Dubai, UAE (April 19, 2022)—Promoted as a “sonic paradise,” Firdaus Studio in Dubai accommodates up to 80 musicians, supports Dolby Atmos mixing and offers an analog-digital hybrid workflow via a 40-input Rupert Neve Designs 5088 mixing console and an Avid S6 digital control surface.
Designed by the team at Modi Digital, the original idea for the studio was conceived by Her Excellency Reem Al-Hashimy, minister of state for international cooperation, United Arab Emirates and director general, and multi-award-winning composer, artist and musician A.R. Rahman, who each reportedly recognized that a major recording studio was an essential component of the growth in the region’s music and cultural sectors.
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According to Adita Modi, design custodian at Modi Digital, “Firdaus translates to paradise in Arabic, so it was important that all aspects of the studio reflect this ideal, and we believe a sonic paradise is best achieved with high-end analog sound quality. We have spared no effort in ensuring the performance captured is of the highest quality.”
As a digital workflow was non-negotiable for a future-forward studio with Dolby Atmos capability, the studio’s desk, custom-built by Sounds Fishy, divides the 5088 into two sections with the S6 in the center for digital mixing capabilities.
“Our 40-channel 5088, fully-loaded with Shelford 5052 mic preamp and inductor EQ and 5051 inductor EQ and compressor modules, is extremely special sounding,” says Navneeth Balachanderan, sound engineer and AV tech at Firdaus. “The detail and the warmth of the preamps are simply unmatched by any other pre we’ve heard, the desk has infinite headroom, and the saturation you get when you hit the desk hard sounds really musical. It just sounds right on any possible source you can think of.”
