Media Resources for students at Lyons New Media Centre

For filming & photography, Lyons offers a variety of resources for students to use, whether it's for class or personal projects.

• Book media equipment & spaces (e.g. cameras, tripods, the media production studio, etc.)
• Software for editing videos & photography on high-end media editing computers
• Tutorials for video creation and even how to set up a tripod

Inside the Media Production Studio, equipment is available to be used during a booking, including but not limited to:

• Green, black and white backdrops
• Camera equipment (Canon DSLR, video camera, Nikon SLR camera, wireless RODE lapel microphones, etc.)
• Studio lighting with both LED and flash photography lights
• Light box (with four different coloured fabric backdrops)
• etc.

Note that there is no step into this room, so it is wheelchair accessible. Power is also available. 🔌

Videos, presentations, and podcasts all need audio work, and Lyons is here to help students record and edit their audio tracks.

Spaces - Audio Recording Studio (L414)

The audio recording studio (room L414) in Lyons has three recording spaces. These are great spaces for recording your audio work. Whether recording a podcast for a class, doing a voice over for a video, or recording a demo for the next big hit, the recording booth is available for whatever audio recording a student might need to do.

Podcast studio

• 6-person capacity - wheelchair accessible ♿
• In the left side of the room at the back
  • Available in the room: microphones & headphones, mixer with microSD for recording audio, media computer with wireless keyboard & mouse as well as webcam & recording software; portable green screen
• Bookings must be made at least 24 hours in advance; staff approval needed

Large audio recording booth

• 2-person capacity; can be used by 1-2 people for podcasting purposes or other audio recording
• In the right side of the room, which includes:
  • Available in booth: a media creation computer with audio recording software, music stand for script or music, 
  • Available from the Lyons Services Desk: RODECaster Duo audio interface, 2 RODE NT1-A condenser microphones, 2 AudioTechnical headphones, media computer with recording software
• Bookings must be made at least 24 hours in advance; staff approval needed

Small recording booth

• 1-person capacity
• In the left side of the room just inside the door, which includes:
  • Available in the booth: microphone, a laptop shelf (no computer provided; student must bring their own device to hook the mic up to; they will also therefore need their own software)
  • Available from the Lyons Services Desk: headphones 
• Bookings can be made up to 5 minutes prior to the desired booking time; staff approval not needed

Available Software

Check out our software listing to see what we offer to help with audio recording and editing.

Virtual reality is the latest technology that can help Instructors enhance their teaching and learning. Through a virtual world, students can explore and experience environments they may not be able to in their everyday lives. Lyons offers this virtual experience for Instructors and students to explore. If Instructors have ideas on what they could use VR for or are just curious about the possibilities … talk to us and/or try it out.

Spaces - Virtual Reality (VR) Studio (L415)

The VR Studio in Lyons is a bookable space within the Lyons New Media Centre and is available to all McMaster students, staff, and faculty. The room must be booked at least 24 hours in advance and requires approval from Lyons staff. It should be noted that there is a limit of 3 people in the room for a single booking. 

Training Requirement

There is an initial introductory VR health & safety training module that needs to be completed prior to booking the room. Interested students or instructors can enroll in the Avenue to Learn course "Lyons New Media Centre Training" and complete the "Virtual Reality (VR)" training module. Staff are available on all initial visits to help with the set up and answer any questions. 

Equipment

The VR Studio is equipped with the Meta Quest 2 VR headset and controllers, a gaming PC, and a large TV screen for viewing. If using the apps on the headset, the experience is wireless. If using the computer with Steam VR apps, the headset will be tethered to the computer via cable.

Available Software

Games/software currently available on the headset include:

• National Geographic Explore VR
• Blue Planet VR Explore
• Tilt Brush
• Pottery VR
• Ocean Rift
• Anne Frank House
• Traveling while Black
• VirtualSpeech

Clicking on any of the links above will take you to webpages that describe what they are all about.

From large roadside billboards and digital displays to directional signs and even our morning cereal box, graphic design is everywhere we look. Graphic designers and digital artists help shape how we view, maneuver, and live in our world. Lyons provides many of the industry standard tools students need to access to create, at no cost to them.

Equipment & Software

Digital art tablets

For digital art or even just precision work in some of the other software, Lyons loans out Wacom Intuos digital art tablets for short-term use (4 hours) in the Centre. If creating artwork, one of these tablets is almost a must! Tablets allow digital artists to draw or paint as they would on a real-life canvas, having more control over their project via the pen rather than with the clunkier movements of a computer mouse.

Adobe Creative Cloud

Our media lab computers are loaded up with many different media creation software, including the Adobe Create Cloud suite, an industry standard in design and creativity software. A few of the key software tools from Adobe for graphic design and digital art are:

• Adobe Illustrator - Used for creating illustrations, logos and more.
• Adobe InDesign - Excellent software for creating layouts for books, magazines, posters, etc.
• Adobe Photoshop - Good for manipulating photos (the duotone images in the McMaster brand are usually created in Photoshop, for example), but also for creating artwork
• Aside from the Adobe CC suite, these computers also have G.I.M.P. and Inkscape for individuals more familiar with these free options.

Find out more about software for graphic design and digital art on our software page. No bookings are necessary for these tools and resources.

Your instructors might be providing alternate format options for your assignments that might include podcasts, videos, posters or other types of media, the Lyons New Media Centre offers a variety of services to assist you with this!

In-Person & Remote Assistance

• Our Digital Media Specialist offers workshops (in Lyons or even in your class!)
• Our Media Specialists also provide a Media Help service with office hours (in-person & virtual).
• The Lyons staff can answer media related questions (go to the Get Help page on the Library website and look for the Media Help info card)

DIY Learning

• The Lyons staff creates tutorials on various media subjects including media creation videos that students can make use of at any time of the day or night that they need help