Music Professor Transforms Office Into Professional Recording Studio
Cedarville professor Austin Jaquith turned his office into a professional recording studio, creating a hands-on teaching space for music production students with industry-standard acoustics and room to grow into immersive audio.
In audio production, a room can make or break a recording. So when Austin Jaquith needed industry-standard acoustics for his students, he rebuilt his office into a teaching studio designed to professional specifications.
Professor Creates Professional Recording Studio for Music Production Students
Jaquith, professor of music theory and composition at Cedarville University and a recording engineer with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, wasn’t aiming for a cosmetic upgrade. He needed a professionally treated space that could function as both a working studio and a hands-on lab for music production courses.
“This wasn’t an experimental detour,” said Jaquith. “It was a professional and teaching necessity.”
The solution emerged unexpectedly. After learning that acoustic panels remained after the renovation of Cedarville’s Jeremiah Chapel — panels that had already proven effective in a classroom in the Apple Technology Resource Center — Jaquith recognized their potential. What appeared to be surplus material became the foundation for a high-performance recording environment.
Scientific Acoustics and Sound Engineering Shape Studio Design
Although Jaquith’s academic background is in music theory and composition, his recent study of acoustics and sound engineering shaped the project. The redesigned studio was planned with scientific precision, incorporating room measurements, sound absorption control and monitoring calibration to support professional-level mixing.
The renovation came with two practical hurdles: moving the panels and mounting them in a way that wouldn’t permanently lock the room into one layout.
By adapting panels originally designed for a large auditorium to a smaller office footprint, Jaquith transformed the room into a functional mixing studio. Through careful planning, acoustic testing and incremental refinement, the space now meets professional production standards while giving students hands-on learning opportunities aligned with industry practices.
The studio supports coursework in music production, audio engineering and digital recording. Demand in these fields is growing as streaming platforms, immersive audio technology and independent content creation reshape how music is made and heard.
Jaquith is now working to expand student access by developing an additional studio space. Future upgrades include refining the room’s acoustic response and increasing audio channels to support Dolby Atmos surround sound and other immersive audio formats used in film, gaming and commercial music production.
Innovative Problem-Solving Creates High-Impact Learning Space
The project highlights how innovative problem-solving and resource stewardship can create high-impact learning spaces without large-scale construction.
“So much of the time, you are dependent on your own resources to solve problems,” said Jaquith. “Sometimes, the solutions are difficult to find, but other times, they are really easy when the right things fall into place. But you don’t know until you give it a go and explore all your options.”
By combining scientific acoustics, professional expertise and creative adaptation, Jaquith’s studio bridges classroom instruction with real-world audio production. It also gives students a space built to the standards they will encounter beyond campus.
About Cedarville University
Cedarville University, an evangelical Christian institution in southwest Ohio, offers undergraduate and graduate residential and online programs across arts, sciences and professional fields. With 7,265 students, it ranks among Ohio's largest private universities and is recognized by The Wall Street Journal as being among the nation’s top three evangelical universities. Cedarville is also known for its vibrant Christian community, challenging academics and high graduation and retention rates. Learn more at cedarville.edu.