MTSU’s Recording Industry adds new API audio console to train on industry-standard equipment

By Stacey Tadlock

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University’s College of Media and Entertainment continues its commitment to hands-on learning and industry-level training with the installation of a new console in its recording studios.

The addition of the API Legacy AXS console marks a significant investment in professional-grade technology that will help prepare students for real-world work in the audio production industry.

Beverly Keel, dean, College of Media and Entertainment — Beverly Keel

“This upgraded console is another example of the university’s commitment to train and educate our students on the latest in technology,” said College of Media and Entertainment Dean Beverly Keel. “They learn on the best to become the best.”

Made by the company Automated Processes Inc., better known as API or API Audio, the API AXS, a 32-channel (48-frame) analog console , replaces a 20-year-old console that had reached the end of its lifespan. Known for its analog warmth, high headroom, and legendary punchy sound, the API AXS is widely respected across the recording industry.

Studios that have featured similar consoles include Electric Lady Studios, Ocean Way Nashville and Capitol Studios. Artists such as Fleetwood Mac, Foo Fighters, Radiohead and The Rolling Stones have used API gear in their recording processes.

Clarke Schleicher, 1980 recording industry alumnus — Clarke Schleicher

“This isn’t just a cosmetic upgrade — it’s a professional-level tool that students will find in top studios across the country,” said Clarke Schleicher, director of Recording Industry Studios and Audio Technology.

“This model emphasizes pure analog signal flow and includes API’s signature 2520 op-amps and 500-series EQs, which give recordings a classic and highly sought-after sonic character.”

The API console supports a traditional workflow that is ideal for instruction, offering students practical experience in routing, gain staging, signal flow and the nuanced art of mixing. Its similarity to other consoles within the department, such as the API Vision in Studio A, ensures a consistent training environment across multiple facilities.

Professor Bill Crabtree helped lead the two-year process of acquiring the new console and said its alignment is within the industry standard, especially in the local professional market.

“There are several of this exact console installed in Nashville studios,” he said. “When our students work on sessions there, they’re already familiar with the design and operation.”

In this photo, Chris Dilday, Middle Tennessee Department of Recording Industry RIM IT Specialist, left, Alton Dellinger, RIM Engineer, Clarke Schleicher, RIM Hardware Maintenance, William Meckley and Inti Jimenez, Recording Arts and Technologies, Master of Fine Arts students, Bill Crabtree, RIM professor, and Franco Galleto also a Recording Arts and Technologies MFA student stand behind the new API audio board in Studio B housed inside of the College of Media and Entertainment. (Photo Andy Heidt) — From left, Middle Tennessee Department of Recording Industry’s Chris Dilday, IT specialist; Alton Dellinger, engineer; Clarke Schleicher, back, hardware maintenance director; graduate students William Meckley and Inti Jimenez; Bill Crabtree, professor; and graduate student Franco Galleto stand behind the new API audio board recently installed to train students in Studio B inside the Bragg College of Media and Entertainment Building on the MTSU campus in Murfreesboro, Tenn. (Photo Andy Heidt)

The decision to purchase the console was finalized with support from Keel and culminated in a custom-built unit delivered and installed by API technicians in collaboration with MTSU’s own studio engineering team.

Crabtree said Schleicher along with engineer Alton Dellinger and IT specialist Chris Dilday “did outstanding technical work during the installation. I’m really impressed with the level of detail and expertise they brought to the process.”

According to Schleicher, the console offers powerful new capabilities, including a fully discrete signal path, API’s classic EQ modules, and enhanced headroom and summing clarity.

“It turns our studios into world-class facilities,” he said.

Keel said the new console is part of a larger investment in cutting-edge technology at MTSU.

“Whether it’s our recording studios, our $2 million mobile production truck, or our $1 million XR stage, we’re focused on providing students with the real-world, hands-on opportunities that separate us from other universities,” she said. “They leave here not just prepared — they’re ahead.”

She also emphasized the critical role of the college’s faculty in bringing this technology to life.

“The most important part is our team of highly skilled faculty. They don’t just teach the ‘how’ of technology — they teach the ‘why.’ That’s what helps our students evolve and thrive in an industry that’s constantly changing,” Keel said.

Upper-division recording and mixing students will be the first to access the new console in class, though opportunities for individual use will also be available to qualified students.

For more information on MTSU’s Department of Recording Industry, visit https://recording-industry.mtsu.edu/.

— Stacey Tadlock (Stacey.Tadlock@mtsu.edu)