefferson Hall. They recorded bands from inside a closet, which acted as a makeshift sound booth, and used one computer with an outdated version of ProTools to record. The ceilings were a shocking yellow and the water fountains almost touched the floor. The ceiling panels had painted handprints and fluffy, sponge-painted clouds over every square inch.
Wait a minute; Millersville University has a recording studio on campus? And they record in a closet?
The student-run record label and music organization Marauder Music Productions (previously called “First Dimension Records”) has in fact been around for several years. Since the groundbreaking of the new Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center went underway, the studio (previously located in Lyte Auditorium) moved to the basement of Jefferson Hall, which has always been used as a daycare center.
The Music Business and Technology students had to adjust to this dynamic change – how many other colleges were recording bands from inside a congested closet where little children used to hang their coats and snacks?
Probably not very many.
The MB&T students at Millersville adjusted quite nicely, producing a few albums for local and student bands and holding a concert every semester to raise money and awareness of their organization. Many Millersville students are not aware of MMP’s existence, which is about to change this year.
Thanks to the generous donation from Charles and Anita Winter, Lyte Auditorium has undergone a major facelife. The new Winter Visual and Performing Arts Center is 59,452 square feet and features a scenery workshop, art gallery, percussion and ensemble rooms, 40-station piano lab, dance studio, music library, 300-seat concert hall, 150-seat recital hall, a 650-seat performance hall, and a recording studio suite. It cost $26 million to build.
The new Steinman Foundation Recording Suite has three rooms – an isolation room, recording room, and a spacious rehearsal room. The studio is equipped with a 7.1 Surround Sound system and uses a ProTools D-Control board. Students can view and record every performance space in the VPAC without leaving the studio and Clair Brothers, the premier global sound reinforcement provider and internationally recognized audio industry leader, installed all of the high-tech equipment.
Dr. Jennifer Jester, Director of the Music Business and Technology program, wants to give her students real-world simulation experiences. There are five student workers who will be trained to use the new equipment, and once the kinks are worked out, they will train new students in the recording process.
“We are just getting to the point where we’re going to start using (the studio) for the electronic music class… we’re still a little nervous, but once we get more people using it and working out the problems and issues, the process will become easier,” said Jester.
The Music Business and Technology program will use this studio to record their new house band, record projects for classes, and will now be the permanent space for Marauder Music Productions. MMP will continue to record bands, hold annual CD release shows and benefit concerts, and gather together to learn more about the music industry through guest speakers and real-world experiences. Dr. Jester plans to take several members to the NAMM show (National Association for Music Merchants), held in Anaheim, Calif., next semester.
MMP has left the confines of closet for the shiny, fancy, high-tech (and overwhelming) new suite. Students hope the new studio will enrich their learning experience and better prepare them for the world of the recording industry.
Rory Flynn, a senior MB&T major, said, “I think the studio is great! The technology that we have access to out-of-sight!” Flynn plans to utilize the new facility to rehearse with groups, become well trained with the equipment, “and record a lot of music!”
Freshman Milan Credle plans on using the space “towards the progression of MMP” and “helping the bands/artists that are involved with recording, mixing and mastering, and [using] the delicate instruments we have been blessed with.”
Marauder Music Productions is a growing organization. They began in Lyte Auditorium with limited resources and regressed to a closet with even fewer resources, but the students never gave up. They used the unique space as a growing experience. The students are constantly marketing their organization and recording as often as possible in the new studio.
MMP is a requirement for all Music Business majors, but they open their doors to the entire student body. The organization is for anyone who loves music and wants to meet people with the same interests.
Christina Berg, a senior and President of Marauder Music Productions, said, “Our goal is to provide all things musical to musicians, bands, and campus organizations. I like the opportunities we can give to students to perform and use their skills to try new things… or make mistakes trying! It is college after all!”
For more information on Marauder Music Productions, please visit their Millersville Get Involved website: https://involved.millersville.edu/organization/mmp