St Wilfrid's Catholic High School and Sixth Form College is a mixed comprehensive school in Pontefract, Yorkshire, teaching 1650 pupils. In September 2005, their performances in Languages led to them being identified as a "High Performing Specialist School" by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, and were consequently awarded an additional specialism of Vocational from April 2006.

The Education Challenge

Keen to introduce and enhance music technology into the new music department, St Wilfrid's looked to a company that would provide a complete solution. Counterpoint's brief was to provide a comprehensive recording studio to meet current examination board requirements. The facility should give students the opportunity to learn recording, production and mastering skills, and also be of a standard to attract commercial users as a way of generating revenue for the department.

The Solution

After detailed consultation, Counterpoint designed and installed a professional studio control room based around both digital and analogue technologies.

The large format 8- bus Mackie mixing console and associated outboard effects and dynamics processing devices cater for tracking and mixing of signals, while an Alesis high-definition audio recorder ensures that pristine quality performances are always captured. All equipment is housed in a bespoke furniture configuration that includes ample space for an A/B monitoring speaker system.

A range of professional yet affordable microphones, acoustic wall treatment, DVD audio mastering instruments and various studio ancillary tools complete the installation to a standard usually only found in the commercial music industry.

A dedicated 24 track recording studio with mixing room and adjacent classroom now provide St Wilfrid's students with the opportunity to compose, arrange, produce and post-produce their own pieces using professional sounds and microphones before mastering them down to CD.

Students can now make use of equipment that can usually only be found in a dedicated professional recording studio, and have the potential of producing work of a standard for use in the professional media market.

Rob Clarke
Head of Music
St Wilfrid's Catholic High School