Recording and Performance Technology Services

Concert Recording

Given all of the following criteria, concerts will be audio/video recorded and streamed unless requested otherwise by the presenting department. If an event occurring in Jordan Hall or the Black Box has extensive technical requirements as determined by the director of RPTS, the event may be offered as a delayed broadcast.

For College Events, the event must:

• Be an NEC production (not including masterclasses, class recitals, or student recitals) 
• Feature NEC student ensembles, artist diploma candidates, faculty, or alumni
• Occur within one of NEC's eight concert halls (Jordan, Brown, Williams, Keller, Pierce, Burnes,Black Box, Eben Jordan)
• Be advertised on the NEC website or scheduled with RPTS no less than one month in advance of the performance date during the academic year, or by May 15^th for all summer events.

Policies for all Concert Recordings

All recordings of these events are retained for archival purposes. Recordings of student-only concerts will be available for download by the performers/composers only.  There is no charge to current faculty or students for these downloads. 

These recordings may not be duplicated, uploaded to internet sites, or broadcast in whole or in part.

Events that fall outside of the above guidelines will be considered on a case by case basis, depending on staff availability.  

Requests must be made in person or via e-mail. No requests will be taken over the phone. E-mail requests should not be considered valid until a confirmation has been sent by RPTS. We recommend making requests as early as possible, as all requests are subject to staff availability and are not guaranteed.

Composition Readings

We will waive the hourly recording fee each semester for the recording of student compositions as follows: 

• Two days of orchestra
• One day of wind ensemble 
• One day of choral
• Three days of Jazz orchestra (spring semester only)

Requests must be received by October 1^st of each academic year for that year. The recordings occur Monday through Friday between 9 AM-12 PM in Jordan Hall. Composition readings of Jazz works will occur in Eben Jordan on either Tuesday or Thursday from 4 PM-6 PM. Groups are welcome to use self-recording systems in all other performance halls. 

While individual pieces can be recorded on multiple dates, microphone placement, engineer, levels, etc. will not be consistent from day to day and the sound of the recordings will not be consistent.

Each composer's segment will be audio/video recorded, and an unedited stereo WAV, AAC, and MP4 files of their composition will be sent to their NEC email address; turnaround time will be roughly one week. If desired, the composer may contact RPTS to schedule editing time in the studio at standard rates.

Required Recitals

Please contact RPTS to request pricing

Audio/Video Recording Package

Only available in Brown, Keller, Williams, Eben Jordan, Burnes, Plimpton Shattuck and Pierce. 

A student engineer will capture audio and a single-camera video recording of your recital. WAV and AAC audio files, and 1080p mp4 video files will be delivered via Dropbox. 

Please note: The above service is automatic for all required recitals.  

PA service — staffed by an engineer

Only available in Brown, Williams, Eben Jordan, Burnes, Plimpton Shattuck and Pierce. 

Includes a PA system with up to 12 inputs, two monitors, and a staff engineer. A 30 minute sound check will begin one hour prior to the start of the event. A one-hour set up will occur just prior to sound check. Please note: rehearsals cannot occur during setup. If available, additional equipment may be used at the engineer's discretion. Complete stage diagrams must be provided no less than two business days prior to your recital. Payment via the Transact App is required at the time of booking. 

Portable PA — no engineer

This system is a Yamaha 600BT portable PA system (4 mic inputs, 3 stereo line level inputs). The system includes 4 mics, cables, stands, mixer, 2 speakers, and speaker stands – additional gear may not be added). This equipment will be delivered to your concert hall and set up at least one hour before the start of your recital and picked up afterwards. If requested, it will be made available for your dress rehearsal on a first-come first-served basis. Operation of this equipment will be your responsibility. Please contact us for training. 

Please book this equipment early as we have a limited number of systems.

For recitals in Eben Jordan, RPTS will deliver four microphones and cables for use with the built-in system as a part of this service. Please contact us for training.

Booking Policy

Requests for recital services must be made within two weeks of booking your recital date with the Scheduling Office, given that you are booking a semester in advance of your event. If booking in the same semester, we will follow short notice policies and do our best to accommodate you. Every attempt will be made to satisfy late or short notice requests, but these cannot be guaranteed.

After Your Event

Your files will be available for download via Dropbox within two weeks of your recital. Please download your recital files in a timely fashion. RPTS reserves the right to discard any materials after 90 days. 

These recordings become the property of the performer(s) and are not stored at NEC. 

Postponements or Cancellations

PA fees are refundable if the reservation is cancelled or postponed at least five business days prior to the recital date. Recitals cancelled or postponed within 5 business days will be refunded 50% of the fee. 

Optional Recitals

Optional recitals are not staffed. Students may use the self-run recording/streaming system located within each concert hall and may request the use of a portable PA system. Please contact RPTS at least 10 business days in advance of your recital to arrange for training on these systems. Please request to use the portable PA as early as possible as we have only a few of these systems available.

Mixing and Editing Services

Audio Engineering rates

There is a one-hour minimum for mixing and editing. At this time we are not booking any recording sessions. Please contact RPTS to request pricing for mixing rates.

Booking 

Sessions may be booked no more than a month in advance and no less than five business days in advance. It is advisable to book mixing, and editing time as early as possible. Time is limited and is available on a first come, first served basis. Payment via the Transact App is required at the time of booking. Editing sessions may occur anytime between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday-Friday depending on staff and equipment availability.

***ENGINEER AVAILABILITY MAY VARY DUE TO THE EVENT SCHEDULE***

Postponements or Cancellations

Session fees are refundable if the reservation is cancelled or postponed at least five business days prior to the session date. Sessions cancelled or postponed within 5 business days will be refunded 50% of the total fee. Showing up more than half an hour after the scheduled start time of your session will result in cancellation of the remaining session time.

Concert PA's for NEC events

The RPTS department can run PA systems in Jordan, Brown, Williams, Pierce, Black Box, Burnes and Eben Jordan. If your event is in another location, you may borrow a portable PA with 4 mics. (Please contact the department to arrange for services or reserve this equipment as soon as possible.)

The procedure for requesting a Public Address System(PA):

1. Requests must be made in person or via e-mail as early as possible, but no less than one month in advance of the event date. No requests will be taken over the phone. E-mail requests should not be considered valid until a confirmation has been sent by RPTS. We recommend making requests as early as possible, as all requests are subject to staff availability and are not guaranteed. PA requests for summer events must be made by May 15^th.
2. The appropriate department chair or administrator must contact RPTS in person or via e-mail to authorize PA requests.
3. Complete stage diagrams must be provided to RPTS and the Production Office no less than five business days in advance of the event.

Sound Check

Sound check will occur on the day of the event. RPTS will set the stage from 2 – 4 PM. Sound check is from 4 – 6 PM for 8:00 concerts (4-5:30 for 7:30 concerts). Requests for variations to this schedule must be made at the time of booking and cannot be guaranteed.

Since appropriate staffing will be determined prior to the event, and large concerts or elaborate stage changes may require more than one assistant, last minute changes (which may require additional staffing) may not be accepted. If applicable, rental fees for equipment that is required but not owned by NEC will be passed on to the requesting department.

RPTS engineers are available to discuss your event and help put together a system which best meets your needs.

Obtaining Concert Files

All NEC Visiting Artist Concerts, Faculty Concerts and ensemble concerts which feature faculty or visiting guest artists (including guest conductors) are recorded for archival purposes and may be listened to in Blumenthal Library or via Avalon. Copies of these performance recordings may be distributed to Trustees, the President, and senior administration for personal use only. Other duplication and distribution will not be done without the faculty member's and/or visiting artist’s authorization.  

Once appropriate releases have been obtained (if required), copies of an NEC Concert may be released to performers, composers, and conductors of that concert only.

RPTS will only copy material originally recorded by our engineers.  Turnaround time is usually one week. Class materials take priority over personal orders.  Copyrighted recordings will not be copied under any circumstances, including for class purposes.

Concert files (AACs, WAVs, and MP4s) are only available to people directly involved with the performance (performer, composer, etc). There will be no charge to current college faculty or college students. Concert files are available to prep students, SCE students, and alumni for $10 per concert. All fees must be paid in full via the Transact App prior to or at the time of ordering. These files will be digitally delivered via e-mail.

These recordings may not be duplicated, uploaded to internet sites, or broadcast in whole or in part.

If you plan to bring in a videographer and would like to purchase an unedited NEC concert audio recording to sync to video, prior authorization from the Dean of College’s office is required well in advance of the event. Engineer credits must be given on any resulting product.

Concerts recorded prior to 1994 were originally recorded onto analog reels. These concerts, if not already transferred, will only be available by coordination with Blumenthal Library staff. Concerts originally recorded on DAT format which have not been transferred already, may not be available for purchase. Concerts which have already been transferred may have different sets of files, depending on when the transfer was done.

We do not offer duplication of videotape, cassette tape, DVD, CD, or LP.

Concert Recordings

Given all of the following criteria, concerts will be audio/video recorded and streamed unless requested otherwise by the presenting department.

For Preparatory/Continuing Education Events, the event must:

• Be an NEC production (not including student recitals) 
• Feature a “Large” ensemble (as designated by Prep/SCE)
• Occur in Jordan Hall
• Be advertised on the NEC website or scheduled with RPTS no less than one month in advance of the performance date during the academic year, or by May 15^th for all summer events.

Policies for all Concert Recordings

All recordings of these events are retained for archival purposes. Recordings of student-only concerts will be available for download by the performers/composers only. Concert files are available for $10 per concert. All fees must be paid in full via the Transact App prior to or at the time of ordering. These files will be digitally delivered via e-mail.

These recordings may not be duplicated, uploaded to internet sites, or broadcast in whole or in part.

Events that fall outside of the above guidelines will be considered on a case by case basis, depending on staff availability.  

Requests must be made in person or via e-mail. No requests will be taken over the phone. E-mail requests should not be considered valid until a confirmation has been sent by RPTS. We recommend making requests as early as possible, as all requests are subject to staff availability and are not guaranteed.

Recitals

Please contact RPTS to request pricing

Audio/Video Recording Package

Only available in Brown, Keller, Williams, Eben Jordan, Burnes, Plimpton Shattuck and Pierce. 

A student engineer will capture audio and a single-camera video recording of your recital. WAV and AAC audio files, and 1080p mp4 video files will be delivered via Dropbox.

PA Package — staffed by an engineer 

Only available in Brown, Williams, Eben Jordan, Burnes, Plimpton Shattuck and Pierce. 

Includes a PA system with up to 12 inputs, two monitors, and a staff engineer. A 30 minute sound check will begin one hour prior to the start of the event. A one-hour set up will occur just prior to sound check. Please note: rehearsals cannot occur during setup. If available, additional equipment may be used at the engineer's discretion. Complete stage diagrams must be provided no less than two business days prior to your recital. Payment via the Transact App is required at the time of booking. 

Portable PA Rental – no engineer

The Preparatory and SCE offices have a loaner PA system which can be used at no charge on a first come, first served basis.  This system includes a complete 4 microphone, portable PA system. (4 mics, cables, stands, mixer, speakers, and speaker stands).  Please contact the Continuing Education office at (617) 585-1701

Booking Policy

Requests for recital services must be made no less than one month in advance of your recital date. All services are subject to staff availability and are not guaranteed.  If a PA is requested, complete stage diagrams must be provided no less than two business days prior to your recital. Payment via the Transact App is required at the time of booking. The fee is refundable if the reservation is cancelled or postponed at least five business days prior to the recital date. Recitals cancelled or postponed within 5 business days of the recital will be refunded 50% of the total fee. 

After Your Event

Your files will be available for download via Dropbox within two weeks of your recital. Please download your recital files in a timely fashion. RPTS reserves the right to discard any materials after 90 days. 

These recordings become the property of the performer(s) and are not stored at NEC. 

Postponements or Cancellations

Please do not assume that the recording or PA will be automatically cancelled if you fail to contact us by the appropriate day. Schedules are arranged around concerts and the engineers will show up unless the schedule is changed. Please take the time to inform us directly of any recording cancellations or postponements as soon as possible. It is not the responsibility of the Scheduling Office to notify us of these changes. Deposits are forfeited if cancellations or postponements are made less than five business days prior to the recital date. Exceptions for cancellations due to illness are at the discretion of the Director of RPTS.

Mixing and Editing Services

Audio Engineering rates

There is a one-hour minimum for mixing and editing. At this time we are not booking any recording sessions. Please contact RPTS to request pricing for mixing rates.

Booking 

Sessions may be booked no more than a month in advance and no less than five business days in advance. It is advisable to book mixing, and editing time as early as possible. Time is limited and is available on a first come, first served basis. Payment via the Transact App is required at the time of booking. Editing sessions may occur anytime between 9 AM and 6 PM Monday-Friday depending on staff and equipment availability.

***ENGINEER AVAILABILITY MAY VARY DUE TO THE EVENT SCHEDULE***

Postponements or Cancellations

Session fees are refundable if the reservation is cancelled or postponed at least five business days prior to the session date. Sessions cancelled or postponed within 5 business days will be refunded 50% of the total fee. Showing up more than half an hour after the scheduled start time of your session will result in cancellation of the remaining session time.

Concert PA's for NEC events

The RPTS department can run PA systems in Jordan, Brown, Williams, Pierce, Black Box, Burnes and Eben Jordan. If your event is in another location, you may borrow a portable PA with 4 mics. (Please contact the department to arrange for services or reserve this equipment as soon as possible.)

The procedure for requesting a Public Address System(PA):

1. Requests must be made in person or via e-mail as early as possible, but no less than one month in advance of the event date. No requests will be taken over the phone. E-mail requests should not be considered valid until a confirmation has been sent by RPTS. We recommend making requests as early as possible, as all requests are subject to staff availability and are not guaranteed. PA requests for summer events must be made by May 15^th.
2. The appropriate department chair or administrator must contact RPTS in person or via e-mail to authorize PA requests.
3. Complete stage diagrams must be provided to RPTS and the Production Office no less than five business days in advance of the event.

Sound Check

Sound check will occur on the day of the event. RPTS will set the stage from 2 – 4 PM. Sound check is from 4 – 6 PM for 8:00 concerts (4-5:30 for 7:30 concerts). Requests for variations to this schedule must be made at the time of booking and cannot be guaranteed.

Since appropriate staffing will be determined prior to the event, and large concerts or elaborate stage changes may require more than one assistant, last minute changes (which may require additional staffing) may not be accepted. If applicable, rental fees for equipment that is required but not owned by NEC will be passed on to the requesting department.

RPTS engineers are available to discuss your event and help put together a system which best meets your needs.

Obtaining Concert Files

All NEC Visiting Artist Concerts, Faculty Concerts and ensemble concerts which feature faculty or visiting guest artists (including guest conductors) are recorded for archival purposes and may be listened to in Blumenthal Library or via Avalon. Copies of these performance recordings may be distributed to Trustees, the President, and senior administration for personal use only. Other duplication and distribution will not be done without the faculty member's and/or visiting artist’s authorization.  

Once appropriate releases have been obtained (if required), copies of an NEC Concert may be released to performers, composers, and conductors of that concert only.

RPTS will only copy material originally recorded by our engineers.  Turnaround time is usually one week. Class materials take priority over personal orders.  Copyrighted recordings will not be copied under any circumstances, including for class purposes.

Concert files (AACs, WAVs, and MP4s) are only available to people directly involved with the performance (performer, composer, etc). There will be no charge to current college faculty or college students. Concert files are available to prep students, SCE students, and alumni for $10 per concert. All fees must be paid in full via the Transact App prior to or at the time of ordering. These files will be digitally delivered via e-mail.

These recordings may not be duplicated, uploaded to internet sites, or broadcast in whole or in part.

If you plan to bring in a videographer and would like to purchase an unedited NEC concert audio recording to sync to video, prior authorization from the Dean of College’s office is required well in advance of the event. Engineer credits must be given on any resulting product.

Concerts recorded prior to 1994 were originally recorded onto analog reels. These concerts, if not already transferred, will only be available by coordination with Blumenthal Library staff. Concerts originally recorded on DAT format which have not been transferred already, may not be available for purchase. Concerts which have already been transferred may have different sets of files, depending on when the transfer was done.

We do not offer duplication of videotape, cassette tape, DVD, CD, or LP.

Self-Recording, Streaming and Zoom

Jordan Hall is equipped with a self-streaming system, all other concert halls are equipped with self-recording and self-streaming capabilities. Anyone planning to use these systems must book a hall through the scheduling office. To use the self-streaming functionality, you are required to attend a training with an RPTS staff member. If you are doing a self-recording with no streaming, a training is encouraged but not required. Please reach out to RPTS to book any training on our equipment. 

All streams are kept under a password which will be available to you upon request after you have completed your training. Passwords change regularly, so contact RPTS any time you plan to use the self-streaming functionality.

To use the self-record system you must bring a Mac-formatted USB hard drive with a standard USB type A cable. The hard drive must be named SELFRECORD. The system will record an MOV file to the hard drive. If you do not have a hard drive, please reach out to RPTS to reserve one. These hard drives are intended only for the use of self-recordings on campus and are due back within 48 hours. All self-run systems have camera and gain control. We encourage you to bring your own headphones to check your levels. Both ¼” and ⅛” are acceptable.

Instructions for Pierce Hall

Instructions for all other halls

Home Recording

Below are guides to record successfully at home.

Recording Guide for Concerts

Recording Guide for Layering Projects

Practice and Rehearsal Room PA Equipment

Several practice rooms on campus are equipped with self-run PA systems that are available for student and ensemble use. These rooms all include two speakers and a small mixer. Larger rooms may also include monitor speakers and an input snake cable. Students are required to bring in their own mics, cables (and stand if desired).

While the RPTS Department maintains this equipment, students are expected to use it properly and carefully.  Anyone who wants to be trained to use these systems should contact us at rpts@necmusic.edu. Information on how to use the system in Eben Jordan can be found in the RPTS Self-Run Technology Guide.

Please let the RPTS office know immediately if any equipment is malfunctioning, so we can repair it promptly.

Jordan Hall Building: 340, 354, 356, 358, Sinfonia

33 Gainsborough: 613, 710, 711

SLPC/St. Botolph: Eben Jordan, G01

Concert Hall Presentation Systems

With the exception of Jordan Hall and Williams Hall, concert halls on campus have built-in presentation systems for use in classes, performances, and masterclasses. All rooms are equipped with an in-room computer, projector, speakers, HDMI and VGA/3.5mm connections. Anyone planning to use these systems for the first time must contact RPTS no less than 10 business days before your event to schedule training. Training must occur during our normal business hours (M-F 10-6). If presenters bring in their own laptop, they are encouraged to provide their own cables and adapters for use with their devices. If that is not possible, please contact Techcentral@necmusic.edu to arrange for a loan.  

Note: Use of the lectern in Pierce, Brown, and Plimpton-Shattuck must be arranged with the Scheduling Office.

Audio/Visual Equipment for Loan

The following equipment may be reserved by faculty or DMA candidates for classroom use only, where accessible:

• Zoom H4n Portable Audio Recorder*
• Zoom Q8 Camcorder*
• Multimedia projector (HDMI, VGA)*
• Yamaha 600BT 4 Channel Portable PA system (includes 4 dynamic microphones, 2 speaker stands, 4 XLR cables, 4 mic stands and 2 speaker cables, built-in mixer, stereo ⅛” connector)
• Overhead Projector (for transparencies)

*Due to the portability of this equipment, these pieces must be checked out from and returned to RPTS by the user. 

Classroom equipment may be reserved by calling (617) 585-1275 or e-mailing us at rpts@necmusic.edu. If you call outside of business hours or send an e-mail, a staff member will confirm your request on the next business day. Do not assume your reservation is complete until you receive confirmation from our staff.

Equipment is available Monday through Friday between 9 AM and 6 PM on a first come, first served basis for use on campus only. Equipment requests for after hours or school holidays must be made well in advance and, for staffing reasons, cannot be guaranteed. Faculty members must provide their own operators for all equipment. Instruction in the use of any piece of this equipment can be arranged with RPTS. Equipment reservations must be made at least one business day in advance by a faculty or staff member. Requests cannot come from students, nor will equipment be released to students. Due to our limited inventory, no standing requests will be accepted. RPTS owned equipment may not be taken off campus.

Equipment requests that require delivery outside of normal business hours will depend on staff availability. If the equipment can be delivered and picked up during office hours and safely locked up when not in use, it would be preferred. Under these circumstances, the department borrowing the equipment assumes responsibility for the security of the equipment until it is retrieved by RPTS.