Big residential commercial studios, small Midtown private rooms, post houses in L.A. and recording schools across the country—they all need furniture and studio accessories, ranging from console workstations to equipment rack (and computer) sound isolation. For their part, the manufacturers of studio accessories must constantly adapt to changing production styles and digital workflows. You don’t see many frames being built for SSL 9000 K Series these days, but there is a big demand for Avid MC Control housings, and Steinberg’s Nuage has a nice new home at Argosy…
Here are some Mix Picks for available studio furniture, leaving straight acoustic treatments for another discussion.
Argosy Mirage for Nuage
WORKSTATION
Argosy Mirage for Nuage
Studio workstations, the furniture kind, run the gamut from single-surface tables to multi-platform, rack-friendly, monitor (visual)-focused designs, from form-fitting controllers to 48-channel analog frames. Argosy Consoles, the fine-craft Missouri company, provides high-end rack enclosures, speaker stands and workstations to fit almost any console. The customer wants solid construction, a little flexibility and, because it’s the music industry, a sense of design. Argosy recently won a 2013 Platinum Award for Design Excellence (ADEX), the largest and most prestigious awards competition for product design of furnishings marketed to the design trade, for its release of Mirage for Nuage, to house Yamaha Steinberg’s new console controller and DAW. The Mirage line is available for a variety of mixer-specific applications, straight up or custom. www.argosyconsole.com
Sound Construction & Supply
EQUIPMENT RACK
Sound Construction & Supply
Yes, the Nashville-based company makes high-end console workstations and made its reputation on custom furnishings, but it’s the rack enclosures, including the popular IsoBox, that spread the company name far and wide in producers’ desks across the country. Single-, double- or triple-bay, slant or straight, the solid construction and ease of access spans the range of 12-, 16- and 20-rack units. Larger on request. Oak, maple and cherry hardwood finishes. SCS also makes the Mac Pro Rack DAW, a mini stand-alone edit desk, incorporating six total rack unit spaces, a sliding Mac Pro rack and sliding keyboard tray. www.custom-consoles.com
Auralex Acoustics ProMax
GOBO
Auralex Acoustics ProMax
What is a gobo, really? Isolation and absorption? Simple separation? First developed decades ago as a necessity to break up a big room with live players, gobos were often custom to particular studios, on wheels, rolled in as demand dictated. With advances in modular construction and materials, not to mention the contribution of veteran studio designers, acoustic treatment has undergone rapid advances in both science and style. Gobos now sit on stands, with variable acoustic characteristics to tailor a space in different veins. Auralex introduced its ProMax series of stand-mounted acoustical panels—portable, flexible absorption—at NAMM 2012, and while it was clearly aimed at the personal recordist/small studio owner, it is equally at home as a “gobo” in large rooms when a live band is playing. www.auralex.com
Primacoustic VoxGuard
ISOLATION TOOLS
Primacoustic VoxGuard
VoxGuard has been out for more than a few years now and has more than a few competitors, but measured as a ratio of a low-cost/high-quality solution to acoustic problems in vocal recording, it’s hard to beat. Peter Janis, head of Radial and Primacoustic, has built a reputation for durable, practical, affordable, quality products across a wide range of music and recording, and his Primacoustic brand just keeps growing. VoxGuard is an acoustic screen designed to reduce the ambient noise around a microphone, eliminating excess echo and reverb. It sounds simple, but it’s not. An extra-large, high-impact ABS outer shell keeps unwanted noise out, while slotted ports prevent excess bass buildup and resonance; a high-density open cell acoustic foam provides maximum absorption throughout the vocal range. Tip: It also works well surrounding acoustic guitar mics and amps in a live setup. www.primacoustic.com
IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R Speaker Stands
MONITOR ISOLATION
IsoAcoustics ISO-L8R Speaker Stands
Dave Morrison’s small Canadian company sure has made a splash in the press since showing the ISO-L8R speaker isolation stands at NAMM 2013, and with good reason. Priced at $99 to $149, they represent that category of studio accessory that makes a big difference for a small investment. Primacoustic has a solid base for its Recoil Stabilizers, as does Auralex for its ProPads, and now there is competition in a new form based on Newton’s Third Law of Reciprocating Motion, in this case the upper portion of the stand moving in a sympathetic direction to the sound source. You just have to hear them. Pads or stands? Use your ears and make your own choice. www.isoacoustics.com