| A section of the music production lab. Photo by Prince Omoruyi |
| By Prince Omoruyi The Poke Press Garrett Eckl, assistant professor of music production, believes a student’s ability to make music should not depend on whether they can afford a laptop or recording equipment. That idea helped shape McNeese State University’s new music production lab in Shearman Fine Arts Center, which opened in August 2026. For Eckl, the space addresses a need the music program has faced for years: a dedicated place where students could learn to use audio technology with the equipment available to them. “What this space really does is it puts everyone on an equal playing field,” Eckl said. Renovations began in January 2024, and the lab opened at the start of the fall 2026 semester. Eckl said much of the equipment in the computer lab was funded through a student technology fee. The lab is open to all McNeese students during designated hours, which he posts on the door each week. Students do not have to be music production majors to come in and experiment with making music. Inside, a project can begin with a student trying out software instruments on a computer. Those early ideas can become demos, which students can develop further in the recording studio. They might bring in friends who play instruments, adding live performances to a composition that started on a screen. In the control room, students learn to use a Pro Tools HDX recording system. Eckl said experience with the system can help prepare them for work in commercial studios. The lab also uses a networked audio system, allowing sound to be sent between connected computers and devices. Eckl said that approach reflects changes in recording, radio and television studios. “Our goal is to prepare students, you know, for what the industry is going to look like 10 years from now,” he said. For Isaac Collins, a junior music production major, the biggest change is having other people in the room. Collins enjoys producing rap, hyperpop and electronic dance music. Before the lab opened, he often worked alone on his laptop. He said he struggled to find a place on campus where he could meet other students making music and share what he was doing. “It was very just like, ‘I’m a music major, but where can I actually show it?’” Collins said. Now, he and his classmates can work on music together and listen through the lab’s speaker setup. Making a track has become something they can share as it happens. “It’s a creative experience with other people rather than just, like, me making something in my room, on my laptop,” Collins said. One project he remembers fondly was a song about LeBron James that he made with another music production student. The subject was lighthearted, but they put real effort into the production. Listening back, Collins found himself laughing at the song while appreciating it. Collins credited Eckl with teaching him the skills to develop those ideas, describing him as someone who can guide a student through music production from the beginning. “He’s a very good teacher,” Collins said. The experience has also helped Collins think about what comes after McNeese. He is considering work in live recording or continuing his education with a master’s degree in music production. For now, the lab gives him something he had been missing: a place to make music with people who want to do the same. |
Leave a Reply