If you’re a student at Whatcom Community College (WCC) with a story to tell, the Media Center is where your creativity can shine.
Located in Learning Commons 120, the Media Center is a creative hub packed with tools for video and audio production. Whether students are working on a class project or on their own, this space gives access to professional grade equipment and an environment that opens up experimentation and the creative process.
Michael Buchanan, Media Maintenance Tech at WCC, described the two sound studios that WCC’s community has to offer: “There’s the podcast room or the voiceover room that has three mics set up at all times and it’s a really ideal space for recording interviews, podcasts, things like that.”
Buchanan was referring to Media Center rooms 120C and its connecting room 120B. In 120B, students can find a set of wall inputs where they can plug in drum kits, guitars, and vocalists – while still maintaining some isolation from the neighboring room.
“120B is also set up with video recording capabilities and lights, as well as monitors,” Buchanan said. “So you could record a video performance in there.”
There are no prerequisites for students to enter these campus spaces. In fact, Buchanan offers his support to help students first get set up, and described the many different creative paths students can use this space for.
“We have people working on their hip hop records here. We had a rock band record here last year. We often have people recording interviews or like monologues for various classes, either video with audio or strictly audio. A lot of different stuff, but overall, these rooms could see more use,” Buchanan said.
Russ Nelson, WCC’s Media Services Manager, has worked with the studios for 15 years and goes over some of the improvements he would like to see moving forward.
“The one thing I’m running into right now is our rooms are not soundproof,” Nelson said. “They’re sound dampened, okay, but you can still hear outside of the rooms, so I’ve got to limit the levels that folks can run their audio at while they’re in the rooms.”
Despite the challenges, Nelson hopes more students will take advantage of the space.
“I would love to see my workstations full of people,” Nelson said, “and of course, to support that properly [by] getting the word out there.”
If a student is new, the best way to maximize the use of these spaces would be to schedule a time with Buchanan or Nelson.
“It’s pretty open at this point as far as scheduling goes,” Buchanan said. “But it’s always helpful to sort of come in and check first before you have a project that you’re working on to sort of make sure that the studio is free, because it’s kind of first come for a serve at the moment.”
Buchanan offers open studio time with him Fridays 2-4 p.m. until the end of the school year. Those interested in taking advantage of Buchanon’s offer can email him at mbuchanan@whatcom.edu and reserve a time.
Otherwise, the Media Center is open 10 a.m. through 8 p.m., Monday through Thursday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays, excluding some holidays.
This article was written collaboratively by Hunter McGahan and Darsh Bhandari
