Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center
New state-of-the-art facility in Mesa, Arizona, for film, media arts, design and emerging technology programs
The world-class Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center in Mesa, Arizona, which opened in fall 2022, hosts hundreds of students who will be making films, designing new virtual worlds and video games, and creating other immersive media experiences of all kinds.
The MIX Center is part of the ASU at Mesa City Center complex, a collaboration between ASU and Mesa, Arizona, a city rich in history, art, community and industry. The MIX Center is located in the Salt River Valley on the ancestral homelands of those American Indian tribes that have inhabited this place for centuries, including the Akimel O’odham (Pima) and Pee Posh (Maricopa) peoples, whose care and keeping of these lands allows us to be here today. (For more information please see ASU Commitment to American Indian Tribes.) Located in the heart of Mesa’s Innovation District, the site will serve as a laboratory for advanced media technologies and media production, a platform for game development and a driving force for entrepreneurial solutions. It will also be an open and inviting place for the public as well as a source of inspiration, entertainment and education.
The ASU at Mesa City Center complex also includes The Studios at Mesa City Center, an inclusive community space open to all. Geared toward Mesa community members as well as students, faculty and staff interested in launching new ideas and seeking a connection space, the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at ASU will provide resources and programs to support current and aspiring entrepreneurs. The three-acre Plaza at Mesa City Center will provide a public park with an event lawn, splash pad and shade structures. Situated in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, this complex, a collaboration between ASU and the City of Mesa, will connect students, faculty and Mesa residents through community, industry and art.
Here, a new generation of creators from Arizona and beyond will develop into the media and technology professionals we need in the 21st century.
Academic programs
Cutting edge facilities and tools
The Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center is a world class facility for emerging media technologies, second to none.
A
Screening room
A 1,900-square-foot, 76-seat movie theatre meeting Dolby specifications for production facilities and featuring high-end projection and sound for screenings, lectures, events, streaming and more, as well as for sound mixing and color grading powered by Avid.
B
Enhanced immersion studio
A four-story, 3,200-square-foot, 150-person capacity enhanced immersion studio serving as a high-end performance venue and an experimental media space and equipped with cutting-edge rigging, lighting and audiovisual systems.
C
Soundstages
8,100 square feet of professional quality soundstages/production studios with top-notch acoustic isolation, an automated lighting grid, advanced camera systems and more. Are you interested in renting a sound stage? Submit a request to rent a sound stage.
D
The Crêpe Club
The Crêpe Club brings the beloved French tradition of crêperies to the Valley of the Sun, offering a variety of freshly made savory and sweet crêpes. Enjoy a complete dining experience with savory main course crêpes followed by delectable dessert crêpes, perfect for any time of day.
E
Exhibition/lobby
A 2,000-square-foot area that serves as communal space, breezeway and gallery, with hackable surfaces for installation, mega-battens for sound/lighting/sensor install and a 32-foot long monumental display.
F
Community room
A 750-square-foot community meeting space open to the exhibition lobby where community members can come to be inspired, entertained and informed.
G
Ideation studio
A 1,300-square-foot ideation studio and flexible classroom and creative space with display technology, rapid prototyping gear and more.
H
Fabrication lab
A 2,400-square-foot makerspace for students featuring workstations for 3D printing, laser cutting, circuit fabrication and more. Visit the ASU MIX Center Fabrication Lab website for tips, workflow information, the handbook and more.
I
Production shop
The production shop houses all wood and metal fabrication featuring all of the newest state-of-the-art tools and equipment such as a 4x8 ShopBot CNC Router, Waze Water Jet, 4x4 Plasma Table, welding capabilities and much more.
A
Large screening theater
A 5,100-square-foot, 257-seat movie theatre meeting Dolby specifications for production facilities and featuring high-end projection and sound for screenings, lectures, events, streaming and more, as well as for sound mixing and color grading powered by Avid.
B
Enhanced immersion studio (balcony)
A four-story, 3,200-square-foot, 150-person capacity enhanced immersion studio serving as a high-end performance venue and an experimental media space and equipped with cutting-edge rigging, lighting and audiovisual systems.
C
Recording suite (post-production)
A professionally equipped 1,200-square-foot high-end recording studio and teaching studio capable of mastering studio-quality audio for films, games and music, as well as sound for interactive and immersive experiences.
D
Dreamscape Learn Classroom Pod
A next-generation immersive learning hub, equipped with 26 haptic desks and chairs and one professor station. Each station has VR headsets with inside-out tracking for narrative-driven synchronous and asynchronous immersive educational programming. The Classroom Pod is also used for VR development learning and research.
E
Dreamscape Learn Free-Roam Pod
One of the first of its kind, this space incorporates virtual reality headsets, rumble, wind and water haptic effects, props, and infrared motion tracking to fully represent and immerse up to six individuals at a time in shared virtual reality entertainment experiences. The Free-Roam Pod is also used for VR development learning and research.
F
Makeup wardrobe costume shop
Professional quality dressing and makeup area complemented by a small textiles/costume shop and wardrobe facility.
G
Computer labs
Three 40-seat computing classrooms with high-end graphics/media workstations ideal for instruction in editing, animation, game design, immersive sound and more.
A
Administrative Suite
The Administrative Suite houses all the offices for faculty and operational staff at the MIX Center. Adjacent to the suite is our video game lounge, equipped with a Nintendo Switch and an Xbox Series S, available for play at any time.
B
Color Grading and Finishing Suite
Set up to teach color grading and theory – primarily for film. The suite features a neutral gray shade of 50% to color grade a project and is equipped with industry standard equipment.
C
Post-production facilities
Twelve editing bays, two color finishing suites, a color-grading screening room and three sound editing suites spread giving students and faculty access to professional quality post-production capabilities.
D
Large flex classrooms
More than 24,000-square-feet of flexible, adaptive classroom and project space with movable furniture, multiple displays, power and data distribution and remote teaching capabilities.
Reservation request
Please see the various forms below to book your space at the MIX Center.
Are you interested in reserving a space at the MIX or are you a student looking to film at MIX?
Community amenities and engagement
Just outside of the MIX Center, community members can gather in Mesa’s new three-acre Plaza at Mesa City Center. Adjacent to the MIX Center, ASU will operate The Studios, with programs to support Mesa residents with entrepreneurial or business ideas. Training programs, workshops, seminars and mentorship opportunities will be available to individuals or groups. Partnerships are underway that will bring in children and high school students from Mesa Public Schools, community arts organizers from the Mesa Arts Center, community representatives from Downtown Mesa Association and more.
The MIX Center began as a collaboration between Arizona State University and the City of Mesa and is located in the City’s innovative, diverse and historic downtown (find out more about what the downtown has to offer here). Not only is it one of the first media production facilities of its type, but it is designed to be fully embedded in the surrounding community as a hive of cultural exchange and public programming and events.
This vision will only be achieved through partnerships with organizations and the surrounding communities. The MIX Center has been designed to be a public amenity and place of collaboration and engagement for the entire community.
Community advisory board
The MIX Center is facilitating a community advisory group to guide development and public programming at the center. This group began to meet in January 2022 and will co-create its mission, vision and structure. The board is a representative group of community leaders engaged in various sectors in Mesa. This group will explore how the MIX Center can be a mutually beneficial addition to the city.
Community amenities
Community engaged projects
People
Leadership
MIX-affiliated research faculty
In addition to film faculty who will have offices and teach in Mesa, MIX Center faculty and affiliates include ASU leaders in research and creative work in immersive experience design, extended reality technologies and interactive environments.