For TU students of all experience levels, OTS is proud to offer three multimedia production
studios featuring a wide-range of tools and support staff to provide orientation and
consulting. No matter your major, you have creative potential. SCS wants to help you
develop it.
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
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 projectsand all associated mediaon 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 periodprovided 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 intoORBSand 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.
