Information Commons Recording Studio

microphoneThe Info Commons has an amateur recording studio for Library cardholders working on audio or video projects. Please see our policies and guidelines below, as well as technical details. View photos of the studio on Flickr.

For more information on how to use the equipment and software in the studio, visit our guide to the recording studio.

Recording Studio Policies and Guidelines
  • Reserve time in the Info Commons recording studio at www.bklynlibrary.org/rooms or at the Info Commons reference desk.
  • All users of the recording studio must adhere to the Public Behavior in the Library Policy and the Public Use of Meeting Rooms Policy.
  • At least one person using the recording studio must be 18 or older, have an active BPL library card and leave a valid government-issued ID at the Info Commons reference desk for the duration of the session. The studio reservation must be in the name of the ID holder.
  • We recommend that there be a maximum of three people using the recording studio at the same time. Under no circumstances may there be more than five people at one time.
  • The recording studio can be reserved in 15-minute increments. The maximum session length for the studio is three hours, and each cardholder can make up to two advance reservations per calendar month. Meeting room use counts as a reservation even if it's for less than the maximum session length. If you've already used your two reservations in a given month—whether those reservations had been made in advance or on the spot—you may make additional walk-in reservations for up to an hour if the studio is available at that time, at the discretion of Info Commons staff.
  • Reservations may be scheduled up to 28 days in advance.
  • Info Commons staff may be able to accommodate special requests for additional use of the studio. Please contact us at infocommons@bklynlibrary.org.
  • Reservations are released if unclaimed within 15 minutes of scheduled start time.
  • The last recording studio session of each day must end 30 minutes before the library closes.
  • Please make sure that you save or export your project with enough time before the next person's reservation begins.
  • Please bring your own large-capacity (16 GB or more) drive to save your work to (see below).
  • No food or drinks are allowed in the recording studio.
  • Failure to follow policies, and/or damaging furniture or equipment will lead to penalties up to and including fines or suspension of cardholder privileges. 
Recording Studio Technology and Equipment

Please note that this is an “amateur” recording studio! The room's sound quality and lighting are not what you might find in a professional studio. It is an opportunity to work with quality equipment and introduce you to the production process; it does not guarantee a perfect product.

  • The studio's equipment includes:
    • an iMac editing station with Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface
    • a Canon Rebel T7 DSLR camera for video recording or still photography (ask at the reference desk)
    • an AKG Perception 420 condenser microphone
    • a reflection filter (acoustic absorber) mounted to the microphone stand
    • a pop shield mounted to the microphone stand
    • a Novation Launchkey 49 USB Keyboard
    • an Avid Artist Mix fader control surface (for use with Pro Tools)
    • a headphone splitter (ask at the reference desk)
    • a Godox LEDP260C Bi Color LED Light Panel (ask at the reference desk)
    • a Angler Bi-Color Ring Light Kit with Light Stand (ask at the reference desk) 
    • a 96"H x 84"W Manual Pull-Down Chroma Key Green Screen
    • an On-Stage sheet music stand
  • The iMac station’s software includes, among other applications:
    • Audacity 3.3.3.0
    • GarageBand 10.4.10
    • Pro Tools 23.12.1.138
    • Final Cut Pro 10.7.1
    • iMovie 10.4
    • Adobe Creative Cloud applications, including Premiere Pro 2024
    • GIMP 2.10.22
    • Melodyne Essential 5.3.1.018
    • Ableton Live Lite 11.3.21
  • You should bring your own large-capacity (16 GB or more) drive to save your work to, as all the files you create using the recording studio iMac will be erased after logging out of your session. Please note the following:
    • Many drives are formatted for the Windows operating system. You may need to reformat your drive for Mac OS X in order to use it to store and work on multimedia projects. To do so, follow the instructions found here. Warning: Reformatting a hard drive will completely erase all files. To begin, ensure that all wanted files are backed up or stored someplace else, such as on a personal computer, in an email account, or on a cloud drive.

Info Commons staff cannot provide one-on-one assistance on demand in the recording studio. Some proficiency in using computers and recording devices is necessary to use the studio. All are welcome to attend one of our basic computer or digital media classes to work towards making audio or video projects on your own.