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 pass up our deep dive into Cambridge, MA’s Q Division Studios as part of the class of 2023.
NovaSpace Studios • Shanghai, China
WSDG-designed NovaSpace Studios is situated on the seventh and eighth floors of an unassuming corporate building in the heart of Shanghai. WSDG was tasked with creating an inspiring recording atmosphere for Shanghai’s contemporary musicians. The recording studio features a double-height live room, two control rooms, an iso booth and a lounge.
Windows provide natural light, and embedded LED lighting enables engineers to tune the mood of the room by changing up the colors. Room-within-a-room construction throughout assures complete isolation between the recording spaces, as well as between the facility and the rest of the building. NovaSpace features a Rupert Neve Designs 5088 32-channel console, ATC monitors, an extensive collection of outboard gear, and mics from Telefunken, Neumann, Sennheiser and others.
Magnetic Sound Studios • Durham, N.C.
Owner/engineer Dave Tilley’s new studio was designed by Steve Durr and Matt Schlachter of Steven Durr Designs, LLC, in conjunction with Ellen Cassily Architecture. Magnetic Sound Studios was built by Chris Sparks/ Incline Construction within an early 1960s strip mall. The space was acoustically designed for Tilley to record live jazz, blues, swing, roots and acoustic music. The 1,200-square-foot live room has 19- and 28-foot ceilings. Also included are a vocal booth, a large iso booth for drum or piano recording, and a third booth connected to the control room. The live room also supports live concerts, with room for an audience of up to 120 guests.
The control room features SDD-custom Altec A7 Voice of the Theater monitors driven by Spectrasonics 701 modular power amps, and a 32-channel Sphere Eclipse A console, with enhancements from Gary Barnett of Barnett Industries. Magnetic Sound also features a Memphis-inspired echo chamber, EMT 140 and 240 plate reverbs, an extensive collection of vintage and contemporary ribbon mics, and tube mic pres and limiters from RCA, Collins, Gates, TAB and others.
The walls of the control room and all of the recording spaces feature amber-tinted, 130-year-old boards salvaged from Durham warehouses built in the 1890s, contributing to the studio’s warm, relaxed vibe and sound.
Jam Band Studio • Gainesville, Fla.
This PhantomFocus MixRoom recording studio, designed by Carl Tatz and built by contractor Robinson Renovation & Custom Homes Inc., features an airy tracking room with 18-foot ceilings and a full-view exterior glass wall. The facility also offers three amp closets, a vocal booth and a client lounge.
Owner Ryan Frankel’s equipment includes Tatz’s PhantomFocus PFM UHD- 1000 Master Reference Monitor System, a Carl Tatz Edition Dual 15L workstation by Argosy, Undertone Audio MDPI preamps, Universal Audio x8p, Dangerous Audio Monitor ST and a Hearback Pro Personal Monitor System.
Legacy Soundworks • Cincinnati, Ohio
Designed by Haverstick Designs and mADE Architects & Design | Ohio, this recording studio boasts a 600-square-foot live room with vaulted ceilings, a vocal booth, amp room and a drum room. The recording spaces offer variable acoustics via the Flex-48 Adaptive Treatment System by Acoustical Fulfillment and curtain systems, allowing rooms to be tuned for different applications. The control room features custom bass trapping, along with clouds and diffusors by American Woodworking.
Featured equipment, selected in consultation with Patrick Dennis of Sweetwater, includes PMC IB1S iii loudspeakers and Genelec 8341As with 7360A subwoofer; Universal Audio I/O, Avid Dock and S1 control surfaces; and preamps from UA, Rupert Neve Designs, LaChapell, Elysia and Slate. This destination studio, run by Brent Sheppard and his sons, Eric and Scott, is also attached to a three-bedroom home where bands can stay.
