Project Description
Overview
Spice House Sound, an unusual new recording studio, has set up shop in a gut-renovated former Philadelphia stable, circa 1885. One goal of 25-year-old studio owner/‘gear whisperer’ Alex Santilli is the introduction of groundbreaking acoustics, and a wealth of technology innovations. After years of personal R&D, Santilli has designed a custom loudspeaker and reproduction system, focused on sensitivity, transient response, true full range response, and linear absolute phase. He asserts that this carefully crafted experience ,“Can only be realized to its full potential in a WSDG designed room.”
Program
With 2000 sq. ft. of usable space, a key objective was to maximize the live room volume, with a 650 sq. ft. footprint. A 120 sq. ft. iso booth also functions as an overflow mix station. A semi-isolated 90 sq. ft. sound lock doubles as a recording space, and adds to the studio’s overall flexibility. The 400 sq. ft. fully isolated, room-with-in-room construction, control room comfortably accommodates 10. All spaces have been wrapped in reclaimed barn wood, which further amplifies the studio’s beauty and sonic integrity.
Design
The spacious live room boasts a 25’ high ceiling, which houses a groundbreaking retractable cloud designed to provide extensive flexibility in modulating the room’s sound. The towering height also permitted the creation of a multi-purpose (recording/ storage) loft area above the control room. Wrap-around, wall-mounted variable acoustic panels provide the versatility to customize room sound from enormous live space to small, intimate chamber. The console heart of the technical system has been rebuilt and redesigned by studio owner Santilli. Carefully selected parts and circuits were engaged to attain an extremely high performance standard, and establish a distinctive sonic signature to define the Spice House Sound. Working in an environment analogous to a ‘Custom Auto’ shop, Santilli created a console and mains, which would be totally unrecognizable to the original manufacturers. The Spice House will serve traditional clients as an impeccably crafted recording studio, and provide adventurous artists with an unlimited pallet for innovation and experimentation.
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