Nashville, TN (August 2, 2023)—Writer, producer and mix engineer Chris Leon, co-owner of an international boutique record label, recently opened The Vesper Room, a Carl Tatz Design (CTD) Reference PhantomFocus 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos MixRoom, in Nashville, TN.
Born in Germany, Leon moved in the 2000s to New York City, where he worked on projects such as the soundtracks for Trolls (with Justin Timberlake and Anna Kendrick) and The Greatest Showman, as well as with artists including Namie Amuro, Nile Rodgers, Jota Quest, Charlie Puth, Matthew Koma and more. Leon, who moved his family to Nashville in 2021, first heard a two-channel PhantomFocus monitor system at one of CTD’s PhantomFocus MixRooms.
“Installed on the second story of a detached two-car garage on Leon’s residential property, this compact facility presented many challenges that needed to be addressed, both logistically and acoustically, for what Chris required,” comments studio designer Carl Tatz. “Namely, we needed to accomplish several things: build a room-within-a-room for sound isolation without encroaching on the already limited square footage; extend the footprint of the space to include an over-dub booth; facilitate HVAC and electrical for the MixRoom, booth and computer closet; find a way to reach Chris’s vision with the blue backlighting; and, oh yes, accommodate a new seven-foot Yamaha C7-X piano along with one of our Carl Tatz Edition Dual 15L workstations by Argosy.”
Mix’s Recording Studio Class of 2023, Part 2
The Vesper Room features a 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos monitor system composed of 11 PFM HD-1000 master reference monitors, which, among other performance elements, are the only professional monitors that feature a custom-designed cabinet with integral IsoAcoustics decoupling modules built in. Other elements include PhantomFocus monitor stands and clamp system mounts and two PFM ICE Cube-12 master reference subwoofers in a 13-channel PhantomFocus System. The room also incorporates two PhantomFocus Porcelain eChairs and the custom CTD Acoustic Lens Signature Series side-wall acoustic treatment and custom modules by Auralex.
Studio amenities also include an outdoor lap pool, barrel sauna, ice bath and video screen-enhanced stationary bike, all of which Leon includes in his morning ritual prior to working on his many and varied projects.
“I’m totally spoiled now working in my MixRoom and that becomes quite clear when I’m forced to work in other rooms all over the world,” Leon comments. “There’s just no comparison to its speed, accuracy and sonic pleasure.”
