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Music Resources in the Penn Libraries: Glossberg Recording Rooms

A guide to music resources and collections in the University of Pennsylvania Libraries.

About the Glossberg Recording Suite

The Glossberg Recording Room is a resource for faculty, students, and staff to record the spoken word for podcasts, video voice-overs, and interviews. Please note, this room is not designed for the recording of musical performances. Reserve the room.

Facilities & Policies

Photograph of audio recording equipment located in the Glossberg Recording Room at Van Pelt Library.The Glossberg Recording Room is located in the Ormandy Music and Media Center on the fourth floor of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library Center (room number 424.2).

Seating: 2

Policies:

  • A reservation is required to use the room. To book the room, use the Room Scheduler. The room may be booked for no more than three hours at a time.
  • When you arrive, you'll sign an agreement that states you will 1) handle the equipment with care and 2) keep the equipment in the room. If equipment is taken out of the room or damaged, you will be responsible for the cost to replace it.
  • Food and drink are not allowed in the Glossberg Room.
  • The room is designed for spoken voice recording. We can accommodate particularly quiet instrumentalists and singers (for example, flute sonatas, whispery singers like Nick Drake or Astrud Gilberto). We love both Schubert lieder and Death Metal, but neither would work in the room, which is attached via vent to a neighboring classroom. For those interested in recording louder music, be it Continental Classical, Swedish Sludge or something else, please watch this space for future developments.

Technical Support

Photograph of a person with headphones on and using computer equipment. Use of the room assumes knowledge of Garageband, iMovie, or Audacity. Technical support for the Glossberg Recording Room is provided by the staff of the Ormandy Center (on a limited basis). 

Recording Room 424.6

A resource for faculty, students, and staff to record the spoken word for podcasts, video voice-overs, and interviews.  Additionally, students, staff, and faculty may request the space to record small-scale (moderate volume) music recording projects. Interested students, staff, and faculty should email Eric, ekrewson@upenn.edu, to see if the music library can accommodate their project. This room features broadcast microphones, small diaphragm condenser mics, stands, cabling, headphones, and a four-channel Audient interface, mic stereo bar. Take a peek:

https://www.library.upenn.edu/spaces/recording-room-4246

Equipment & Software

Equipment:

  • One Mac Pro
  • Two boom microphones
  • One Alesis iO|14 audio interface/mixer
  • One MIDI keyboard​

Software:

  • Audacity
  • GarageBand
  • iMovie
  • Practica Musica
  • Sibelius

Podcasts Recorded in Glossberg:

Amplify Nursing Logo depicting a microphone. Amplify Nursing
"Our Amplify Nursing guests defy stereotypes, define practice, and disrupt convention. We highlight the breadth and depth of nursing influence on society by amplifying nurses who are pushing boundaries and breaking down barriers to build a new paradigm."

#OurWharton Podcast logo#OurWharton Podcast
Produced by members of the Wharton Graduate Association, #OurWharton is, "designed to be an easy listen...the podcast invites guests from all parts of Wharton to discuss stimulating questions, special Penn resources, and go-to life quotes."

Monument Lab LogoMonument Lab
"Welcome to Monument Lab, a public art and history podcast. Each episode, host Paul Farber explores stories and critical conversations around the past, present, and future of monuments. We speak to the artists, activists, and historians on the frontlines, building the next generation of public spaces through stories of social justice and equity."

University of Pennsylvania LogoThe Lauder Podcast
This podcast highlights staff, faculty, and student experiences at The Lauder Institute, especially to inform prospective students about the Lauder experience.

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