Student Multimedia Services Studios

OTS Student Multimedia Services (SMS) offers three studios to help TU students of all disciplines and skill levels grow their video and audio production skills.

With sound dampening features, Studios A and B, as well as the adjacent Media Production Den, are equipped with MacOS X and Windows 10 workstations optimized for media production work and including a full range of software titles. Studio C is a larger space with changable backgrounds and lights well suited to video recording and group work. 

Students new to video production will also appreciate our staff of multimedia support specialists—available by appointment only—and free access to LinkedIn Learning tutorials.

How to Book a Studio

Our studios are part of the Student Multimedia Services (SMS) Lab in Cook 35. Students may book studio space for up to two hours at a time online or in person. When making a booking, students may also request that staff assistance be provided during the session. In order to successfully arrange assistance, we require advanced notice and as much detail as possible on the nature of the work.

SMS Studios are not an appropriately private space for clients to work with nude models, and reservations made for this purpose will be canceled. 

SMS Studios A and B each measure 12'x7' and are stocked with the equipment listed below. Students planning to record video or audio can either bring their own devices or book equipment via ORBS for use during their studio sessions.

• 1 Apple iMac 27-inch computer running both MacOS X and Windows 10
• 1 Scarlett 2nd Generation 2-In/4-Out USB Audio Interface
• 1 Blue Yeti Pro XLR microphone, shock-mounted on an adjustable boom
• 2 KRK Rokit5 audio reference monitors on isolation stands
  1 adjustable desk lamp
• black and chromakey green photo/video backgrounds
• softfbox lights on floor stands

Studio C measures 12'x20' and includes changable backgrounds and four softbox lights on floor stands. It is intended for video recording, rehearsal and group work. It does not include a computer.

SMS Studio Tips

• Bear in mind that multimedia files can be exceptionally large. We strongly recommend that you bring a multi-gigabyte flash drive or an external USB hard drive or SSD on which to save and transport your projects and files. While you may save to internal hard drives on the studio computers, note that SMS periodically deletes client files from the studio computers to maintain optimal performance. The safest course is to keep (or, at least, backup) your projects and all associated media on your own storage device.
• SMS limits bookings to two hours to guard against monopolization by a single client or group. However, one hour into your session, you may make a new booking for the subsequent two-hour period provided that the studio is available. For example, if your booking is for 8:00-10:00 a.m., at 9:00 a.m., you may make a new booking for 10:00-Noon, extending your session to four hours.

SMS Studios Terms & Conditions

In reserving and using SMS Studios:

• You attest that you are a Towson University student, faculty member or staff member and possess a valid TU OneCard identification;
• You agree to take all reasonable steps to safeguard the facility and the included equipment from damage and theft, and to adhere to the SMS guidelines for equipment care;
• You acknowledge your understanding that if you repeatedly book SMS facilities and then fail to show up without alerting SMS in advance, we may deny your bookings in the future;
• You acknowledge your understanding that Towson University, the Office of Technology Services, and Student Multimedia Services are not responsible for file or media loss due to equipment malfunction or misuse;
• You acknowledge your understanding that Student Multimedia Services routinely deletes all user content (i.e., image, audio and video files) from studio computers, and that it is your responsibility to transfer your files to your own storage device on a per-use basis.

Appropriate Use of the SMS Studios

The SMS studios are not intended for general computing activities such as web browsing, email processing and word processing, which can be completed just as well using any computer in Cook Library.

When you make a booking, SMS holds the studio for you. No one else can book it. If you do not report for your booking (or alert us to extenuating circumstances) within 15 minutes after the start time, the booking will automatically cancel, freeing the resource for other users. If you know well in advance that you will not need the resource, please log into ORBS and cancel the booking.

SMS Studios are not an appropriately private space for clients to work with nude models, and bookings made for this purpose will be canceled.

As described in the University’s Acceptable Use Policies, clients may not use the SMS studios for commercial or profit-making purposes without written authorization from the University.