The 3,600 square meter infrastructure of Berklee College of Music’s Valencia Campus is divided into two main areas, the academic area and the Berklee in Valencia Music Technology Complex.

Academic Area

Planned to be operational in January 2012, the academic area includes ensemble rooms, classrooms, private instruction rooms, and practice rooms. All rooms have been specifically built with the highest standards of acoustic room treatment, through the use of absorption and diffusion materials on the surfaces of the room, and soundproofing, to provide sonic isolation between the rooms.

Students can enjoy performance spaces that emulate the conditions found in professional environments, with state-of-the-art equipment and a wide variety of musical instruments.

The classrooms will be equipped with Smart Boards, a fully integrated learning system that enables the teacher to engage students with interactive lessons while simultaneously accessing and controlling all the classroom technology. With Smart Notebook software, which is included with all Smart Board interactive whiteboards, students can capture all notes, screenshots, images, and videos to a single file that can be opened in both Windows and Mac operating systems.

Music Technology Complex – Acoustic Design by Walters-Storyk Design Group

The state-of-the-art Berklee in Valencia music technology complex will iclude a professional-quality recording studio, a flexible black box performance/presentation space, four project production studios, and two technology labs. The recording studio, black box, and project production studios are designed by world-renowned acoustical design consultants, Walters-Storyk Design Group in collaboration with chairs, deans, and technology lab staff from Berklee College of Music.

Walters-Storyk Design Group has designed studios for: Alicia Keys, Bob Marley, Bruce Springsteen, Celine Dion, Daddy Yankee, Def-Jam Records, ESPN, Jay-Z, Jazz at Lincoln Center, MTV Latin America, to name a few. Every aspect of the technology facilities is geared toward preparing students to meet the challenges of the evolving music industry environment.

Recording Studio 

The recording studio is a 126-square-meter facility (1,360 sq. ft.) that includes a live room of about 80 square meters (860 sq. ft.) with high ceilings and a wall and floor with variable surfaces for diverse acoustical configurations and two iso-overdub booths, a control room of 46 sq. m. (500 sq. ft.), and an isolated machine room. The control room configuration supports the teaching of classes.

The facility is equipped with a 48-channel Euphonix System 5 digital console (+ 8 submasters with film mix panel), Genelec 5.1 surround-sound monitoring and separate midfield speakers for stereo mixing, a Pro Tools HD3 system for powerful Macintosh system with numerous dedicated software packages for music production and recording, 24 channels of digital I/O for digital recording and editing, Grace Design microphone preamps, and a wide array of outboard sound-processing equipment, as well as a grand piano, percussion, and electronic instruments. An extensive selection of microphones is available to support every conceivable recording possibility. The studio offers high-quality projection capability, including video integration for conducting to picture for film and video game scoring projects. The recording studio will be completed by summer 2012.

Black Box

The Black Box of 109 square meters (1,170 sq. ft.) will be one of the most versatile and technologically advanced performance and presentation spaces in Europe, and perhaps the world. It will feature an open and flexible performance and presentation area that can be used for a variety of activities, including ensemble performances, recitals, rehearsals, classes, visiting artist presentations, multimedia installations, and audio/visual experiments.

Through movable seating and staging, the Black Box space can be transformed into several different configurations. Seating can accommodate an audience of 80–100. The facility provides motorized grids and supplemental structures for adjustable lighting and flexible speaker placement. To support a variety of screenings and performances, the space is equipped with a high-end digital projection system and multiple projection locations. The Black Box is designed to allow optimization of the acoustic properties of the space according to the requirements of the various activities in the space and will include sound systems designed expressly for live performance, video screenings, and playback of recorded audio. The Black Box will be completed by summer 2012.

Project Production Studios

Four project production studios will enable students to develop, produce, design, and complete projects in advanced professional production facilities equipped with the latest hardware and software. Featuring excellent acoustics and sound isolation, the production studios range in size from 12.5 square meters (135 sq. ft.) to 18.5 square meters (200 sq. ft.). Each of the production studios is linked to an iso-overdub space that expands the working area and supports supplemental recording with microphones.

Each studio will be equipped with Euphonix artist control and mix surfaces; Genelec 5.1 surround-sound monitoring and separate midfield speakers for stereo mixing; a powerful Apple Macintosh system; a Pro Tools HD3 system; a video game console; outboard effects processing capacity; and numerous dedicated DAW (digital audio workstation) software packages for music recording and production, including Logic, Digital Performer, Pro Tools, Final Cut Studio, isotope, MaxMSP, Melodyne, Reason, Waves, Komplete, ReCycle, junXion, Live Suite, OSCulator, Finale, Sibelius, VocALign Pro, and various plug-ins and sample libraries. The largest studio (Studio A) will additionally provide video projection capability that allows the room to function as a screening facility. The production studios will be completed by summer 2012.

Technology Labs

The two technology labs serve as classrooms for the teaching of technology-based music and global entertainment and music business courses, as well as laboratory spaces that provide students with hands-on access to professional music technology and music business equipment and software. These tools and resources, in conjunction with each student’s own required Berklee in Valencia laptop computer package, allow students to advance their skills and complete course work.

Both the large lab (20 workstations) and small lab (10 workstations) are equipped with the latest hardware and software in professional DAWs. The labs mirror real-world, computer-based MIDI studios of writers/producers and are designed to help students understand and meet the challenges of professional music industry work.

Each workstation features a top-of-the-line multi-processor Apple Macintosh computer with large monitors, a MIDI keyboard controller, Euphonix main control surface, two-channel mic preamps, multiple video game consoles, surround headphones, and an audio and MIDI interface, enhancing interaction by the student with the workstation and software in an efficient and dynamic manner.

An array of music software, software synthesizers, and plug-ins allow students to meet the most advanced demands of projects for music courses. These include Pro Tools, Digital Performer, Logic, Reason, Finale, Sibelius, Komplete, Kontakt, Vienna Symphonic Library, Waves Platinum, and many more. Several non-music software programs, including the Microsoft Office suite, as well as database, spreadsheet, statistical analysis, web design and development, multimedia editing and graphic design programs, and popular open-source tools support students in achieving the equally high demands and professional-quality work required in global entertainment and music business courses.

Each workstation will have audio, video, and network connections to the main (teaching) station. The teaching station will provide connections for a laptop and patching capability. The room will have multi-channel sound capability and multiple projection options. The large technology lab also features a soundproofed recording booth connected to a dedicated workstation that students can reserve to record drums, bass, electric and acoustic guitar, other acoustic instruments, or voice directly to the workstation.

Teatre Martín i Soler

 Located beneath the bed of the Turia river, this theatre, named after the 18th century musician who was Valencia’s most universal composer of all times, seats 400 people. The theatre features an opera pit and a full complement of the latest stage equipment.

The Auditori

 The Auditori can seat 1.490 spectators with excellent visibility in all seats. Due to its physical characteristics, it is especially suitable for symphonic concerts, cinematographic premieres, large conferences or congresses, and special events.