The tipping point is near...

As one of David Rochester's team told me a couple of days ago, with projects like this there are periods where it looks like nothing is happening, even though lots is happening. Then everything starts looking finished very quickly. I think we're almost to that tipping point.

For this post, we start with doors. Heavy doors. Very heavy doors. Studio doors weigh in at 480 pounds, and control room doors at about 250. No wonder the guys took a moment to brace for the task.


Here are a couple of shots of installation, from inside Studio 1 and outside after the door has been hung.



With all the Novawall track complete in this control room, Zac has finished installing compressed fiberglass in the side walls and the room is now ready for fabric wallcovering.



The little black squares are wood blocking for the guitar hangers. This will be Mike's control room, and he likes to have his guitars within easy reach.

In addition to the six 2' x 2' diffusers on the rear wall, 4 additional diffusers are strategically placed in the control room ceiling grids.


So now are you ready for something really cool? As I mentioned, rear wall diffuser panels in Studio 1 will be installed at angles, overlapping one another. Inside the overlaps will be two 14 foot strands of Concentrix green rope light which - when complete - will cast a soft Concentrix green glow onto the beautiful wood panels. One of the panels has been installed on this wall, and the rope lights are now working as you can see.


And finally, if you've wondered why we're going with so many solid colors on common area walls, I can now reveal the reason. The carpet is anything but solid. It's from InterfaceFLOR's "Pop Circles" collection. It's called, "Lennon". The circles tie in nicely with our logo, the colors are cool, and since Becky is one of the planet's biggest Beatles fans - the synergy couldn't be ignored.


This weekend, painting began on studio and control room doors. (They'll be black with signage reflecting the green orb and emanating circles of our logo.) Novawall track and fiberglass continues going up in the other two control rooms. Jerry is almost finished with his work of random wood art in the front lobby display case, and the hardwood floor in the lobby should be finished in a day or two, completing the floors for the entire facility. In fact, final cleaning is now only 5 days away.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the move, we continue to sort through and discard unneeded stuff from 18 years at our current location. The place looks like a tornado hit it. There won't be any pictures of THAT. But I will leave you with this shot of the building exterior and our front entrance with the new canopy we had installed by Carolina Canopies. Can't have folks standing in the elements waiting to be buzzed in.


Until next time...

Delayed gratification.

Some things take longer than you think...like installing precision-made soundproof doors. So yesterday we had to make a tough choice...delay the move. Hey, it's only a week. After 18 years in our current facility, what's another week, right?

The new moving day is now February 14th. Valentine's Day. How appropriate is that? We're already in love with our new digs, and...

Okay, maybe I'm stretching.

Here's a another look at the door frame installation. I mentioned that the frame cavities need to be filled with mortar...like this.


Then the entire, massive thing needs to be wrestled into place. Jerry, Matt and Zac do the wrestling on this one.


Then John makes everything nice and airtight.


Add some case work - and you're ready for a door and threshold.


Meanwhile, installation of Novawall track continues in preparation for the last piece of the acoustic puzzle in control rooms, Owens Corning 705 compressed fiberglass in the side walls, covered with fabric that's stretched and tucked into seams in the track.

David and John determine the position of the mounts for the hi-def flat panels to mark the boundary of the Novawall track.



Donnie makes another precision cut in a length of Novawall track.


Matt is handling wood finishes for Studio 1, our main tracking room/screening room. Here are a couple of shots from the early stages...oak trim along the edge of the stone walls and wood framing for the interior of the studio door.



Among the less sexy areas of the building is the electrical/telecom closet. But every studio needs a nerve center. David and Zac have all the Cat 5 cable run, labeled and ready for hookup to phones and internet. The T1 lines have already been installed.



So that's it for now. Carpet, baseboards and hardwood floor for the lobby will be finished within a few days. Basically all flooring will be complete and the place will be ready for final paint and trim touch ups. It's possible that we'll begin moving in new furniture and equipment early next week. To say my anticipation is building is like saying...

I'll refrain. I've used up my weak humor allotment with the Valentine's Day thing.

Until next time...

Oh, one more thing. Tomorrow is Becky's birthday. (January 29th). I'm buying her a new studio for her birthday. Think she'll like it?

More finishing touches.

Less than two weeks before move in now, and things are still progressing at a steady pace. Between other duties, Jerry continues his artful woodworking magic on the lobby display case.


Although the photo is a little blurry, you can see the theatre curtain track has been installed in Studio 1.


The Krieger soundproof doors are in the process of being installed. The doors themselves are still in the shipping palette waiting to be hung. The frames are being prepped for installation. Here are a couple of shots of one of the studio door frames. The outer edges will be filled with mortar before the frames go in. Notice the double seals.



And here's a control room door frame, waiting to be grouted and placed in that control room opening.



Meanwhile, final touch up continues on drywall and paint. Carpet gets installed later in the week, as well as the hardwood floors in the lobby.

Wiring runs between rooms are pretty much complete and the oak diffuser panels for Studio 1 are ready to be installed. Can't wait to see that! All the wood and stone are sure to give the room a warm, natural vibe.

Until next time...

Two weeks 'til the move...

It's hard to believe we're only two weeks from actually moving in. But a look around tells me that we're going to actually make that date.

All studio and control room floors are complete. Studio one is ready for diffuser panels, Novawall fabric, front wall theatre curtain, and custom furniture to hold the 73" 1080p monitor and surround sound components.





The ceiling grid is almost complete in hallways, offices, restrooms and breakroom.





And this evening I lit up when I saw the beginnings of the wood pattern in our front lobby display case. Our Denver Construction Superintendent Jerry Hyde is building this one himself.



For a guy whose job depends on symmetry and precision, it's nice to see Jerry let his artistic side roam free. I think he's starting to embrace randomness.

Tomorrow the soundproof Krieger studio and control room doors arrive in a very large truck. Six doors, over 3,000 pounds. Wear those back braces, boys!

Until next time...

Let there be light...and other stuff.

From feedback I'm getting, there's a certain level of interest amongst my fair readers about the aesthetic choices being made for the new studio. With that in mind, here's a quick tour of what I think are some of the more interesting lighting details.

First, the sconces on the stone walls in Studio 1. They're called "Grid", and it's easy to see where the name comes from.



I like the pseudo-industrial look and the way the metal swoops up and back down to the stone.

Next, in addition to the CFL overhead fixtures in the breakroom, there are a couple of nice, contemporary pendant lights which will hang over each table of the lunch booths.


The main corridor is lit primarily by the overhead CFL fixtures. But if we want a more subdued vibe there are also some handsome track lights.


These will also add a "gallery" effect to the framed posters from various movies and TV projects we've worked on.

We're even going for a nice lighting vibe in the restrooms. Well - as much as a restroom needs a vibe.


(The fixture is still taped for painting, but you get the idea.)

All the appliances are now in place in the breakroom.



The handicapped-accessible water fountain is mounted in the main corridor.


The display area in the front lobby now has all it's lighting fixtures in place. Wood trim is partially finished and waiting for the laminated glass shelves before being completed. In addition to the lighting under the soffit, there are track lights just out from the display to further illuminate items on the shelves and the Concentrix logo which will fill the black space above.



Meanwhile, David and his crew continue getting control rooms and studios ready for action. He selected these cool dimmers for the control rooms. The large switch in the center turns lights off and on, with the brightness level selected by the smaller up/down buttons to the right. An LED indicates the brightness level. What's cool is that once the level is set, when you press the main switch - the lights fade up to that preset level. There are separate dimmers for the engineer and client seating areas. (Sorry about the blurry photo.)


Wiring is well underway, with all phone, ethernet and video cabling already run to studios and control rooms. Everything terminates here, where the main hub rack will be located.



In the control rooms, wiring enters through a discrete opening at the bottom of the front wall. Once wiring is complete, this opening will be covered with fabric attached by velcro, with wires disappearing neatly into the wall.


Finally, David has begun attaching Novawall track. Fabric coverings are stretched and tucked into grooves in the track.


As I write, installation of the floated floor in Studio 1 is underway...the last of the hardwood floors. (As the largest room in the place, this space has been needed as a staging area.) Now we're down to it. Carpet. Paint. Hanging of doors and various hardware - including the soundproof Krieger studio and control room doors. Completion is near. Control room doors will look similar to this shot from Krieger's website. They're being shipped this week.


Sound isolation on these doors is excellent. (Geeky detail alert: That's a STC - Sound Transmission Coefficient - number of 51 for control room doors and 55 for studio doors. Control room doors weigh 250 pounds and studio doors 450 pounds. Patented cam lift hinges assure that the doors seal airtight.)

In preparation for the move on February 6th, this week we're renting a dumpster to begin clearing out 18 years of accumulated stuff at our current location. I'd better make it an extra large dumpster.

Until next time...