lvaquera@cua.uam.mx
Teléfono 55 5814 3437
Introduction
The Sound Experimentation Laboratory is an academic space that is part of the infrastructure of the Division of Communication Sciences and Design (DCCD) at the Cuajimalpa Campus of the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. Its primary purpose is to provide the technical, technological, and pedagogical conditions necessary for sound exploration, creation, analysis, and production as an expressive, communicative, artistic, and scientific language.
This laboratory fosters a critical, practical, and interdisciplinary approach to sound work. It offers undergraduate and graduate students and faculty a suitable platform to develop individual or collaborative projects that integrate sound as a core resource. It brings together artistic experimentation, academic research, and professional production of sound and audiovisual content.
It features two main spaces, L-409-D and L-409-E, designed with professional standards for the recording, editing, mixing, and post-production of sound. Both are acoustically conditioned to ensure high-fidelity listening and provide a work environment that meets the standards required for professional-quality productions.
The equipment includes mixing consoles, players, CD and USB recorders, high-sensitivity microphones, and other essential devices for precise audio handling at various production stages. These resources allow for conducting recordings in controlled conditions, manipulating sound with specialized tools, and experimenting with different sound design techniques. This infrastructure supports the development of complex projects that integrate audio, video, and multimedia elements, such as podcasts, sound art, transmedia narratives, documentaries, or experimental and commercial audiovisual pieces.
The Sound Experimentation Laboratory supports courses, workshops, seminars, and research projects from the DCCD programs. Projects developed in this space range from storytelling and sound art to data sonification, the creation of immersive soundscapes, and audio design for interactive experiences or digital environments.
This environment promotes active learning, collaborative work, interdisciplinary thinking, and innovation—values that define the Division’s educational model. Beyond its technical function, the laboratory aims to generate meaningful learning experiences through sound, recognizing its central role in contemporary culture and the creative industries.
In addition to its pedagogical dimension, the laboratory promotes an inclusive vision by supporting projects aimed at expanding access to sound production and understanding as an accessible form of communication. It also serves as a conducive environment for research in sound communication, acoustic studies, digital culture, and the intersections of art, science, and technology.
The Sound Experimentation Laboratory represents a cornerstone of academic training within the DCCD, not only because of its technical and technological capabilities but also due to its pedagogical and creative potential.
Projects and Activities
Academic and Training Applications
The Sound Experimentation Laboratory supports a variety of courses, workshops, seminars, and research projects within the DCCD programs, including Bachelor’s Degrees in Communication Sciences, Information Technologies and Systems, Design, and Master’s Degrees in Design, Information, and Communication.
In the Bachelor’s Degree in Communication Sciences, the laboratory plays a key role in sound and audiovisual production, sound narrative, digital radio, podcasting, sound design for media, and the critical analysis of sound in today’s media landscape. Students can experiment with sound language as a tool for expression and analysis, producing content ranging from documentary to experimental.
In the Bachelor’s Degree in Information Technologies and Systems, the space allows for the exploration of sound from a technical and computational perspective. Activities include audio programming, digital signal processing, design of interactive sound experiences, and development of immersive environments, integrating sound with interfaces, sensors, and data visualizations.
For the Bachelor’s Degree in Design, the laboratory supports projects that integrate sound as a key component in designing experiences, objects, installations, spaces, or multimedia products. Students can work with soundscapes, interactive installations, auditory environment design, and transmedia narratives that connect image, sound, and user.
At the graduate level, the Master’s Degree in Design, Information, and Communication benefits from the Laboratory as a space conducive to applied research, prototyping, experimental production, and analyzing phenomena related to sound and communication. The laboratory helps faculty and students develop projects that combine design methodologies, digital technologies, and media analysis through a critical and contemporary lens.
Projects in this space range from sound narrative, sound art, and data sonification to creating soundscapes, immersive environments, and audio design for interactive experiences and digital media. It is also a space where students can explore the potential of sound as an expressive, cultural, and technological tool, enhancing critical and creative skills that are fundamental to their professional development.
Moreover, the laboratory offers an environment that fosters collaborative work, interdisciplinary thinking, and innovation—core values of the Division’s educational vision. Beyond its technical function, it aims to generate meaningful learning experiences through sound, recognizing its central role in contemporary culture and the creative industries.
A Space for Inclusion and Research
The Sound Experimentation Laboratory is also committed to inclusion, supporting projects to expand access to sound production and understanding as an accessible form of communication. Likewise, it is a suitable environment for research in sound communication, acoustic studies, digital culture, and intersections between art, science, and technology.
It is a space where knowledge connects with practice, technique with expression, and experimentation with critical reflection.
The Sound Experimentation Laboratory features an infrastructure carefully designed to meet contemporary sound work's technical and creative needs. It comprises two main spaces, identified as L-409-D and L-409-E, both conceived under professional standards to facilitate processes such as sound capture, editing, mixing, design, and postproduction in both stereo and multichannel formats.
Both laboratories are acoustically treated with materials and configurations that minimize sound interference and optimize auditory perception, ensuring a precise, immersive, high-fidelity working experience. These conditions are essential for sound's critical recording and playback, enabling professional-level productions in educational, artistic, and research contexts.
In terms of equipment, both spaces are outfitted with professional mixing consoles, digital and analog audio players, CD and USB recorders, and a variety of high-sensitivity microphones suitable for different types of recording—voice-over, ambient sound, music, narration, and sound effects. They also include audio interfaces, reference monitors, and professional monitoring systems to ensure precise sound handling throughout all stages of production.
This set of tools allows students and faculty to work in controlled conditions, experiment with various recording and processing techniques, and approach projects from technical and expressive perspectives. The versatility of the equipment also fosters the development of creative and interdisciplinary proposals, exploring sound as a cross-cutting resource across different media and formats.
The L-409-E laboratory stands out particularly for its 30 iMac workstations, configured with the technical capacity to handle high-quality simultaneous audio and video processing. These computers are equipped with a suite of specialized professional software, including Adobe Audition, Audacity, Final Cut Pro, and Premiere Pro. This digital infrastructure enables seamless integration of image and sound, which is essential for developing complex audiovisual products.
Thanks to this combination of hardware and professional-grade editing platforms, the laboratory provides ideal conditions for producing podcasts, sound art, soundscape design, soundtracks, multichannel works, transmedia narratives, experimental documentaries, and interactive audiovisual content. It also facilitates the technical and conceptual learning of workflow processes that define contemporary production environments, enabling students to tackle creative challenges using real-world professional tools.
Primary User Groups
The Sound Experimentation Laboratory at the Cuajimalpa Campus provides academic, technical, and creative support to courses, workshops, seminars, and research projects within the programs of the Division of Communication and Design Sciences (DCCD), such as the Bachelor's degrees in Communication Sciences, Information Technologies and Systems, Design, and the Master's in Design, Information, and Communication.
Thanks to its infrastructure and interdisciplinary approach, the laboratory enhances the development of practical and conceptual skills related to sound from communicative, technological, aesthetic, and social perspectives. In doing so, it expands academic programs' pedagogical and methodological possibilities. This positions the lab as a space that fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, drives technological innovation, and encourages creative production with educational, artistic, and social impact.
Access Policies and Guidelines
Guidelines for the Use and Loan of Laboratories and Equipment
The Division of Communication and Design provides its community with laboratories, specialized spaces, and audiovisual equipment to support academic activities. Access to these resources is subject to compliance with the following guidelines.
On-Campus Loans
• Present a valid UAM ID.
• For equipment, submit a printed request letter addressed to the laboratory coordinator at least 24 business hours in advance.
• For specialized spaces or laboratories, the letter must be addressed to M.A. Luis Eduardo Vaquera Patiño.
• The letter must include the same information and requirements as those for off-campus loans.
• The use of specialized spaces outside of class hours (labs, photo, and audio studios) is limited to 3 hours, with possible extensions subject to availability.
Submission of Requests
Requests must be submitted in person at the Image and Sound Control Office. Requests will not be accepted if:
• Sent by email.
• Contain erasures, incorrect or incomplete information.
• Submitted outside the established timeframe.
Important Rules
• There is a 20-minute grace period to pick up equipment or enter the reserved space. After that, the reservation is canceled.
• Check the condition of the equipment upon receiving it. Immediately report any damage.
• If the reserved equipment or space will not be used, the request must be canceled beforehand or within the first 30 minutes.
• Equipment must be returned punctually to the designated office, with a maximum tolerance of 15 minutes.
• All equipment must be returned in the same condition and order as delivered.
• Subject to availability, you must request an extension of use within the first 20 minutes of the assigned time.
• In accordance with civil protection regulations, the complete list of individuals who will enter must be included in space usage requests.
• The latest time for equipment return is 4:45 p.m. unless officially changed.
Responsibility and Sanctions
Using equipment and laboratories entails a commitment to responsible use and care with future users in mind. In case of damage or loss, the equipment must be replaced promptly with one of equal or better quality. Failure to comply with the rules may result in:
• Suspension of loan privileges upon detection of the violation.
• One-week suspension for the first offense.
• Suspension for the remainder of the term in case of repeat offenses.
• Permanent suspension, depending on the severity of the infraction.
• In cases of damage or loss, the suspension will remain in effect until the equipment is repaired or replaced.