After 17 years in the Old Port of Montreal, Recording Arts Canada (RAC) is relocating to 1207 Rue Saint-André, just off of rue Sainte-Catherine and bordering the Gay Village and Quartier des Spectacles. The new campus will feature more studios, updated equipment, a live performance space, and a dedicated student lounge. RAC will be operating out of its new campus as of Monday, August 19th.
Commenting on the move, RAC director and curriculum advisor Nik Keca (whose studio production credits include Shania Twain, April Wine, Sarah McLachlan, and Cirque du Soleil) noted that “The move to [the Saint-André] facility is a tremendous opportunity to immediately improve our student experience”.
Building proprietor Erick Villeneuve, who is also a world-renowned creative director (production credits include Cavalia, Olympic Ceremonies, numerous multimedia shows in China and Europe, Jonas Brothers World Tour) added, “We’re excited to have Recording Arts Canada join our creative hub. We feel the integration of an RAC campus within our facility will be positive for all the organizations in our community”.
This move represents a major upgrade to RAC’s student and alumni experience for a number of reasons:
Improved Studios and Recording Equipment
RAC Montreal’s new campus will include the following resources:
- 7.2 surround and Dolby-certified 5.1 sound mixing theatre & lecture room for a world-class critical listening experience;
- Versatile live/foley room for band recordings and post-production with adjacent control room;
- Fully treated and isolated mixing studio
- Four creator studio suites and a mixing studio connected to an isolation booth;
- Two Mac-based computer labs;
- A performance theatre for lectures, live sound practicals, rehearsal, and capture;
- A large collection of high-end recording equipment.
Space Dedicated to Students & Alumni
The RAC Montreal campus will now feature more space for RAC students and alumni to develop as sound and music creators, with exclusive access to:
- Four individual studio suites fitted with fully-loaded iMacs, digital consoles, controllers, RGB adjustable lighting, and connected to a central iso booth to add recording capability;
- A fully treated and isolated mixing studio/control room connected to the same central iso booth;
- A performance theatre for live sound practicals, rehearsal, and live shows;
- A private student lounge with a kitchenette, comfortable seating, workstations.
This dedicated student space will provide greater flexibility for both school-initiated and student-initiated projects like collaborations and live events.
Additionally, RAC alumni will now have access to studio suite bookings for personal or commercial work as well as the performance space bookings for live rehearsal, performance, and capture.
Part of a Sound & Music Production Ecosystem
RAC is moving into a diverse ecosystem of sound and music production businesses; a building that is home to several renowned Quebecois music, film and television industry professionals and organizations. Sharing the building with RAC are Le Lab Mastering (Celine Dion, Jean Leloup, Arianne Moffat), Audio-Fx (Les Boys), Nova-Lux Productions (Cavalia, MGM Los Vegas, Montreal Botanical Garden), Beebop Studios (Queen of the South, Patriot, Inside Lehman Brothers), among others.
RAC’s campus will occupy one third of the total space, more than any other tenant, with the goal of providing more collaborative opportunities for students, grads, creators, industry organizations, employers and developers.
See the New Campus for Yourself
To visit RAC Montreal’s new location in person, you can join us at our open house on August 15th at 7:00pm or book a personal tour with Jawad Itani starting August 19th. Our next session and first in the new campus starts September 13th. For more information, contact us by phone: (514) 286-4336 or by email: [email protected].
