HELIX Facilities

HELIX hosts high-quality professional studio and editing facilities staffed by a team of video production and creative specialists. We also offer self-record and podcasting support so that users can quickly pick-up technology to create their own media.

Podcasting and Self Recording Rooms Upgrades 

Podcast Room 1 has new low profile mic arms and colour-coded mic covers for quick reference of which mic is being used. A wall-mounted USB A, USB-C, and HDMI input allows offloading your audio to the in-room PC or connecting your own laptop to the provided screen. 

Podcast Room 2, formerly Meeting Room 2, mirrors most of the equipment available in Podcast Room 1. Sound treatment has been added to improve recording quality, providing additional capacity and a creative space at HELIX. The room will function like Podcast Room 1, with Self Recording/Podcast Access Cards bookable for out of hours use.  

The two self-recording rooms, now called Self Recording/Mini Podcast room 1 & 2, have been upgraded with additional functionality. Each room now features two LED panels and an app controlled RGB (Infinibar) light for better content creation.  

• iOS- amaran on the App Store 

• Android - amaran - Apps on Google Play

The self-recording rooms have new Rode podcast mics- for better and consistent audio quality, 2 extra mics, and a USB hub for further flexibility. By using the PC and Rode Connect software, you can simulate the hardware of the main podcast rooms, to use as 3-mic mini podcasting rooms.

All mic arms across HELIX are now underslung low-profile arms, keeping your eyeline clear and your recordings visually clean. 

Our XR classroom boasts the UK’s only Omnideck, a 360-degree treadmill that enables freedom of movement in immersive learning experiences. We offer faculty, students, and industry partners a space to experiment in extended reality, fully kitted out with Meta Quest 2 immersive all-in-one headsets and high-spec PCs. 

XR Upgrades

HELIX now has a portable kit of 6 Pico 4 Ultra Enterprise VR headsets that can be used within HELIX or across campus. In addition to providing flexible resources, this kit will support future delivery of Bodyswaps Soft skills training and other educational content (details to be confirmed). There are also 10 new Quest 3s’s for users in the space. 

We’ve introduced haptic technology to elevate the physicality of VR interactions, with a Haptics body vest, visor, gloves, arm guards, and foot sensors. These additions provide tactile feedback, making virtual experiences more immersive and realistic. 

To support upcoming workshops on Augmented Reality (AR) development, we've equipped the space with several Samsung tablets, ensuring that everyone can participate—even if they don’t have a compatible device. 

Our XR PCs now come equipped with licences of Adobe CC, the latest versions of Resolve 20, and other previously available creative tools such as Blender, Unity, Unreal, etc. 

The HELIX classroom offers users the flexibility to rapidly reconfigure and reimagine the learning environment. This space can also be used for training and development, research seminars, and conferencing. 

Multimode capabilities enable users in the classroom to connect and collaborate with those elsewhere – be they in another part of Leeds campus or on the other side of the globe.

The Makerspace Classroom is now focused on teaching sessions. Capacity is back up to 36 seats, and with the addition of a worktable for another 3 to 6 users, we’re now closer to the 40+ mark. The space is stocked with paper, pens, cards, scissors, crafting, paints, Lego, etc., to support hands on learning and prototyping. Resources are available at each bank of tables while back up resources remain available on the shelves. The space is also the main storage area for ongoing projects and work in progress.  

The Makerspace Workshop, formerly known as the Colab, now houses the core makerspace resources and equipment and is fully stocked with a permanent setup of tools, materials, and workstations. 

The space is filled with our sewing machines (including 5 new ones), 2 embroidery machines, new male and female mannequins, Cricut, hotwire foam cutters, airbrush painting booth, 360 photo domes, and more. Materials are easily accessible on large worktables, with more functional space for cutting fabrics and integrated under-table storage. Cupboards are stocked with additional supplies for workshops and to support your projects. The room also has a relaxed space with a LEGO table and 2 boxes of bricks to get creative with. 

This space is an open-access workshop, staffed at intervals throughout the day. While it isn’t bookable during supervised hours, inducted users can access it after hours using the new Makerspace Workshop Access Cards. Inductions are available during visits or by prior arrangement. 

HELIX partners with the University of Leeds Enterprise Academy to deliver student enterprise and entrepreneurship activities. Breakout spaces arranged around a central hub with access to coffee and kitchen create the ideal environment for ideation, design, and development. 

We now offers 4 bookable meeting rooms instead of 5.  While this reduces general meeting room availability, it significantly increases our capacity to support creative and project-based work. 

To ensure these spaces are used in line with HELIX’s purpose, meeting room bookings must be related to HELIX activities. This includes studying, revision, or dissertation work that directly involves HELIX resources or equipment. However, if your activity can be carried out in other campus facilities, such as PC clusters or library spaces, your booking may be declined to prioritise users engaging with HELIX-specific tools and environments. 

New Loanable Podcast Equipment

We’ve added 12 loanable Rode NT Mini USB mics that can be booked individually, or as kits, for recordings inside or outside HELIX. With an additional bookable USB hub, you can setup your podcast recording anywhere using a laptop and the free Rode Connect software. 

T-Shirt Printing Room 

The T-Shirt Printer has moved location to the central HELIX Enterprise Zone. It will function as before, but in a more prominent location to allow the creation of an additional HELIX Staff Office.