In Mix’s annual look at studio design, we present some of the most exciting new or refurbished recording studios that have opened during the past year. Included are innovative new workspaces for composers, musicians, engineers and producers all around the globe, presented in random order. Don’t miss Parts 1, 2 and 3, as well as our deep dive into the Class of 2023’s lead story on Cambridge, MA’s Q Division Studios!
Tim Henson Studio • North Texas
Gavin Haverstick designed this private home studio for Tim Henson, founder of genre-bending group Polyphia. Aesthetics were key to Henson, who wanted his creative space to complement the rest of his home. Haverstick Designs created a series of photorealistic renderings of different customized treatment designs for the project, including custom bass-trapping, ceiling clouds, and wall treatments to tame room-mode issues and harsh reflections, while adding to the look and feel of the space.
Joe Milne of All Pro Integrated Systems assisted with gear selection and integration, and JGW Services LLC handled isolation and treatment construction. Henson’s equipment includes Genelec 8361a monitoring, UAD Apollo interface; Phoenix Audio DRS-8 Mk2, Audient ASP880 and Black Lion Audio B12a preamps, Sennheiser and Neumann microphones, and Henson’s signature Ibanez guitars.
Grumpy Cow • Weybridge, England
Designed by Munro Acoustics, this private recording studio doubles as a listening and viewing room for sound supervisor Dominic Gibbs at his home southwest of London. The room is fully Dolby Atmos HE 7.1.4 compliant and is used for sound design, effects track laying and temp mixes. Munro Acoustics’ Clive Glover says that his firm designed the facility from a concept developed by Gibbs, and worked to “integrate the surround speakers into the aesthetic to produce a room that looks as good as it sounds.” Gibbs has worked on recent films such as Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre, Aladdin and The Gentlemen. His studio equipment includes an Avid S3 console, Pro Tools HD3 running on a Mac Studio Ultra computer, Neve and SSL analog signal processing, routing through Avid MTRX Studio, and monitoring via Dynaudio custom integration speakers with a Munro Acoustics custom subwoofer and MC2 Delta 20 amps.
Culture King Studio • Las Vegas, Nev.
Dedicated to capturing hip-hop music (and culture), Culture King’s Studio features a design by Sam Berkow of SIA Acoustics (a division of RDA), with audio equipment consultation and coordination by Zoe Thrall. System design and implementation was performed by Ed Evans, in collaboration with project manager Conor Webber of general contracting firm Shawmut Design and Construction. The studio, situated within the Culture King retail facility in the Forum Shoppes at Caesars Palace, includes a live tracking room featuring a large high-STC sliding door that opens to the retail store, allowing the space to work as a performance venue for in- store events. In addition, the door has electric glass that allows it to be switched from clear to opaque with the flip of a switch. The control room is outfitted with an SSL Matrix 2 console, ATC SCM45A monitors, an Apogee Symphony interface, and several RealAcoustix diffusors.
Lion Share Studios • Los Angeles, Calif.
Lion Share Studios was originally designed by Carl Yanchar in 1979 for Kenny Rogers, and now has reopened in 2023 under new owner Bill Jabr. This time around, Yanchar worked with Jabr to reimagine and restore the iconic recording studio, known for hosting Rogers, Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand and many others. Original features of the room include live room motorized ceiling louvers and dual baffle-mounted custom walnut Augspurger-style monitors built by Pavel Maslowiec.
As part of the refresh, new subwoofer cabinets were designed by Jabr, and the space itself was fitted with updated soffit diffusors and bass trapping, rear deep bass trapping, new floors, updated wiring with ethernet and video feeds, and a completely reconfigured, modernized workflow. At the center of the room is an API 2448 console with built-in automation and DAW control capabilities.
