O2 Academy Bristol and Professional Music Technology visit - somerset music industry links

  Music Technology students from Strode College visited the O2Academy in Bristol this month for a technical tour of the venue. 

The sound and lighting manager Matt Royston-Bishop took the group backstage, on stage and behind the main mixing console. 

He explained the features of the digital desks and how the sound is sent all around the venue from the stage.

 The students had a chance to operate the mixing console and ask questions of a highly experienced sound engineer. This is part of a wider focus on building awareness and creating links in the local music industry. Music tutor Adrian Smith commented “ We have now established a link with the O2 in Bristol and built this visit into the live sound and technical stage management areas of the course.”

 Matt discussed a typical band 'rider' using the actual documents sent in by the 'Kerrang' tour playing the day after we visited. Earlier, the students had all crammed into the small and slightly smelly band dressing room backstage and got to step into the, even smaller, amp room that houses the 25,000Watts of power that make the sound system in the O2 so powerful.The 15 bass bins sounded very cool.

After the visit we all stopped off at Bristol's biggest and best music retailer - PMT "Professional Music Technology' to check out the guitars, basses, drum kits, keyboards, studio kit and synthesizers on sale. This is a truly awesome shop and well worth a visit.

Its not every day you get to try a £4,000 guitar!

BTEC and A Level Music Technology at Strode College - We have a number of  students who have gained work in live sound including Dave Perry who works at the Octagen in Yeovil, Ollie Chamberlain who works for Vortex Events Ltd and Bruce Macdonald who is currently touring the UK as sound engineer for an up and coming metal band. He is also studying for a Foundation Degree in Live Sound down in Plymouth. 

 

Sofie Hunter (Shepton Mallet) is currently studying the BTEC Music Technology course. Alongside her studies she works for a local live sound company running the sound and stage for corporate events and festivals including Farm Fest in Bruton. 

Here she is running the Yamaha digital sound desk at Strode Theatre during a recent Strode College concert.