Project Description
Overview
A prolific voiceover artist with credits ranging from CBS to E!, Lifetime, CTV and MTV, Graeme Judd needed a first tier personal recording studio. A decision to build a family home in Calgary provided an ideal opportunity to realize that goal. Spending countless hours in front of a microphone recording network promos, TV and Radio spots, and interstitial promos as the exclusive ‘voice’ for the Meredith Vieira Show is demanding, labor intensive work. Judd needed a small, quiet, comfortable, efficient home studio. His commitment to ground up construction was the opportunity to make this studio happen.
Program
The challenge of fitting a control room, a comfortable client area and a compact VO booth within a 200 sq. ft. space reflects a growing trend towards small project studios. Having recently created a recording/mixing/teaching/broadcast studio inside a 140 sq. ft. Airstream Trailer, WSDG was up to the mission. The powerful new generation of compact monitors, digital recording and mixing gear support the design of a snug, yet flexible workspace, which can be lodged in a finite space
Design
Lowering the basement floor one foot beneath the studio area provided extra ceiling height. This enhances the sense of spaciousness, and also enabled a cement slab to be poured beneath the floor. The walls and ceiling were fitted with resilient isolation clips and covered with layers of gypsum board sandwiching plywood for complete room-within-room isolation. With no space for a separate machine room, critical gear was installed within ventilated soundproof racks in the custom control room desk. Acoustic room tuning was a priority. Side and rear control room walls feature custom perforated wood membrane absorbers. Acoustic cloud/lighting fixtures were installed on the CR and Vocal Booth ceilings and, above the rear critical listening area, which sits on a two level platform that doubles as a low frequency absorber. Rear wall side diffusers mask mechanical ductwork and wiring cable trays. The studio is fully wired with Mogami cable, and is packed with technology including: Avid HD OMNI, Pro Tools HD Native PCIe, Genelec 8030, 7050 and 6010 monitors, Neumann M149 Tube and U 87 Ai, Sennheiser MKH-416 and Telefunken ELA M260 mics and a wide selection of Outboard gear that includes Avalon Vt-737sp [2], Rupert Neve Designs Portico II and BAE 1073. The Judd Residential Studio is like a Mini-Cooper. It handles beautifully, sounds great, feels roomy, and looks terrific.
Testimonial
Graeme Judd
Voiceover Artist
“The studio looks/sounds/is incredible.It’s made a HUGE difference in my comfort level (A/C, isolation from exterior noise, etc.), which positively impacts on my productivity. It’s honestly one of the best investments I’ve ever made in my business, and that’s thanks in a large part to WSDG.”