The recording services office works directly with audio engineering students at Jacobs to provide recording and sound reinforcement/playback services free-of-charge for all major ensemble, faculty and guest recitals, and small ensembles. Recordings are available for listening through the music library. Our office also handles all requests for duplicate copies of audio and video recordings at Jacobs.
Record your performance, get sound reinforcement, request archival recordings, and more
Contact us
Office of Recording Services
General questions: audiopro@indiana.edu
Duplication requests: recserv@indiana.edu
Events we record
- Major ensembles. This includes ensembles that fulfill the primary ensemble requirement for music majors.
- Instrumental ensembles (course number X040)
- Choral ensembles (course number X070)
- Early music ensembles (course number X060)
- Latin American Popular Music ensemble (course number X414)
- Small ensembles (course number X420)
- Departmental student composition recitals
- IU Opera and Ballet Theater performances
- Faculty and guest artist performances
- Special events as determined by the Dean of the School of Music
- Doctoral and artist diploma recitals
- Sound reinforcement for items 1-7 only
If you need only an archival recording, no action will be required on your part. The event will be recorded as part of the normal Audio Production Crew activities. Submit special requests (such as rehearsal recording) to audiopro@indiana.edu at least one week in advance. Please be aware that all audio production services are provided by Jacobs students as part of their ensemble requirement, so some requests may be impossible due to time and/or personnel limitations.
Faculty and guests, and D.M. and A.D. students are provided with a downloadable copy of their recital recording free-of-charge. You will receive an email containing the download link when the recording is ready.
Please note that the recordings are delivered as one or two large files—we do not split the recording into individual works or movements. If you have any questions, please send an email to audiopro@indiana.edu.
Events we do not record
- All student recitals other than doctoral and artist diploma recitals. This includes junior, senior, masters, performer diploma and non-degree student recitals.
- Other ensemble recitals excepting those listed above
- Masterclasses
- Lectures
Outside contractors
You may use an outside contractor to record your recital. The contractor must conform to School of Music policies and observe the hall scheduling guidelines. School of Music recording and sound reinforcement equipment is not available for use by outside contractors.
Sound reinforcement
We provide sound reinforcement for items 1-7 listed above. Please submit your request directly to audiopro@indiana.edu no less than two weeks in advance.
Priority is given to Jacobs major ensembles and the IU Opera and Ballet Theater. Beyond that, requests are fulfilled on a first-come first-served basis. Some requests may not be possible due to concurrent events and/or time and personnel limitations. Requests submitted less than two weeks in advance will be fulfilled at the Department of Audio Engineering and Sound Production's discretion. Please check our sound reinforcement recommendations before sending your email.
For all other recitals, Recital Hall, Ford Hall, and Auer Hall have self-service sound systems with limited capabilities. Please check with the Office of Facilities for more information.
- In your email requesting sound reinforcement, describe your event completely, including instrumentation, microphone and effects processing requirements, monitor mixes; and a diagram of the ensemble's setup configuration.
- You must schedule a rehearsal with the sound reinforcement equipment. This is necessary to ensure a high level of quality. If possible, schedule the rehearsal in the timeslot immediately prior to the concert so the sound reinforcement equipment will not have to be removed and settings will not have to be recalled.
- Plan on sufficient setup and teardown time for the sound reinforcement equipment. This must be included in the scheduled rehearsal and performance time. We recommend that you schedule a minimum of 90 minutes for setup and one hour for teardown. If your setup is very simple (ex. a couple of microphones and/or prerecorded sound playback), one hour of setup should be sufficient. Please contact us to discuss your event as soon as possible at audiopro@indiana.edu.
- Allow time for a sound check prior to the concert. This is critical, for us to deliver high quality service. If no sound check is scheduled, we cannot guarantee a minimum quality. It is necessary for the ensemble to play briefly to confirm that the system is working correctly and to recall the system configuration.
Technical information
There is no user operable system in the Musical Arts Center. Only audio engineering faculty, staff, and students may operate the sound reinforcement equipment.
- Maximum of 32 microphones and/or DI inputs
- Eight wireless microphones
- CD and laptop computer playback
- Four monitor mixes (five monitor speakers)
- Configurable speaker system from mono to multichannel
Self-service user operable sound reinforcement system with a classroom technology podium. One handheld wireless microphone and one lavalier microphone. These microphones are appropriate for lectures and lecture-recitals. There is also a microphone mixer and four additional microphone inputs. For more complex productions, the Department of Audio Engineering can provide the following:
- Maximum of 24 microphones or DI inputs on stage
Laptop computer playback - Four wireless microphones
- Four monitor mixes with four monitor speakers
- Stereo or four-channel speaker system
We strongly encourage performers to use the house system. It is very high quality and tuned specifically to Auer Hall. However, the performer may provide their own sound reinforcement system if they have the capability. The Department of Audio Engineering will not provide personnel or technical assistance for user-provided sound systems and equipment.
User operable portable sound system with one wired microphone and connectivity for iPod/iPhone or laptop computer playback. Contact the Office of Facilities for more information.
For more complex productions the Department of Audio Engineering can provide the following:
- Maximum of 16 microphones or DI inputs on stage
- Laptop computer playback
- Two wireless microphones
- Two monitor mixes with four monitor speakers
- Stereo speaker system
Self-service, user operable sound reinforcement system with CD playback, one handheld wireless microphone and one lavalier microphone suitable for lectures and lecture-recitals. The Department of Audio Engineering does not support sound reinforcement in Recital Hall.
Recording duplication requests
If you would like to request a copy of a Jacobs School of Music audio or video recording, send an email to recserv@indiana.edu. Please include the following information:
- Name of performer and/or ensemble
- Date of performance
- Performance venue
- Your role in the performance (D.M. recital, soloist etc.)
- Please note that D.M. and A.D. students receive a downloadable copy of their recital at no additional cost. We will email you when your recording is ready. For all other requests, copies are $15 each.
- All audio and video recordings are delivered as downloadable files. DVDs of IU Opera and Ballet Theater Performances prior to August 2016 remain available.
- To request a copy of a student recital, Jacobs School ensemble concert, or IU Opera and Ballet Theater performance, you must have participated as a performer. For all others permission is required from the principle performer or conductor. Certain concerts may have prohibitions on duplication. We will not make copies of commercial recordings.
- Recordings made prior to January 2007 have been transferred to the Media Digitization and Preservation Initiativeand are currently unavailable for duplication.
Recording sessions
To arrange a recording session, please contact Konrad Strauss, chair of the Department of Audio Engineering and Sound Production, at kstrauss@indiana.edu. While we will make every effort to accommodate session requests, limited facilities, time constraints, and availability of qualified personnel may make some requests impossible. See item number 7 in our policies below for student recording session information.
We will begin accepting reservations for the fall semester on September 2, 2019.
- All recording session requests must be submitted by a full-time School of Music faculty member or official School of Music Ensemble to the Performance Coordinating Committee and the Director of Audio Engineering and Sound Production.
- A School of Music faculty member must have significant participation as performer, conductor, or composer, or else the session must involve an official School of Music Ensemble.
- School of Music Ensembles may schedule recording sessions at the same time they schedule events for the composite calendar. After approval by the Performance Coordinating Committee, the director of the ensemble or the department must confirm the session dates and times with the Director of Audio Engineering and Sound Production.
- All requests other than those cited under (3) must be submitted in writing to the Performance Coordinating Committee and include the following: dates and exact session times, recording venue, participants, and repertoire; and if recorded by someone other than the Audio Engineering and Sound Production Department, recording engineer or company, and record label (if any).
- Recording sessions may not be scheduled during the fall semester after Thanksgiving break and or during the spring semester after March 31, with the exception of School of Music Ensembles who have scheduled their recording sessions as part of the composite calendar.
- After the deadlines listed under (5), sessions may be scheduled no more than two weeks in advance, subject to the availability of the halls and recording personnel. Such sessions will be considered on a case-by-case basis by the Performance Coordinating Committee and the Director of Audio Engineering and Sound Production.
- Student recording sessions in Ford and Recital Halls, for the purpose of auditions, competitions, and grant or scholarship applications, will be exempt from the above policies with the following stipulations. 1) They must follow normal rehearsal scheduling guidelines. 2) The recording may not be used for commercial release. 3) The Audio Engineering and Sound Production Department does not provide recording session services for students. They are free to engage a private contractor or make the recording on their own. Student recording sessions are not allowed in Auer Hall unless they are part of an official SOM ensemble or SOM class.
- While every effort will be made to accommodate recording session requests, the School of Music and the Audio Engineering and Sound Production Department have limited facilities, and only a limited number of Audio Engineering and Sound Production students are qualified to conduct recording sessions unsupervised. For these reasons, the Performance Coordinating Committee and the Director of Audio Engineering and Sound Production reserve the right to deny requests.