MIX Magazine Logo 2021.

In Mix’s annual look at studio design, we present some of the most exciting new or refurbished studios that have opened during the past year.

In Mix’s annual look at studio design, we present some of the most exciting new or refurbished recording studios that have opened during the past year. Included are innovative new workspaces for composers, musicians, engineers and producers all around the globe, presented in random order. Don’t pass up our deep dive into Cambridge, MA’s Q Division Studios as part of the class of 2023.

Rue Boyer’s control room. PHOTO: Courtesy of Rue Boyer.

Rue Boyer Studio • Paris, France

Founded by Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Maxime Le Guil and partner Victor Lévy- Lasne, and designed by WSDG, Rue Boyer is located in a two-story building in a Parisian residential area. The studio is situated on the bottom floor, and the second floor is home to office space and a series of production suites.

The centerpiece of the control room is a 48-channel E-Series SSL 4000 console that has been mounted on a motorized platform designed to lower the desk into a six-foot vault in the basement directly beneath the studio. “Disappearing” the SSL within a waterproof/ventilated vault at the push of a button allows the control room to accommodate larger music recording sessions and/or up to 20 Mix With the Masters engineering students. Monitoring at Rue Boyer is via a Dolby Atmos surround system.

NovaSpace Studios’ live room. PHOTO: Renbing Huang

NovaSpace Studios • Shanghai, China

WSDG-designed NovaSpace Studios is situated on the seventh and eighth floors of an unassuming corporate building in the heart of Shanghai. WSDG was tasked with creating an inspiring recording atmosphere for Shanghai’s contemporary musicians. The recording studio features a double-height live room, two control rooms, an iso booth and a lounge.

Windows provide natural light, and embedded LED lighting enables engineers to tune the mood of the room by changing up the colors. Room-within-a-room construction throughout assures complete isolation between the recording spaces, as well as between the facility and the rest of the building. NovaSpace features a Rupert Neve Designs 5088 32-channel console, ATC monitors, an extensive collection of outboard gear, and mics from Telefunken, Neumann, Sennheiser and others.

View the Rue Boyer Project Page!