New Media Production Studios

Overview

With growing demands in the Faculty of Arts and a need for practical, applied learning, the new Media Production Studios provides exceptional facilities for students that are purpose-built and improve the student experience.   

What's new?

The Ground Floor of the Babel Building has seen a significant improvement in facility offerings for our Faculty of Arts students and staff, housing the University’s first Media Production Studios including:

  • Small and large television / multi-camera studios
  • State-of-the-art audio recording studio
  • Several self-operable multimedia / podcast and recording studios
  • AV equipment maintenance and loans facility.

These new facilities will provide students with an exceptional opportunity to enhance their learning experience in a hands-on, applied learning environment.

Get in touch

For more information about the Integrated Media Production Studio and its upcoming programs, please email Dr. David Beesley: David.Beesley@unimelb.edu.au.

What’s next?

In Semester 2, select students from Faculty of Arts subjects will be the first to experience these new facilities.

Looking ahead to 2026, the studio's capabilities will be expanded to support teaching, research, and public engagement across the broader Faculty and University community. This will allow us to meet the diverse needs of our students, academics, and partners.


Horwood Audio Recording Studio

  • The existing Horwood Studio (previously run by the School of Languages and Linguistics, located in the John Medley Building) will be operationally integrated with the new Media Production Studio.
  • This integration will enable seamless management of advanced production facilities across the Faculty.
  • The strategic focus of the Horwood Studio continues to be the School of Languages and Linguistics’ teaching, research and engagement activities

The Horwood Studio will remain fully operational during the transition.

Enquiries about using the Horwood Studio can be directed to: Gavin Nebauer at  soll-info@unimelb.edu.au

Frequently Asked Questions

The first integrated Media Production Studio on the Parkville campus is a state-of-the-art facility dedicated to providing Faculty of Arts students with hands-on experience in various aspects of contemporary media production.

It includes:

  • Small and large television / multi-camera studios
  • State-of-the-art audio recording studio
  • Several self-operable multimedia / podcast and recording studios
  • AV equipment maintenance and loans facility
  • Horwood Audio Recording Studio

The new facilities will provide students with valuable hands-on experience and practical skills in media production, designed to apply their knowledge in a real-world environment

The Media Production Studio will initially be primarily used by students from the School of Culture and Communication and the Centre for Advancing Journalism, along with other Faculty of Arts students and staff. While this will be the primary use following the opening, it is expected that the Media Production Studio will be bookable in 2026 for a range of users and will be communicated following refinement of operational planning in Semester 2 2025.

The Media Production Studio is equipped with industry-standard cameras and digital audio recording equipment; equipment highlights as follows:

Equipment highlights:

  • 5 x versatile multimedia / podcast studios centred around the intuitive yet fully featured Rodecaster II console
  • 1 x large audio space connected to a dedicated audio mixing booth with Yamaha QL1 digital audio desk
  • 2 x multi-camera studios and fully featured control rooms incorporating BlackMagic Ursa studio cameras, BlackMagic vision switchers, graphics, autocue, Yamaha QL5 audio mixer and EditShare shared storage
  • All spaces throughout the Media Production Studio complex are connected via fibre and Dante networks allowing maximum flexibility, supported by extensive use of Riedel comms systems throughout.

This compact facility holds immense potential for advancing contemporary digital workflows and exploring emerging media production paradigms.

Following the opening, the Media Production Studio will primarily be used for teaching and learning. Once operational details have been finalised, this may extend to personal and non-academic projects for both students and staff.

No, there is no fee to use the facilities. You must be either a student or University staff member. The facility will not be open to the general public at this stage.

For more information or to schedule a tour of the Media Production Studio, please contact Dr. David Beesley at David.Beesley@unimelb.edu.au