RA The Book Vol 2

The Recording Architecture Book of Studio Design

Roger D'Arcy

• Publisher: M-Y Books
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781909908963
• Topic: Sciences physiques
• Subtopic: Physique

Volume 1 of this three part series focuses on private and in-house studios and Recording Architecture's built output from 1987 to 1996 with technical chapters covering work stages A to D (including details of sound isolation and acoustic treatment). This second volume concentrates on commercial recording studios (including case studies of the legendary Lansdowne, CTS, Maison Rouge and Konk), mastering and cutting rooms and the years 1997 to 2002 together with work stages E to H (including electrical power and ventilation/air conditioning). Together, the three eBooks cover the entire contents of the hard back edition of RA: The Book but they have been edited and compiled to work as stand-alone volumes. Established by Roger D'Arcy and Hugh Flynn on April 1st 1987 Recording Architecture has risen to become one of the premier recording studio design companies in the world. First Commissioned by ex Def Leppard guitarist Pete Willis for Blue Room studios In Sheffield swiftly followed by projects such as Hulgrave Hall, for composer Keith Hopwood the company has grown to design key installations around the world. Now for the first time they will be publishing a history of these ground breaking designs covering all aspects of architectural, acoustic and interior design of these studios and spaces specifically related to sound on a project by project basis. In a Career spanning Three decades Recording Architecture has virtually unrivalled experience in the design of studios which range in size and purpose from classical orchestral, residential, mixing, mastering, post production, film dubbing, video editing and rehearsal studios over 40 countries worldwide. Stating his desire to expand awareness with the new book Roger D Arcy states Over the years, and perhaps surprisingly, the only available books on recording studio design seem to have been written by individuals with little or no qualified background in Architecture or design in the field - we are trying show the detailed architectural/acoustic input behind a successful design with each studio study showing drawings in large format. This is not a theoretical guide but a detailed presentation of tried and tested techniques as applied to real, built projects in many of the case studies, the actual drawings issued for construction are reproduced. The examples illustrate not only what we think should be done but what was in fact physically (and successfully) implemented in a wide variety of situations from small, private project studios to large, commercial land mark studios such as Lansdowne and CTS. Examples range in scope from individual spaces and rooms to multi studio facilities and cover the two principal strands of recording and mixing: MUSIC studios recording (tracking), mixing and mastering (including cutting) project to orchestral in scale examples have been taken from the private, commercial and educational sectors. POST PRODUCTION studios voice over (dubbing), FX recording ( Foley ), film mix studios (dubbing theatres) from small voice over studios for TV to large Dolby Premier Certified film mix theatres. Contents include hundreds of photographs together with detailed plans and construction drawings - including comprehensive specifications of materials and techniques - showing exactly how these environments were created.

Commercial music studios

APS Abbey Road Ace Records Adlabs Albert Productions Thierry Allard The American College In London Amplisound Dev Anand Ian Anderson Angel Studios Angellsound Mark Angelo Studios Angelshare The Aquarium Artezium Rick Astley Astoria Aurora B&B Burbank The BBC Babajim Backstage Studios Russ Ballard Balea Music Martin Barre Battery Studios Beechpark Beethoven Street Ned Bigham Black Rock Blue Post Bluechip Bongo Post + Music Boogie Park Brahma Kumaris British Aerospace Terry Britten Brixton Academy Rose Bruford College Brunei Royal Palaces Bullfrog CTS Canon Audio Paul Carrack Cavern The Chemical Brothers Neneh Cherry Cineom Vince Clarke Commercial Breaks CONEL The Core Neil Costello Crazysound Cream Criterion Crystalphonic George Cuff The Cure Cut & Run The Dairy Ray Davies De Lane Lea Derby University The Digital Audio Co Digital Creations Digitalmix Dolphin Doncaster College Double Trouble Le Doyen Bruce Dunlop Associates ECAM EMI Music East Point Electronic Arts El Rom Eltham College Euphonix Evolutions The Exchange Exit Studios Farasan The Farm The Farm Group Feltwave Bryan Ferry Magnus Fiennes Fiesta Film Mix Film Labs Fluke Forwardbeat Fullard Multimedia Front Line Music GIANT Pascal Gabriel Gaurav Digital Noel Gallagher Ron Gariasco GearBox Geising Team Gemini Audio Glenrothes College CCI Gloucester University Grange Farm David Gray Great Linford Pavilion Ground Control H20 Steve Hackett Halwani Audio Hammon Studios Harman UK Hackney Arts Centre Haringey Arts Council Jeremy Healy Heathman’s Mastering Pete Heller Steve Hillage Rupert Hine Hljodhamar Home Hum ICC INX TV Infogrames Izabelin Studios JCA Jnanapravah The Joint Jungle Kash Productions The Kinopalace Koh-San Konk Studios Lenny Kravitz LMN London Weekend Television The LSE Yusuf Lakdawala Lakeside Studios Lansdowne Annie Lennox Lennox Lewis College The Levellers The Limehouse Liquidspillers Loco London College of Music London Post Louis Lahav Loxley Post Magmasters Manfred Mann Magneto Electric Works MANCAT MCA Music MIAM ITU Maison Rouge Macasso Music Marmalade Martha’s Studio Dru Masters The Master Recording Company Matrix Maximum Music Jason Mayo Media Tools Metrophonic Robert Miles The Mill Daniel Miller The Mix Room The MixltPro Co Amar Mohile Momentum Monster Music Peter Moon Trevor Morais Jacob Moreno Mosfilm Will Mowat Mustache Mute Records NOB Navketan Shmuel Noifeld North Notts College Numb Productions Gilbert O’Sullivan Billy Ocean Off the Wharf Optimum Oxford Digital Orinoco Toyshop PEO Qatar Parrswood Philipp Palm Phoenixsound Picture Production Company Planet Audio Pluto Music Polskie Radio Michel Polnareff Polygram Hong Kong Power Plant Prime Focus The Priory The Premises Die Prinzen Proper Records Pulse Recording Punkt Musik Q-Labs Rainmaker Post Red Tape RIP Records Rimon School of Music Riverlight Roachford Rollover Studios Roller Productions Room4 Studios The Roxy Rushes Freido Ruth SDL Sade Scramble Select Sound Sensible Serious Rope Songphonic Sonoland Studios Sonologic Post Sound City Sound Mastering South Thames College Speech Recording Street Studios Studio 301 Studio One Spectral Harmony Square Centre Bernard Sumner Tony Swain TMV TNT Hong Kong TVU Telegael Ten 21 Studios Terrarium Phil Thornalley Michael Tibes Glen Tilbrook Tivoli Studios Trinity College Tuna UB40 Uncle La Union Flamenco University of Wales Vox Populi Voice Tape Walton & Stone Warchild Bosnia The Waterboys The Waterhouse Studios The Welsh College of Music and Drama The Wembley Drum Centre Westpoint Werner Studios Whistling Woods Whiterooms Pete Willis Steve Winwood Ronnie Wood Worcester College The Workhouse Zaza Zoo Studios

Matrix Maison Rouge III, London

UK(RA570, 1993)

Babajim Studio B, Istanbul Turkey

(RA11870, 2009)

Black Rock, Santorini

(RA11390, 2008)

Plan of CTS 2, London.
RA 3950 designed 1995

Introduction to genre

Commercial studios for music recording and/or mixing are professional facilities available for hire by the hour, day, week - or longer. Always a competitive business, for survival it seems increasingly important that commercial studios are able to offer access to something special, something that cannot easily be duplicated in the home (a controlled and accurate monitoring environment naturally being considered a given). For example, the provision of large, properly sound-isolated live spaces with high ceilings for ambient ensemble playing and drums – or large format mixing consoles with high-end, esoteric or vintage equipment, extensive outboard and microphone collections (again, it must be assumed that a high standard of maintenance – for both equipment and studio fabric - is a given).

Location can be critical and capital city centres have traditionally been dominant. However, the inexorable rise in global property values make completely new, independent commercial facilities in such places an increasingly rare phenomenon (see Babajim Studios and Mastering, a multi studio facility in the centre of Istanbul). Building leases having expired, in some instances after decades, development pressure has helped bring on the demise of several landmark, RA-designed studios – in London alone, CTS has been demolished to make way for the new Wembley Stadium, Matrix Maison Rouge and The Workhouse redeveloped for retail and Lansdowne acquired for residential use.

Exotic and interesting locations can often provide a valuable edge for a properly conceived and managed residential studio (see Black Rock studio l...