Project Description
Overview
Bruce Studios is the personal recording studio and creative space of Liang Bo, one of China’s leading recording and performing artists and champion of the inaugural season of The Voice of China. This multi-purpose production space is located in the heart of Beijing, and is designed for a variety of audio and video recording configurations.
Program
The WSDG Design Team was tasked with designing the entire facility within an existing space with a package that included interior room acoustics, systems design and integration, technical interior design, and acoustic isolation. An added challenge for the project was that it was designed and built during the COVID-19 pandemic, which required the design team to work remotely with the artist and builders onsite.
Design
Bruce Studios consists of three main rooms: A large live room, the control room, and a dining bar and rest area. The 160 m2 live room has high ceilings and a very lively acoustic profile tuned towards full-band performances, but with variable acoustics that can be altered via movable acoustic curtains. It has a darker feel visually, ideal for filming live performances and providing a suitably moody atmosphere that suits the artists’ personal aesthetics. The control room boasts ‘room within room’ construction for full isolation, and can be configured for both standing and sitting in the critical listening positions to suit the artist’s preferences. Both rooms were tuned ‘virtually’ using REDIacoustics NIROTM process.
Client Testimonial
A few years ago, I was talking to Niko Bolas, my mentor and good friend, about what the best recording studio is, he told me that it’s not a luxury villa filled with expensive equipment, it’s a place where every day when you come into the room, you want to play an instrument or write or record something. Because you have to remember why you built it, and not end up getting caught up in other things in the studio. Of course, it’s always best to have enough altitude and plenty of sunlight. He also taught me how to record that have influenced me till today.
When I returned to Beijing from my travels, I found a professional design company WSDG through the experience of my friends, and I had many discussions about my concept of the studio, my preferences and my ideas with their team. I wanted the studio to have more than just the points Niko stressed, and more importantly I did not want it to look like a standard commercial recording studio.
First, I wanted its live room not to look like a typical recording studio, it should be more like a stage. And it had to have windows. Its color should be mainly dark, not in deep brown or natural wood, but it must not look dull. When I rehearse here with the band, I want to find the feeling of being on stage, and a little bit of that excitement and nervousness, to help us get into the vibe of performing. Finally, I did not want to be surrounded by curtains. The studio should be equipped with a large LED screen and video projection, and I wanted it to be available for 1:1 rehearsals for large-scale live shows at any time. Most importantly, the sound of the studio should always remain natural, whether one person or many people are here. The voice sounds should be “a little dirty” and naturally reflective. If we want to change the sound we can accomplish that by moving screens and drawing some curtains. It’s important to me that a good acoustic venue, no matter big or small, always keeps the sound natural. Now obviously it can be completely satisfied, it can function like a stage, but its sound quality can fully meet the standards of the recording studio, because it is equipped with professional studio level control rooms, and standard recording equipment. It is not just a big rehearsal room, more like a multi-purpose stage with the appearance of a recording studio. All noisy equipment is kept in a separate equipment room. Sounds are more accurately mixed when the screens on both sides of the control room are fully opened. Normally the screens are closed to ensure a natural sound for recording and listening to music (I prefer this setting).
Now, I think Bruce Studios is what my dream recording studio looks and sounds like. Everything is designed with strict standards, but all these rational standards give rise to natural sound.
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