AudioEngine's Recker in the new Studio D.
NEW YORK - AudioEngine (www.audioengine.net) recently opened Studio D, a new 5.1 mixing and recording suite operated by mixer Rex Recker. The room's overall design philosophy was developed by AudioEngine's chief engineer Brian Wick and mixer Recker, along with Jim Maher of Soundhouse Design. Under the direction of Wick and Recker, Maher created a "mixer-in-the-round" environment in which the mixer sits in the center of the space with seats on all sides.
The room is outfitted with a 96 I/O Digidesign Pro Tools|HD3 system and a 5.1 monitoring system comprised of JBL cinema speakers powered by Crown and Hafler amplifiers. Alternate monitoring is by way of KRK V4s for nearfield stereo monitoring. A Sony KV-32HS510 is used for consumer television reference.
Digital picture is integrated via Digidesign's AVXL option allowing for NTSC or PAL video at resolutions scaleable from 20:1 to uncompressed. Large format viewing is made possible via a JVC DLA-SX21 DILA projector.
The studio's construction closely follows Dolby specs. The idea was to create a room within a room to maintain high acoustical integrity and improved isolation. The placement of the vocal booth in the front of the room made correct implementation of the Dolby Surround System a major issue for the design team. When the booth is in voiceover mode, the 5-by-7-foot glass is in view. When the surround session begins, the center speaker is raised into position on a motorized platform that includes a false, acoustically-treated wall.