The Academy of Sound Engineering (ASE) in South Africa opened the doors to a
second campus earlier this year, headed up by musician, engineer, producer and
long-time Audient user, Keith Farquharson. Overseeing the project from the early
days of its technology specification, right through to welcoming the first intake of
students in February 2016, Farquharson has drawn on his considerable experience in
both the live and studio business to realise this goal.

“Significant time and investment have been spent on creating recording spaces that
not only sound good, but give students the feel of being in a genuine recording
studio environment rather than a classroom,’ he explains. “To that end, having the
consistency of Audient hardware in each room, has made a tremendous contribution
to that.’ As an Audient stalwart, it’s perhaps unsurprising to find that he’s specified
British studio gear throughout Cape Town ASE. “Apart from the 36-channel ASP8024
console with patchbay in the main room, there is an iD14 at each workstation in the
Computer Lab and even a Zen in the smaller mixing and mastering room.’

For the last nine years Farquharson has been Afro-fusion band, Freshlyground’s
sound engineer, winning a South African Music Award (SAMA) for Best Engineer for
their Radio Africa album in 2011. “I’ve had an Audient console in every studio I’ve
owned since I bought my first ASP8024 in 2001,’ he adds, underlining Audient’s
suitability for Academy of Sound Engineering. “It was the ideal choice for the school
in terms of value-for-money, reliability, and most of all, the intuitive way the
console is laid out makes it perfect for teaching.’

The Academy of Sound Engineering was founded in 1997 and prides itself as South
Africa’s largest tertiary education provider in the field of Music Production and
Sound Engineering Technology, offering a three-year Diploma in Audio Technology
and the country’s only Bachelor of Science Degree in Sound Engineering Technology.
The sister campus in Johannesburg operates out of the premises of the SABC, the
country’s national broadcaster, and in February this year expanded to a bespoke
studio complex right across the road.

Fully committed to his role as MD at the Academy of Sound Engineering in Cape
Town, Farquharson is already thinking of future expansion. “The next purchase will
definitely be the ASP8024 Heritage Edition,’ he asserts.