Studio C in Dubbing Brothers’ Burbank facility
Paris-based post-production company Dubbing Brothers-which has soundstages in Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the U.S.- recently completed major soundstage upgrades in its Burbank facility. “We are excited to raise the audio post bar in Burbank and create a dynamic atmosphere to enhance the client experience,” says Dubbing Brothers president Philippe Taieb.
The stages were created as part of the company’s expansion of its digital audio facility in Burbank and will be used to record, edit and mix audio for films and TV. The studios are fully equipped with the latest Pro Tools software and are 5.1 surround sound capable.
“We’ve upgraded the studios, and as a result, people in Hollywood, in Burbank and all over the Valley are realizing there’s a place they can go that treats audio clients as first-class clients,” says Geoff Nathanson, director of marketing and client services, who joined Dubbing Brothers from Margarita Mix Hollywood, where he was general manager of marketing and strategy. “Everything was designed with audio and television and film in mind.
“We do foreign language dubbing; we do ADR for features here,” Nathanson continues. “We do independents, commercial films, TV series. But as far I know, not too many studios really have that kind of global reach, because we have those offices all over Europe, and they’re very significant over there, as well. And now we’re in the heart of the entertainment capital, too, with Burbank.”
Candice Jepson, executive VP of operations, adds, “Our mission is to consistently exceed the expectations of our creative community by providing premium tools, technology and environment. These state-of-the-art stages help us achieve that.”
Fred Taieb, Dubbing Brothers’ Head of Creative and Technical
The new stages officially opened on July 23 in Dubbing Brothers’ facility on West Magnolia Blvd. “It was previously the studio named Millennium in Burbank,” says Fred Taieb, Head of Creative and Technical. “But we had to redo everything [laughs], mainly on the stage. I changed most of the disposition of the floor, the walls and everything for the acoustic purpose.”
The spacious new stages feature new Digidesign ICON D-Control dual mode consoles, recording booths, theater-size screens, a producer’s work area and green rooms.
The company installed a 32-fader Digidesign ICON D-Control worksurface in Stage B, which, according to Taieb, is used primarily for recording voice-overs and ADR, and mixing for television and DVD releases. Stage C now has a 64-fader Digidesign ICON D-Control worksurface running Pro Tools Version 7.4. Taieb adds that Studios B and C are fully compatible in terms of plug-ins. “I want to make sure if we have an issue in one place and we have no time, or there is something coming up, we can switch studios and use the same setup and the same plug-ins to do whatever we need to do,” he says.
Studio B in Dubbing Brothers’ Burbank facility
Source Elements’ Source-Connect software, which enables real-time audio connections between Pro Tools systems anywhere in the world, is a cornerstone of Dubbing Brothers’ transatlantic operations. “The latest version is very stable and working very nicely,” Taieb says. “We can have security with two sessions. We also use their talkback system, which allows us to use the regular talkback, so the directors here feel really comfortable; it’s like the person is here, actually, and we set up a camera system with computers to be able also to have a visual of what’s happening in the other place.”
Nathanson adds, “In Burbank and Hollywood, a lot of celebrities need to do some sort of voice-over, ADR, or something, and Source-Connect allows us to connect to studios in Chicago, New York or anywhere around the world. It’s a seamless operation for the client: We set it up, we record it, or it can be recorded elsewhere, and it’s studio-quality. It’s part of our mission to make things easy for the clients and the celebrities.”
Taieb points out that with its Burbank facility, Dubbing Brothers brings its experience in the European dubbing market-where he says “95 percent” of films and television series undergo foreign language dubbing-into the U.S. market. “It’s a nice market, and we were the first in Europe who have the creative and the technical built in the same company,” he says. “So it was very successful over there. We thought it was a good idea to put together a studio in L.A., where all our clients are, and that’s where my brother Phillipe built this building. We have 20 years of experience in the business of foreign language [dubbing], and by coming here, we bring our knowledge of how to do things overseas.”
The revamped Burbank facility is already making its mark in the Hollywood community. “We were just selected to host the judging for the Hollywood Post Alliance Awards at the end of the month, which is a great honor for us,” Nathanson says. “The judging panel is made up of executives from major companies. They’ll all come here and sit in the room that Fred and I are sitting in right now, and decide [on] the best sound in the audio category. So, we’re excited.”
For more information, visit www.dubbing-brothers.com.
