We only recommend products that we use and believe in. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
State-of-the-art mobile non-profit recording studio brings music education to schools around the country
Since its founding in 1998, The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus [JLETB] has provided creative inspiration and opportunity for millions of students across the world with its unique brand of music and digital media education programming and hands-on workshops. The bus has evolved considerably in its 25 years of service, reflecting the rapidly evolving world of music making and has frequently undergone renewals to ensure that its studios remain at the cutting edge of recording technology. In an effort to simultaneously streamline its signal flows as well as take better advantage of analog recording equipment, the staff of the JLETB have integrated the Flock Audio PATCH XT all-analog, digitally controlled patch bay and the PATCH APP DX premium upgraded software controller into its workflows, ensuring that the next generation of artists and recording engineers can be fully immersed in the hybrid working methods enjoyed by professionals in the industry.
Empowering students with professional-grade opportunities
A core tenet of the tour bus’s programming — whether as part of its regular stops at schools and college campuses, appearances alongside major touring artists, or major industry events such as the NAMM show — has always been a complete production experience that leaves its workshop attendees with completed work that can serve to inspire them in their musical journey. As such, the recording experience on the bus has been carefully tuned to produce this exact experience, as well as encouraging open collaboration between its visitors. “There are many different approaches to the programs that we run for students, but the mission is always the same — inspiring creativity and encouraging them to leverage creative skills they may already have but have never had the opportunity, or equipment, to try before,” said JLETB Director and Co-Founder Brian Rothschild. “There’s real value in collaborating together on music, and having a finished product at the end of the day that can give them that feeling of empowerment. As technology has evolved, we’ve been fortunate to refine our process.”
“We had the opportunity to renew the technology and workflows in the bus during the pandemic and now are ready for our big post-COVID return.”
The most recent upgrades to the bus, which were performed by Westlake Pro, have been significant. The first of the two state-of-the-art recording studios within has been outfitted with a full 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos setup, alongside significant computer and interface upgrades that have replaced older, larger equipment with newer, faster, and notably smaller gear. Doing this has allowed the staff of the tour bus to continue to offer a professional level experience to its visiting students without any compromises based on limited space. “We don’t want to limit students, so every piece of equipment in the bus is chosen based on industry standards that will ensure the best possible sound and quality,” said JLETB Creative Technology Officer Jeff Sobel. “These choices are important because they ensure that the skills they learn in our workshops are transferable in any other studio, as well as help them to start to grasp the possibilities of what they can achieve.”
“To that end, we design these systems to be as accessible as possible and that’s what brought Flock Audio and the PATCH series to our attention.”
Forward-thinking approaches for the next generation of engineers and artists
Part of the modern workflow for engineers is the relationship between high-end digital equipment and both classic analog gear. Seeing the evolution of this, as well as wanting to encourage budding artists and engineers to get ‘hands-on’ with older gear while still being able to take advantage of the digital workflow, led the staff of the JLETB to install the Flock PATCH XT. “One of the things that drew us to the PATCH system was just being forward-thinking — getting a sense of what new engineers are being trained on and how we can keep them ahead of the curve,” explained Sobel. “PATCH XT is a great thing because it takes a user interface that young people are innately familiar with but allows them to control and understand analog in the same way as you would with an older patch bay.”
As part of its upgrades, the JLETB has taken advantage of the additional space provided by smaller, more powerful digital equipment to make room for additional analog equipment including preamps and compressors from SSL, Avid, and Apogee. The ability to expose students to the sounds and functions of these classic tools is important, and being able to do so without slowing down the process is essential. “It’s critical in these situations that the technology never slows you down,” said Sobel. “Creativity is only hurt by hurdles and that’s true professionally or educationally. What PATCH XT has allowed us to do is blur the lines between digital and analog in a way that feels intuitive for both us and our students, and really allows us to do it all with no compromises.”
“It’s a very intuitive thing and the fact that it does all that without any compromise in sound quality has been a real game changer for us.”
With a visit at the 2023 New York AES show on the books and an upcoming tour of college campuses including The University of South Carolina, Spelman College, Georgia Southern University in Savannah, and the University of the District of Columbia on the way to the 2024 NAMM show in January, the JLETB is back on the move and shows no signs of slowing down after a quarter century of sowing the seeds of musical creativity and collaboration. Much as it always has, the foundation continues to look towards the future in its aims and audience. “We really see it as ‘building the future’ and being at the forefront of what will excite and inspire the next generation of creatives,” said Rothschild. “A big part of including Flock in that has been showing them how music will be made in that future. It’s always exciting to integrate the best of new technology into what we do, and the PATCH series really embodies that.”
For more information about PATCH XT, please visit: https://www.flockaudio.com/patchxt
About The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus
The John Lennon Educational Tour Bus is the premiere non-profit mobile recording facility that provides hands-on experiences for students of all ages. In its 26th year of touring, the Lennon Bus features a Dolby Atmos studio with the latest audio and video technology, gear and products. The concept began as an offshoot of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest, dedicated to providing opportunities for both professional and amateur songwriters around the world; proceeds from which help support the Lennon Bus. The Lennon Bus travels across the U.S. and Canada year-round, providing free tours and workshops at schools, colleges and universities, festivals, on tours with headlining artists, and at major industry conferences. Lennon Bus Europe began providing these same opportunities to the young people of Europe when it launched in Liverpool, UK in May 2013. The Lennon Bus is made possible by Yoko Ono Lennon and the following sponsors and contributors: Apple, Inc., The Dolby Institute, Battleborn Batteries, NAMM Foundation, Westlake Pro, Gibson Gives, Audio-Technica, Genelec, Apogee, Roland, Epiphone, Triple G Ventures, Triad-Orbit, Reason Studios, Solid State Logic, Neutrik, Blackmagic Design, Grace Design, Avid, Universal Audio, and Flock Audio.
For more information about the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus, please visit: https://lennonbus.org/
About Flock Audio
Flock Audio Inc. is a pro audio manufacturer based in Kelowna, Canada, founded in 2017. The company is best known for its PATCH System Series, which is a Digitally controlled, 100% Analog Patch bay routing solution for professional audio environments.
For more information on Flock Audio and its products, please visit the company website at http://www.flockaudio.com.
About The Author
