Harbourside Studios owner Tony Rudner in this (Trident) DREAM studio
The newest addition along the North Vancouver, B.C., waterfront, Harbourside Studios (www.harboursidestudios.com) has set out its shingle for music recording, stereo and surround mixing, film and TV post-production, and a variety of support services. Launched in September 2005 inside an extensively converted warehouse, the one-room facility offers a Trident DREAM Series 24 console, chosen partly “for its great analog pre’s,” says owner/producer Tony Rudner, who runs the studio along with manager Valerie Biggin. A Digidesign Control|24 and a Pro Tools|HD workstation also live in the control room, while iZ RADAR and Masterlink ML-9600 hard disk systems allow clients to work with either system, or some variation of the two. Visitors can also mix in surround, with monitoring provided by Dynaudio 5.1 6As, Mackie 824s and a Tascam DSM 7.1 digital surround controller, with the ubiquitous Yamaha NS10s on hand for near-fields.
With studio designer John Vrtacic providing a few pointers, Rudner and a team of builders constructed the studio from the ground up on floating floors. The mid-sized studio area contains two iso booths, one with a Yamaha G3 grand piano; with the room’s 16-foot-high ceilings, the space is suitable for most tracking sessions. “Because the ceilings are so high you get the feeling of a very large studio when you record,” says Rudner.
The tracking room
The studio itself, which has already seen activity from producer/engineer Jeff Dawson, who came in to record local artists Winston and Brendan Paris, is only one aspect of the multifaceted company. Rudner, a musician, composer and producer in his own right, also runs in-house publishing and production companies and a record label.
But the best perk of all — chocolate. Harbourside Sound smartly positioned itself right next to Thomas Haas Chocolates, which means some of the world’s finest handmade chocolates and other treats are just steps away. Also nearby: Spa Utopia, cozy eateries and a view of downtown Vancouver.
