ANN ARBOR, MI-The University of Michigan is planning an $860,000 project to renovate its 1,800-sf audio recording studio at the James and Anne Duderstadt Center this summer.

A University spokesman tells GlobeSt.com that the university wanted to update the console to make it a more effective teaching tool and decided to renovate the entire studio. "It's been getting a lot of use by students and faculty and we needed a more modern console," he says. "After deciding to replace the console, the university decided to do the whole studio. It was a domino effect."

The studio includes a control room, a main recording room, an isolation booth, machine rooms and storage closet. Reflective surfaces, such as a wood floor and wood wall panels, will be added to make the space more acoustically "live." The studio, which will be closed April 19 and reopen on Sept. 5, will feature a new 40-channel, analog API Vision surround-sound mixing and recording console. John Storyk, of Walters-Storyk Design Group, a New York-based architectural and acoustic consulting firm, designed the control room and recording space.

The studio serves as the university's recording facility for major projects, including the Internet Publication Project, scholarly writing and video productions. One major project is "Block M Records," the university's recording label that makes performances available to people worldwide through Internet streaming or downloading.