ccurately networked sound and vision isn’t always the highest priority for an educational institution. But for London conservatoire, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, progress in orchestral music and performing arts has to be analysed
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on a regular basis. An upgrade to recording infrastructure led to a massive leap in connectivity for a school full of the country’s best-performing artists. The NDI® protocol now delivers extremely low-latency video over IP that dovetails completely with Dante-networked audio, producing a dynamic, safe and extensible educational environment. A CONCERTED EFFORT Guildhall School is a vibrant, international community of musicians, actors and production artists. Ranked top UK conservatoire in the Guardian music and drama league tables, it consistently delivers world-class professional training, in partnership with distinguished artists, companies and ensembles. Pre-pandemic, a team of nine, led by head of recording & audio visual, Julian Hepple, was delivering up to 8000 recordings a year, already putting a strain on infrastructure. “For a small institution with 1200 students, there’s lots of activity at the school,” says Hepple. “In one day, we might have three studio recording sessions, a big-band gig, an opera, a play, four chamber works, plus a lecture or six at the same time! “When Covid-19 hit, the School asked if there was anything it could do to the digital infrastructure to support us through this pandemic, as well as
improve our teaching and learning facilities for when we opened up again.” The pandemic meant live performances might have to incorporate streaming, and remote collaboration was more necessary than before. “We needed to overcome a couple of obstacles,” Hepple says. “First, we had to be able to record lots of performances – simultaneously and really easily. A lot of that would be piloted by one person, but we also required a TV studio to do our flagship productions. Space flexibility was key, and our facilities had to allow large numbers of people to create music or share education simultaneously.” Social distancing rules dictated three metres between musicians. “Our concert hall, usually fitting a small symphony orchestra, could only fit 15 players. Suddenly, we couldn’t facilitate large
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