Recording in the Duderstadt’s multi-million dollar studio

The library on North Campus (which many students don’t even know exists) probably has the most eclectic combination of purposes on campus. The Duderstadt Center — or the Dude, as it’s more commonly known — is a three-floor triangular brick complex connecting students to everything from art galleries and study rooms to Panda Express.

Planted on North, a terrain carved out almost exclusively for art, music and engineering classrooms, it’s mostly inhabited by all-nighter-pulling technology buffs, but occasionally any student might find him or herself there for some seminar or career fair. Still, it’s a sort of hidden gem. Isolated in the upper threshold of campus, it’s a remote library that offers many unique perks (like Washtenaw Dairy donuts for sale at its coffee shop), but only to those who can champion its remarkably confusing layout.

Last week, we ventured deep into the Dude’s creative dungeons, and we discovered a secret lair that makes it even more enchanting.

The Duderstadt Center

Through the lobby and past the 3D printing labs, all the way into the anxiety-inducing plain white hallways of the Duderstadt’s first floor, there are a series of studios that offer qualified students unrestricted access to multi-million dollar recording and editing suites. Creatively inspired students interested in making their own music or film can take training sessions administered by the Digital Media Commons, and if they pass a test at the end, they become permitted to sign up for studio time at their disposal.

For music alone, there are three studios with different sizes and capabilities — two for electronic music and one for more traditional audio recordings. Access to each individual room requires multiple courses, but for aspiring musicians, the opportunity is well worth the investment.

While visiting the set-up, we sat in on a recording session in one of the electronic studios, and talked with the artists about the incredible potential the University offers within those walls. Ben Factor, a music student studying performing arts technology, has recorded six different rock bands in the audio studio, and he called it “as functional of a studio as anyone could offer for free.” He also noted that the amount of gear in each room is “unbelievable” and claimed that some of the highest-level tools in all of music were at his fingertips as we spoke.

So, if the ability to make professional-quality hit songs at the library is so easy, why isn’t everyone doing it? As Randy Brown, another producer present for the session, explained, “It’s all about how productive people can be.” 

As most college students know, though, being hyper-productive is easier said than done sometimes. But if you’re ever feeling musically creative, just know that the Dude is there to help.

Students hosting a live recording session at the Duderstadt Center