Most of the information in these "CCRMA room guides" are out of date as of 2022, with a mixture of still-true and no-longer-true information and many marked as obsolete/archived. For current documentation about specific rooms try https://ccrma.stanford.edu/docs/rooms.html
The following guidelines are intended to keep the CCRMA facilities functioning at an optimal level for all users. Please read this guide fully before making request for use and to facilitate your experience in organizing a successful event.
CCRMA resources including the Stage are dedicated to music making, composition, performance, research and education, and are to be used according to Stanford policies. Stage may not be used for unsanctioned personal or private purposes.
Access is limited to faculty, students and guests of the department with prior reservation.
http://ccrma.stanford.edu/rooms
With the exception of the Recording Studio you can reserve any of the following rooms. If you would like to reserve the Stage, it would be best to contact a staff member before making a reservation in the system. Please be reasonable and respectful with the amount of time you reserve and when.
In respecting the creative privacy of others, check this schedule before entering any of the spaces. If you will not be using the space, delete it from the reservation system, and in times of high demand it would be appropriate to send a note to local-users, letting the community know about the availability.
Please keep the rooms clear of trash, even if you find some in there when you arrive. And, please never place food or liquids anywhere near the gear.
Point your browser to: http://ccrma.stanford.edu/rooms.
There you will meet the CCRMA "Meeting Room Booking System" which looks like this:
Notice that time is on a 24 hour clock and in increments of 15 minutes. Stanford events (especially classes) tend to be scheduled often at 5 minute increments. For our purposes, please round to the nearest 15 minute increment.
To make a reservation simply click on the table cell whose column is the room you wish to reserve and row is start time of your reservation. You'll then be presented login screen that looks like this:
Enter your CCRMA username and password. You'll then go to the reservation web form. In this example, on the 'rooms' homepage I clicked on the 'Seminar Room' column and chose to reserve the room beginning at noon. Fill in the "Description" fields, select the length of time, leave the "Type" field at the default "Internal." You can also schedule recurring reservations!
Press 'Save.'
You'll be brought back to the homepage. If you scroll down to the time of your registration you'll see something like this:
CCRMA resources including the Stage are dedicated to music making, composition, performance, research and education, and are to be used according to Stanford policies. The Stage may not be used for unsanctioned personal or private purposes.
Access is limited to faculty, students and guests of the department with prior reservation.
Here is a chronological ordering of steps you should take to prepare for a performance:
Additionally, it is possible to record your lab session or performance with prior notification.
The Stage is CCRMA’s 100-seat modular concert space (25' x 55'). It is equipped with 16 high-quality loudspeakers and a digital mixing console for sound manipulation, two computers (Mac Mini and Linux), a DVD/CD player and an LCD projector for multi-media presentations. A Yamaha Disklavier (DC7 Pro) piano is also available along with a performance lighting system. The room is acoustically treated, with acoustically sealed windows and doors, and adjustable acoustic window coverings.
Security is a prime concern due to expensive equipment located in the Stage. Security depends on the doors remaining locked at all times: access is handled by electronic sensors at the doors that can be activated by Stanford ID cards that have been entered into the CCRMA security system or by a temporary access card we can provide. Front and rear doors are acoustically sealed and should not be propped open with doorstop wedges underneath the door as this will damage the seals. Doors must be left closed and locked after regular weekday business hours. This is the user's responsibility. The exterior doors of the building will be opened by staff during the event's hours.
The lighting and sound systems are complicated and will require a staff member who is familiar with the CCRMA equipment to set up. Arrangements should be made with CCRMA staff well ahead of any event to be sure the technical requirements can be handled. Direct audio and video connections from laptop computers are possible as well as DVD and multi-channel music playback from the CCRMA computers. Some configurations require significant setup, so advance notice of the technical requirements is absolutely necessary.
The sound system features a Yamaha DM-1000 mixer which feeds 4 ADAM S3a, 4 ADAM P33 and 8 ADAM P2.5 loudspeakers (this last 8 mounted in the ceiling of the Stage). Six microphones and stands are available along with six music stands. Mics are kept locked and can be obtained from staff and cables are stored in the adjacent Conference Room closet. 16-tracks of digital audio output are available from the Linux computer system and the Mac Mini can connect through any multi-channel external sound card or through its built-in stereo output. Stereo CD-R recordings for archival use are available from a system consisting of a pair of overhead Sennheiser MKH20 microphones connected to an Aphex preamp and Tascam CD recorder. The DVD player sends only a stereo output to the mixer but down-samples the 5.1 output to stereo internally. Several spotlights are controlled from a DMX light board but require manual configuration by CCRMA staff. Please do not alter any wiring without assistance from CCRMA staff.
A tuning of the piano can be arranged prior to the performance by specific request at the renter/user's expense.
Booking the Stage can also include the reservation of a “green room” studio behind the stage with a private restroom for performers.
The 100 chairs in the room can be set in different formations according to the events' needs.
Scheduling the Stage Book the Stage online at: ccrma.stanford.edu/rooms.
Login requires your CCRMA USERNAME AND PASSWORD. Booking the Stage requires an sign-off by CCRMA staff or faculty for non-departmental events. Every effort will be made to accommodate all users, but in case of scheduling conflicts, priorities will be given first to CCRMA/Composition related work including Degree-in-Progress students and then to other approved guests.
After you first arrive:
When you leave, leave the room in good order:
Users are responsible for the equipment. If studio equipment is damaged through misuse or carelessness, you will be billed for its replacement. Smoking, eating or drinking other than water, are not allowed.
The equipment in each room is configured to allow for flexible interconnections. Please do not move or disconnect any cables or equipment. Only faculty and staff are to disconnect or reconfigure any cabling, or physically move any piece of equipment
System hardware: if you need to move or rearrange any system hardware during your scheduled time, ask for assistance to a staff member. Allow time during your session for setup and for putting back everything as it was.
If you need software installed for specialized work, contact nando@ccrma.stanford.edu.
System configurations: Do not alter various system settings and configurations. The use of certain software may require changes. Should these be changed during a lab session they should be set to their normal settings at the end of the session. If you are unsure of what the normal settings are for a given machine see the appropriate staff or faculty.
Stage's equipment and manuals should not be removed from the room at any time.
A key card system allows all faculty, staff, students and guests 24 hour access to the CCRMA facilities including the Stage.
CCRMA faculty maintains exclusive authority to grant or revoke card access as well as temporary restrict access to limit an individual's access to the rooms or a combination of rooms.
Since the Access System records all card activity 24 hours a day, make sure you do not lend your card to anyone else since this could cause the card owner to be held responsible for the room and its contents. You will be held accountable for access granted with your card. If you are approached for access to the room from someone without a CCRMA ID, please contact networth@ccrma.stanford.edu.
Always remember to save your work and your mixer patches on the standard compact flash card for the digital mixer. Properly name and lock your patch.
Users are welcome to bring their own gear into the room for use on their own projects.
Please disconnect and remove your equipment from the room after use.
CCRMA is not responsible for instruments or equipment left unattended in the room. We cannot store equipment and the Stage is not a storage area.
All stage equipment is not to be moved without prior permission from CCRMA Staff or Faculty.
Contacts at CCRMA include:
There are several multi-channel laptop workstations in the Knoll. One in the Ballroom computer cluster (Room 216), one in the 2nd Floor Grad Area (Room 201), and one in Grand Central Station (Room 209). Each is equiped with a USB soundcard and 4 speakers configured for easy connection to your laptop. Quad Speaker SystemEach station has four Adam A3X studio monitor speakers. The volume levels have been set for you, so you shouldn't have to adjust them.USB SoundcardEach station has a UA-101 USB soundcard. The Cakewalk UA-101 is a USB professional audio interfase. It connects to a computer thorugh USB2 and has 8 channels of analog I/O (up to 192KHz / 24 bit), SP/DIF and MIDI input / output connections. Two front panel inputs include good quality microphone preamps. The UA-101 can be used from Windows, OSX and Linux. See below for a link to a local copy of the manual (only available for logged in users).
Driver installationIf you are running a flavor or Windows or OSX in your computer you will need to install a driver before connecting your laptop to the soundcard. No driver is needed if you are running Linux.Go to the Cakewalk Driver Download site for the UA-101, agree to the licensing terms, and download the appropriate driver for your operating system and version. Install the driver by following the instructions in the download page (there are drivers available for the 32 and 64 bit versions of Windows 7 and Vista, the 32 bit version of Windows XP and for OSX Snow Leopard -10.6- and previous versions -10.4 and 10.5). Changing the Sampling RateUse the "SAMPLE RATE" switch in the front panel to specify the sample rate at which you want to record and play back audio data. If you change the setting of this switch, you must exit all software, switch off the UA-101 (use the "OUTPUT/POWER" knob in the front panel), then turn it back on again. You must set this to match the sample rate of the software you’re using. If you’re using external synchronization mode (digital input switch turned on), the sample rate of your external device must also match this setting.NOTE: If you have to change the sampling rate while you are working with applications, first make sure you've saved your session files, because doing so may have unpredictable results. Limitations when using the 192 kHz setting• The digital input connector and digital output connector cannot be used.• Input jacks 7/8 and output jacks 7/8 cannot be used. Output Volume ControlThe "OUTPUT/POWER" knob in the front panel only controls the volume of the headphone mix. To change the output volume use the knobs on the speaker themselves. |
The Listening Room is a 3D studio with multiple speakers (7 hang from the ceiling, 8 surround the listening area at ear level and 7 more are below an acoustically transparent grid floor).
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The Max Lab is the hub of what we call Physical Interaction Design at CCRMA. Named after Max Mathews, the Max Lab is where we focus on hardware and software interfaces for interacting with sound.
We are physically located in Rm. 201 of the Knoll.
During any given term, the Max Lab may have up to 50 users, including students of Music 250 -- Physical Interaction Desgin for Music and Music 36N -- Experimental Musical Instruments. Regular inhabitants of the Max Lab are:
There are 2 prerequisites to using the Max Lab:
1. You need to have a CCRMA account and access card in order to enter the lab. People who are unfamiliar to regular Max Lab users will be asked to log in to a CCRMA machine and open the Max Lab door in order to demonstrate that they are a current CCRMA user. If you are a Max Lab user, and someone you don't recognize attempts to use the Lab, do the same. It is the responsibility of the entire community to ensure our safety, security and the continued availability of resources.
2. As of Fall 2006, new Max Lab users must all receive a 30-minute safety and courtesy briefing. Please contact Sasha Leitman (sleitman at ccrma) or Michael Gurevich (gurevich at ccrma) to schedule a briefing.
The Max Lab is available 24 hours a day. The door automatically locks when it is closed. The door can be left open only when someone is working in the lab. If you are the last person to leave the lab, turn off the lights, close the windows and close the door behind you. This applies at all times, even during the day.
There is a large number of people using the lab, and it doesn't take long for the lab to get very dirty. Our cleanliness rule is as follows:
Leave the lab cleaner than when you found it.
This means thoroughly cleaning up your mess, in addition to something else. It only takes a couple minutes to sweep the entire floor or wipe down all the work surfaces. Plan on stopping your work at least 15 minutes before you need to leave, or longer if you've made a big mess. This will give you enough time to properly put away all the tools or components you have used, and to clean up the lab.
The Max Lab contains many power and hand tools for your use, but many of these tools are dangerous if used improperly. Important safety precautions must be obeyed.
There is a general Stanford-wide Health and Safety Policy.
General Safety Common Sense
Use common sense to keep the lab safe and your fellow lab users happy. Examples of common sense:
Work in Pairs
It is always a good idea to have someone else around while you are working in the lab, especially if you are using power tools. Try to avoid working alone wherever possible.
Attire
Safety Gear
Safety glasses, disposable foam ear plugs, dust masks and work gloves are available for your use. Eye protection must be worn at all times while you are cutting, drilling, soldering, or near to anyone who is doing any of these. Use your discretion for when to use ear plugs and dust masks.
Ventilation and Dust
The Max Lab is not set up with an industrial ventilation system. Furthermore, it contains and is used to produce many sensitive electronic devices. This means that you should avoid using hazardous chemicals or creating large amounts of dust in the lab. If you are soldering or making moderate amounts of dust, open the windows to help air circulate. Make sure to close the windows when you leave. And as always, thoroughly clean up your mess and one other before you leave.
Intoxicants
Absolutely no alcohol may be consumed in the lab. Do not use the lab if you are intoxicated or your coordination may be impaired. This includes fatigue. Especially toward the end of term you may be run down and working late. If you are very tired, its not a good idea to operate power tools.
Appropriate Use of Tools
The Max Lab contains many specialized tools. However, it is not a machine shop or a woodworking shop, and doesn't have every tool that you may need. It is generally a bad idea to use a tool for something for which it was not intended. This is a great way to break tools and cause accidents. For example, a jigsaw is not meant for cutting through-holes, and the drill bits we have are not for cutting titanium. If you have a very specific need, you may need to look to work elsewhere, the Product Realization Lab, for example. Also, things like screwdrivers or hammers should not be used as percussion mallets. Feel free to use your own tools for this purpose, but not those from the lab. If you do not know how to use a tool, ask a staff member. Some general principles apply:
General Courtesy
Be aware of your fellow lab users. Some things that may not be immediately obvious:
Scrap Bin
There is a designated “Scrap bin” in the corner beside the workbench. You may use materials in the scrap bin for your projects. If you see something else that looks like scrap, it probably isn't. Always ask before handling or using materials from outside the scrap bin.
Storage
Again, the lab is small. There is very little room for storage in the lab. Floor space should never be used for storage. You may store things only for very short periods of time (e.g. while waiting for glue to dry) only if they are clearly labeled and you can find an appropriate place for them. If you leave something in the middle of a desk, it is occupying space that someone else can no longer use. Note that Max's desk is not a good place to store things. CCRMA's lockers are the best place to store your stuff that you can't take home.
Jamming
Obviously tools make noise. Many projects make sound as well. There is a fine line between testing your noise-making project and “jamming”. Testing is welcome and encouraged where it is necessary. In order to conserve space in the lab and to avoid disturbing other users, take your project elsewhere to jam. There are other spaces available for jamming, including studios at CCRMA, practice rooms in Braun, and your house. Caring for our Tools In addition to using tools properly, they need to be cared for.
Putting Things Where They Belong
Tools should not be removed from the lab. If you have a messy project that requires you to work outside, you may take the tools you need and return them to the lab promptly. Tools should never leave the Knoll.
Tool Cabinet
Certain dangerous or valuable power tools are kept in a locked tool cabinet. Max, Bill, Michael and Sasha have keys to the cabinet and can open it to allow use of these tools while they are present. If you need to use tools from the cabinet, try to plan ahead so that you are doing so during consultation hours.
Guests
The Lab is not very big, and currently has around 50 regular users. For this reason, please don't bring guests into the lab. If you need someone to help you with a project, you may bring a guest provided that they have been thoroughly briefed on lab safety and obey all the safety and courtesy practices outlined here. You are responsible for the conduct of any guests.
Emergencies
In case of an emergency, pick up a CCRMA telephone (there are 2 in the lab), select a line by pressing one of the buttons on the top row, and dial 9911.
For minor accidents, a First Aid Kit is located in the Lab in the open upper cabinet beside the drill press.
In case of fire, there is a fire extinguisher as well. Familiarize yourself with the locations of the telephones, safety equipment and building exits in case of emergency.
[This obsolete documentation was moved to the archive in February 2022]
Studio C is our intermedia lab.
See our long form user guide on the wiki: https://ccrma.stanford.edu/wiki/CCRMA_IPL_Studio_C_User_Guide
Some Quick Start pdf's are also available below
[This obsolete documentation was moved to the archive in February 2022]
Current documentation:
https://ccrma.stanford.edu/docs/studios/Studio-D.html
https://ccrma.stanford.edu/docs/studios/Studio-E.html
Studio's D and E are primarily designed for composition, mixing and mastering in a multi-channel sound field and are identical to each other with several important differences. They are also used occassionally for simple recording tasks and various research experiments, and are located in the Knoll Room 221 and 320 (behind the Classroom and Stage) respectively.
As with any of the Studio's please don't unplug or repatch any of the studio equipment. Also refrain from eating and drinking in the studios. Reserve the rooms with the CCRMA Room Booking System.
See the attached pdf files below for current studio operations and Quick Start Guides!