Project Description

Overview

Durval Lelis is the vocalist and guitarist of Asa de Aguia, one of the most famous bands of Axé Music in Brazil. More than a professional accomplishment, the Groove Studio fulfilled a dream of the musician. The studio’s main objective is to gather in the same environment, with great technology and comfort for their clients. However, the recording suite needed an upgrade to keep up with the philosophy. WSDG was invited to design the interior and add all the necessary changes to the existing structure to achieve an acoustically balanced studio.

Program

Groove Studios was built in a residential home surrounded by beautiful gardens in Salvador. The goal was to combine great technological competence, comfort and well being to all users. The recording suite needed acoustic and aesthetic adjustments, taking in to account the pattern of appearance and quality of the other rooms of the studio.

Architectural and Acoustics

With approximately 400 square feet and an uncommon ceiling height for a studio, the project had to be carefully studied to fit perfectly, and mingle with the other environments of the facility. A pre-existing door and the display between the studio and technical room had to be taken in to account. Other acoustic displays, with the same size of the existing one, were installed to integrate the garden and allow natural light in to the room.

In order to be flexible enough to meet the needs of their clients, variable acoustic panels were installed; they close in front of the displays with view to the gardens. When closed there is more absorption of mid and high frequencies, when opened there is more diffusion of the same frequency range.

An angled ceiling received diffuser clouds with symmetric treatment, interspersed wood and fabric to better absorption and diffusion of sound. An existing metal beam was used to install a lighting track and thus hiding the structural element.

Bass traps were installed in the corners of the room and resonators were set on the ceiling treatment; both calculated especially to absorb the more critical low frequency modes existing in the room. The side wall received diffuser panels, intersperse wood and fabric, and the floor was done in demolition wood to meet the wood tone of the other elements of the studio.

Equipment List

Console:

  • FOCUSRITE Control 24

Plugins:

  • Waves 360 5.1 Bundle V 5.2
  • Waves Gold Bundle V 5.2
  • Waves Renaissance Max Bundle V 5.2
  • Antares Auto – Tune 4
  • BF Classic Compressors HD
  • Bruno/Reso
  • D-Fi
  • Focusrite D2/D3
  • Pitch DoctorPromo
  • Reverb One
  • Digidesign DDP 1
  • Digirack HD PACK 3
  • Pultec EQH-2
  • Pultec EQP – 1A
  • Pultec MEQ 5
  • Maxim
  • Machine Control
  • Joemeek SC2 Comp
  • Joemeek VC5 Meeq
  • Cosmonaut Voice
  • Bomb Factory BF-3A
  • Bomb Factory 1176BF
  • Mooger Fooger Ring Modulator
  • Mooger Fooger Analog Delay
  • TelRey Variable Delay
  • AmpFarm 3.0
  • Sanamp PSA-1
  • SoundReplacer
  • Surround Scope
  • Voce Chorus / Vibrato
  • Voce Spin
  • Waves IRx Rtas
  • Waves Vocal Bundle RTAS

Monitors:

  • Yamaha NS10
  • Genelec 1030A
  • Tannoy, System 1200 and subwoofer TS12
  • Sistema 2.0 e 5.1 de Mackie HR824 com subwoofer HR120
  • Genelec 1030A

Interfaces:

  • 3 Digidesign, 192 I/0
  • 2 Digidesign, 192 A/D
  • 1 Digidesign, 192 D/A
  • 1 Digidesign SYNC I/O
  • 1 Digidesign 888/24 I/O
  • 1 Digidesign USD I/O
  • Midiman USB Midisport 4×4
  • Microlinks Timeline Sincronizer

Recorders:

  • Studer A827 Série Gold Signature 24 Tracks Multichannel Recorder
  • Otari MTR-90III 24 Tracks Multichannel Recorder
  • Pro- Tools HD Accel III
  • Gravador de DVD + RW Externo 8X
  • Power Mac G5, 2.5 GHz Dual Processador 4 GB DDR 400 SDRam
  • Drive DVD-R/CDRW interno
  • 2 Tascam DA 34 MKII
  • 5 Alesis Adat XT
  • 1 MBOX I USB

Microphones:

  • 1 Neumann M149 Tube
  • 1 Neumann KSM 105
  • 1 AKG C12 The Tube
  • 2 AKG C-414 B-ULS
  • 6 Sennheiser MD-421 – II
  • 2 AKG 451 EB
  • 1 AKG 460 B
  • 2 AKG D112
  • 7 Shure SM57
  • 2 Shure SM58
  • 1 Shure Beta58
  • 4 CMH-8k Small Diafrag
  • 1 Shure 98 Beta D/S
  • 3 Sennheiser E604
  • 2 Sennheiser 835
  • 4 Sennheiser MD504
  • 2 AKG D550
  • 4 AKG D440
  • 1 Blue The Bottle com Capsulas B4, B6, B7
  • 1 Blue BlueBarry
  • 1 KickBall
  • 2 Microtech Gefel M930 x/y par casado
  • 2 AEA Ribbon Mic “RCA” par casado
  • 1 Crown PZM SASS P
  • 1 AKG D12
  • 2 Octava par casado

Outboard:

  • 2 Vintage Rupert Neve 1084 pré/equalizador
  • 2 Vintage Neve 1073 pré equalizador
  • 5 API 512
  • 3 API 550 B
  • 2 API 550 A
  • 1 SSL SuperAnalog Channel Strip 9000K
  • TC eletronic Reverb system 6000
  • TC eletronic MASTERING system 6000
  • 1 Focusrite VoiceMaster
  • 1 XTA GQ600 GRAPHIC EQ Stereo
  • 2 Tube Tech Compressor LCA 2B
  • 1 TL Áudio  CQ2 Stéreo pré-amplifier + Parametric Valve Equalizer
  • 1 Midas Pré/Equalizador XL4 Stereo
  • 4 Avalon-Vaccum Tube Vt 737 SP
  • 6 Amek Neve 9098eq,Pré /equalizador
  • 1 TC eletronic M 2000 Stúdio effects
  • 2 Manley Dual mono Tube direct interface
  • 6 DBX Compressor / Limiter 160A
  • 1 Drawmer QuadGate DS 404
  • 2 TL Audio Dual Valve mic pré amp/DI
  • 1 Lexicon PCM 90 digital reverberator
  • 1 Ultra-harmonizer Eventide H-3000
  • 2 Demeter Tube Microphone PreAmp VTMP-2B
  • 2 Demeter Tube Compressor/Limiter Optical
  • 2 Pultec Program Equalizer EQP 1A Stereo
  • 2 Urei 1176LN Peak Limiter
  • 2 Duking MicPre/ EQ  52270
  • 2 Duking Compressor/Limiter 91579
  • 2 Urei graphic eq 535
  • 2 Urei parametric eq 546
  • 1 MasterLink Ml 9600 High Resolution Master Disk Recorder

Other:

  • LG 42″Plasma
  • Sony 26″ Bravia
  • BlackBurst House Sync Generator
  • SONY DSR-45 DVCAM REC/Player
  • DVD Pioneer com DTS/DOLBY DIGITAL Digital to Analog Converter

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