“The Documentary Group and I were lucky enough to inaugurate the superb new facilities at Blue Table, under the artistry of it’s brilliant editor Oliver Lief. I have never worked under more pleasant or well thought-out conditions. Our work, which was intensive and under a tough deadline, could not have been facilitated with such ease elsewhere. Highly recommended.”
I’ve been familiar with recording studios designed by WSDG since the very beginning of my career—from the facilities at Berklee College of Music and ORT School, where I studied, to the incredible studios like “El Faro House,” “Estudio 13,” and “0618,” where I produced some of my most ambitious records.
These recording studios set a very high standard in my experience, so whenever I have the opportunity, I don’t hesitate to choose a WSDG-designed studio for a project. This is due to several factors. First, the aesthetics: the tasteful design makes it easy to spend long hours in the studio without ever feeling the need to step outside. Just as importantly, every design decision has a sonic justification. The attention to detail when it comes to acoustics is exceptional—both the control rooms and live rooms sound spectacular in every WSDG studio I’ve worked in. And last but not least, the AV implementation is always very thoughtful and executed to the highest standards.
After many years working in WSDG studios around the world, I now have the privilege of owning a personal recording studio designed by them—and their work has completely blown me away. I can’t wait to collaborate with WSDG again.
“I wanted to be the first to build a WSDG/Augspurger room in London to meet the needs of both British and international artists, producers, and engineers. Bringing WSDG in to design two of their world-renowned rooms was the first step, and the collaboration with Miloco has been an incredibly successful team effort. The Church provides nearly 8,000sqft of recording space over three very different rooms, including rare and vintage recording gear married to the most modern digital and analogue equipment to give users the freedom to indulge their creative impulses instantly.”
“Everyone associated with Jungle City’s design and construction contributed an astonishing level of effort and attention to detail. My dream was to create a luxurious, technically impeccable, 21st Century haven for first tier artists, producers and engineers. By crafting an ideal creative atmosphere and providing every conceivable tool to support their pursuit of excellence, we hope to make a real contribution to the art of music recording. And, to help establish New York City as Music Capital of The World.”
“John Storyk and I had already gone through the ‘getting to know you’ part of the architect-client relationship twenty years ago, so we didn’t have to discuss aesthetics, or my penchant for views and light, but acoustic and electronic technology had changed in that time, and John and Joshua helped bring these to bear so that the room looks simple and calm, despite my fairly complex requirements. This calm is what I need to write, and one could hardly ask for a more beautiful environment in which to work.”
“I don’t often do live mixing and usually it is for clients who’s records I have recorded. So it was a treat to mix at Fenix, a new supper club in San Rafael, CA., for Pamela Rose and her Wild Women of Song show. I have worked in several Walters-Storyk recording spaces but never in a club they designed. It was a pleasure mixing there. I have never heard a small room sound so good. Very intimate and hardly anything coming off the stage. I could mix at a good listening level and I know the audience felt they were in someone’s living room. Bravo!”
“I am very, very fond of John–to me, he’s family. I’ll never forget him because as a young man stepping into all of this, he would always pick up the phone or be willing to come down and talk to me about things—his guidance has been extremely important. Now we talk all the time.”
“I was attracted to the idea of combining forces with the university to create a jewel of a performance space with excellent sound quality for the school’s students, faculty and audiences.”
“I love John Storyk and entire WSDG team – in my opinion they are studio geniuses. John built Electric Lady Studios. He gets it. He and I are building another studio in L.A. right now. It’s turning into a very interesting place. Am very thankful to be working with John and his team.”
The studio designed by WSDG for us has a living room with a height of more than 9 meters and a variable reverberation time, which gives the studio a very rich and controllable sound layer. Whether I sit in the control room or the producer’s position, I can get clear, accurate and amazing sound. We have recorded music for many movies, musicals, dance dramas and some chamber music records in this new studio, every composer and producer has expressed unreserved praise for the sound here.
“I started out as an intern at The Hit Factory, and their Studio E Live Room was one of the best sounding rooms ever. John Storyk’s design and acoustical skills contributed to the success of all those rooms. When we decided to build our own studio we were committed to going with the best. I called John to bring WSDG on board. They worked with us on every level, and we love what they’ve done for Dream Asylum. It was a great collaboration. We are extremely proud to have a studio that looks and sounds this great.”
“WSDG have done a fantastic job on our Sunny Isles Beach apartment, developing exceptional work based on a refined, modern, creative design. How you have solved the entire design, resulting in an excellent product. Thank you very much, Silvia; it was a pleasure and an excellent experience working with WSDG team. We are pleased and more than satisfied with the renovation for the simple and highly professional way you handled everything.”
“…Thank you John. Every day I am grateful for my decision to work with you and the entire WSDG team. I have grown to appreciate your expertise, generosity and just about everything else that went into the planning and construction of our studio…”
“…I was in the cafe – venue and listened to a jazz trio, playing very lightly, but the sound was terrific — I walked all over the room while the drummer was doing some nice stick work on cymbals, and hear every overtone, bass note and full audio balance. Thanks for all your hard work on this project…”
“I played a club on a boat that WSDG designed. I know it as Nordstern in Basel, Switzerland. It was fantastic! I’m so impressed that the amount of noise I heard outside was very little but the sound level inside was extreme! I had a ball playing there!”
“It was a tremendous honor and privilege working with John Storyk, Joshua Morris and WSDG. The studio they designed exceeded all expectations and I couldn’t be happier working in the environment they created to suit every specific need I had. It looks fantastic and sounds even better, and at the end of the day I am thrilled to be the proud owner of such a fabulous studio. Endless thanks, WSDG.”
“WSDG has a global reputation for extraordinary recording studio design. We were pleased to have had the benefit of their design and acoustic expertise. Many of our clients have congratulated us on the look and the sound of our new recording facility. Those comments regularly remind us that we made the correct decision.”
“When we fired up the system in my WSDG-designed room I was astonished at the difference in the sound quality. The Dunlavy’s sounded completely different. The room’s acoustics gave my system a remarkably enhanced level of clarity, and resonance; the phase coherency and frequency balance creates a 3-dimensional space where the sound is present in the room in an almost physical sense.”
“Very good sounding studio. The Dolby guys did not spend so much time tweaking on the equalization of all the speakers. Our clients are very happy with the design, color and the best sound mix experience! We are now preparing our website to feature WSDG and Dolby Atmos. Some foreign clients have started coming this year from here in Asia and Europe and the most prominent comment is “they were not expecting this very beautiful mixing suite in this part of the world”. We are very happy indeed! Thank you very much Sergio, Breno, Renato and WSDG!!!”
“WSDG created an extraordinary studio for us. The sound, the look and the feel of our new studio far exceed our initial hopes. Having rooms like these not only puts our clients at ease; it enhances our professionalism and inspires our creativity.”
“We just finished our first big project and people love the whole studio! We used the mix room as soon as we finished the equipment installation. The first person in our vocal booth was Meryl Streep! She was here for nine straight days, and kept talking about how much she loves working here.”
“I have been able to record and mix a few projects for class presentations in the flagship studio and I can say that the studio is hands down the best studio in Philadelphia. The isolation is the best of any studio that I have ever worked at. The frequency response of the studio is very accurate with no buildups or noticeable resonances. Every musician, engineer, and producer that has visited the space has been absolutely impressed. I wish we could build more!“
“John, Josh,The workflow in the studio is truly amazing. I’ve spent many hours now in the control room and have found it to be perfectly suited for making records and as a critical listening environment for research. Thanks to both of you for the hard work”
“I wanted to let you know that the system you design for our restaurant 26 has been a Huge success. Our guest can’t believe how quiet the place is for a restaurant and we get complimented by many people”
“Former Penny Lane owner and senior mixer Bobby Sorrentino will make his new home at audioEngine|NYC… Bobby will occupy the John Storyk-designed Studio F at 817 Broadway as his primary studio. “All of our mixers can work any room, but we need to house one of Penny Lane’s FairLight systems in order to support legacy clients and studio F was the best fit for that” says Giammarco.”
“Congratulations on winning the NAMM award for your studio design at Berklee. I toured the facilities during construction and about a 6 weeks ago. Roger and you were a winning combination. The building is very, very cool as are the two main studios and the cafeteria – everything. And, best of all for me, my 18-year-old has been accepted, Sara, and will begin classes there after she graduates this summer in Florida. She is over the moon about it – wanting to learn all aspects of performance, theory, production and business. I am so jealous! Anyway, congratulations on this most recent award and the contribution you have made to many of the finest budding, musical talents in the world.”
“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.”
“I visited Village studio late last year and just wanted to say what an amazing job you guys did. I visit more studios around the world than I can count, including all the usual suspects plus such fascinating projects such as BOP in South Africa and others, but found a degree of thought and care (and quality) in the Village designs that smacked not just of professionalism and experience, but an understanding of the recording process rare indeed. I’ve been meaning to drop a congratulationary note, and your newsletter today nudged my creaking elbow. It’s just such a shame the place is coming down but as they say, the good die young… Best wishes!”
“What can I say? You were the best when I met you in 1976 at Soundmixers. You were the best when you help me build my little boutique studio on 26 street. …Not to mention my office in Hastings. Congrats on a well deserved TEC award!”
“We’re really proud of our studio. It is a state-of-the-art facility. It’s about as good as you’re going to get as far as sound quality, facilities and amenities. I’ve worked in many wonderful studios, and they’ve all got their unique souls. John Storyk brought an extremely comfortable and great-sounding vibe to our new studio. Our studio looks, sounds and feels as good as the best rooms I’ve worked in, and I’ve seen a few.”
“We love everything about our new building but our WSDG-designed recording studio and live room are special,” says PreSonus CEO Jim Mack. “We now have first-class audio production, R&D, and testing facilities that sound great yet are inaudible from the outside so everyone is happy. WSDG worked hard to make these rooms truly excellent, and we’re delighted!”
“We knew we were going to need a well-respected acoustic design firm to help us get the sound of the studios and recording spaces correct,” says KEXP Chief Engineer Jamie Alls. “WSDG really impressed us with their portfolio, their willingness to be creative to maximize our dollars, and their enthusiasm for the project.”
“Thank you everyone for making this all possible. I had a few cohorts come over and we all agree the room sounds excellent. Too soon to entirely tell how my new mixes translate but from what I have done thus far the results sound very nice. John would love you to come down any time. Would be an honor. Many thanks to Romina, Felipe and of course John G for all your excellent work. It’s been a pleasure.”
“John, Certainly hope you will be at the big opening event Wednesday afternoon at Berklee. We have been over there several times since it opened from basement to top. Don’t know if you have been in the cafeteria/performance space since it opened, but acoustics are amazingly good. Music in the space is special. And even when it is absolutely full, you can hear your lunch companion easily. You have hit a home run with that space. Look forward to seeing you and thank you for making the building such a success.”
“In 2005 when Shaul Dover and his son Edan opened Sweatshop Studios in semi-rural, Katanah, NY they knew the Walters-Storyk Design Group had created a great looking and, a great sounding room for them. In the face of a shrinking music industry and roller coaster economy, Sweatshop has prospered. And, the studio has drawn an interesting pro clientele. Case in point, “Last night,” Dover reports, “We had an amazing trumpet session with jazz great (and former Blood Sweat & Tears trumpeter) Lew Soloff and David Letterman Band leader Paul Shaffer. Lew’s comment on Sweatshop was “The best room sound in its category that I ever recorded.” When a cat like Lew say it, that’s a great compliment and a confirmation of the expertise of WSDG studio designer John Storyk.”
“When the room was originally built in 2010, it centered around the producer’s production needs. We had a huge rack in the middle of the room that we used as a production desk. Today’s producers are less reliant on actual instruments and equipment; they’ve embraced software-based production. We decided to free up the back of the room and shift the racks to the side. We saw this build out as an opportunity to enhance the overall sound, look and vibe of the room. The WSDG team came up with a great redesign concept that performs exactly the way we hoped it would. Q1’s always been one of NYC’s loudest rooms,” Hosn says, “but now it’s super-powered loud!”
“Beth knows her “stuff”, she’s really a great interior design artist, creative and practical at the same time. Just love her. All the best. Service Category: studio interior design Top Qualities: Great Results, Personable, Expert”
“We could not be more pleased with the vastly improved appearance and functionality of our redesigned control room,…Tim Martyn and Shawn Murphy coordinated a remarkable team effort. Our new WSDG room is a success on every level. Our listeners and fans will clearly benefit as much as our technical staff from this new facility.”
“Skype was a critical tool in our collaboration with John and WSDG Project Supervisor, Joshua Morris,” says Merl Saunders Jr., General Manager of San Rafael, CA’s Fenix Club. “We regularly walked them through the site with live iPad video to review the construction progress. Their input on everything from Control Room design to HVAC ductwork was invaluable. They participated in every facet of the acoustic design of this project including gear and console selection review.”
“I’d recorded in WSDG-designed studios, and knew if I ever had the opportunity to build my own, that John Storyk would be my first choice designer,” says, Jon Leidersdorff, founder of Asbury Park, NJ’s Lakehouse Recording Studios/Music Collective Complex. “When John and WSDG Project Manager Matt Ballos came down for their initial site visit they clearly had their work cut out for them, but they came up with amazing ideas.”
“John: A note of thanks for a wonderfully successful pair of presentations to our students and colleagues.You fashioned excellent talks that spoke to multiple levels of knowledge and expertise. Our students were, simultaneously, educated on topics that followed material they’ve learned in class, and challenged to “stretch” their knowledge-base . . . realizing the wealth of knowledge and experience necessary to be a successful acoustical designer.You joy and passion for sound and music are infectious, which ensured an engaged audience from start to finish.It was an honor to host your talks and I hope that we can stay in touch to explore common interests (and passions!) and, certainly, have you back again in the future.”
“The room acoustical quality of the Concert Hall is on par with other world-class halls, so the main objective for the new sound reinforcement system was that we achieve the same high quality level in electroacoustical concerts as we do in classical events.”
“My clients were very happy with the quality of the various rooms I worked out of,” says Vault Mastering Studios owner, Nathan James. “But, for several years early in my career I assisted Scott Hull at the WSDG-designed, Classic Sound in NY. I always dreamed of having my own WSDG Room. Our move to Phoenix was the perfect opportunity to make that happen. My conversations with John convinced me it was doable, both financially and physically. The new studio meets every one of my specific requirements, and when you walk in, it’s got that WSDG wow factor.”
“Romina, I have to say it is refreshing to work with someone who responds quickly and in detail, not to mention your drawings in general are VERY good. Thank You”
“After 7 years, lot’s of sessions, thousands of hours inside the studio, hundreds of mastered songs, gold and platinum awards, we have come to the conclusion that our best piece of gear and asset is Control Room A acoustics. The WSDG team formed by John Storyk (USA), Renato Cipriano (Brasil) and Sergio Molho (Argentina) did a truly amazing job building and tuning our mastering suite. Everyday, we have the huge responsibility of delivering songs and albums that are going to be played thousands of times in thousands of different environments. Our Mastering Suite in Room A, provide us with the necessary confidence to work knowing that we can deliver to our clients mastered projects which translate perfectly well and everyone will be able to enjoy and listen to anywhere! Thanks WSDG for giving us our most valuable tool in the studio!”
“The first session in a new room is a little like the first race on a new track. You don’t know the curves, the grip of the pavement, or how good the pit crew will be. I’m happy to say that WSDG’s new room at Berklee Valencia felt like a home course after one hour of our first orchestral scoring date. We were able to move as quickly as all film dates demand. It’s all there in one compact and brilliantly designed environment, and as with all great studios, the room itself performs like a finely tuned machine. I am certain this will lead to a long and winning relationship for music production and education.”
“I have never worked in such a well sounding environment. The control room is perfect for both film and music productions. I feel very comfortable recording or mixing any kind of project here. Apart from the aesthetics and incredible vibe that the studio offers, it also, and most importantly, sounds amazing. The balance of the room is exceptional and therefore it is a pleasure to work with room mics. All of the musicians here at Berklee are amazed with how beautiful this space feels and sounds.”
“[WSDG] really spent time to understand who our clients were, what type of work we did and our existing space to maximize the real estate in the room. We wanted to be able to do corporate work and switch from audio post, to voiceover, to music recording. All within the same day. The room versatility and layout does lend itself extremely well to these different situations.”
“On behalf on the entire Jungle City team, thank you for all you did to make JCS a reality. The quality of your design was only surpassed by your assistance in coordinating the outstanding build out by Chris and his team.”
“I just did a session recently at Jungle City Studios (Euphonix Room) and was blown away how good it sounded! I always bring my own near-fields to my sessions, and they never sounded better as did the Augspurgers, honestly. Superb imaging, with amazing detail. When I cranked some of my mixes I was in heaven! I was hearing only the music, and not the room! WSDG and Ann Mincieli have done it again!”
“The SSL control room is really solid: you just get a feeling of solidity about the room and the way it is. The visibility of the sliver room is fantastic because you can see everything…it worked really well. Really first class place I think.”
“John Storyk’s reputation for world-class studio architectural assured us that our facility would meet the highest technical and aesthetic standards” said Bohunicky. “The suites are outfitted with all the latest technology, and the design has been meticulously fine-tuned to enable us to serve the ever-changing technology needs of the media marketplace.”
“WSDG is without doubt our default preference for all things sound related.”
“After considerable research, I pared [the decision] down to John Storyk…John visited us three times over the course of the project: once before we got started to take basic measurements, once when the walls of the white box room were up but not yet sealed for an onsite progress inspection, and finally when the project was completed and the equipment installed to measure the results. Everything else was handled by Fed-Ex, e-mail or digital camera. I am thrilled with the results.”
“…we decided to move our 25-year-old NJ-based mastering operation to NYC to be more convenient to our clients,” explains “We brought John Storyk and the Walters-Storyk Design Group in to consult on the design and acoustics and were delighted with the results.”
“I built the house up here in 1995 and included a small Pro Tools studio for my own work. I found the secluded atmosphere extremely conducive to creativity, as did visiting artists. When I was ready to build a full-service studio, John Storyk was the only architect I considered.”
“In the studio, it does not matter how much your console, preamp or digital workstation cost. No investment compares to a good sounding room; and with a design from WSDG we always achieve great results.”
“Storyk is one of the two or three companies in this town that can build rooms. I’ve known John for a long time, so it was an easy decision–it’s a really good room.”
“Walters-Storyk Design Group did a phenomenal job in providing variable acoustics in our recording room. They did a fantastic job of creating even more room for recording by re-purposing and reclaiming storage space. Visually, the room makes a strong impact so people want to work and record in there.”
“The sound of the studio is awesome and when you walk out of the studio into the hallway you cannot hear a sound! My hat is off to WSDG for a great design.”
“I can say that I feel treated not merely as a client, but as a friend, helped by professionals that have a soul.”
“The recording studios and production suites at Berklee Valencia are simply sublime,” said Composer/Visiting Professor, Laura Karpman. “In the studios I was able to compose, record, and mix a film for Sony/Lifetime with a very fast turnaround. The results were fabulous. It was a pleasure to make music there.”