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...

More finishes are showing...

...bringing us ever closer to being finished.

First the control rooms.

Diffusers have been installed in the rear wall of all three rooms. Here are a few different angles.




Fabric will cover the remainder of the rear walls using the Novawall system.

Studio designer David Rochester and his crew (props to Matt and Zac) continue to impress with their attention to detail. For example, although the metal conduit in the front wall is strapped to the wooden surface beneath, all pipes were caulked to make sure they don't ring or rattle. Only then is the wall stuffed with unfaced R-30 insulation.



Although most of the wall surface in the control rooms will be fabric, there are wooden accents like kickplates and vertical chases. David decided that instead of trying to match the floor finish, why not just use the same material we're using on the floors? It's a pre-finished natural wood product, and I think it looks terrific. Here are a couple of pics of kick panels at the front and rear walls to show the effect.



Creates a nice seamless effect, doesn't it? It also works on the vertical chases shown in this shot.


The chases are not only a handsome aesthetic choice. They provide a hard surface for mounting dimmers, outlets, and pre-wired connections for surround speakers. They'll be edged in oak trim with a chamfered edge. The remaining exposed walls will be lined with Owens-Corning 705 compressed fiberglass then covered with fabric, which will meet the oak trim. I think it's going to be beautiful.

Each guy got to have input on the fabric choices for his room, in consultation with our interior designer Bobbie Phillips of Custom Dragonfly Design. The nice thing about using the Novawall system is that fabric choices can easily be changed later - or repaired if damaged.

And speaking of Bobbie, this week the flooring crew installed what I think is one of her cooler ideas. Our budget wasn't unlimited and sheet linoleum was a cost-effective and durable choice for the breakroom and restrooms. But it can look so, well - ordinary. So Bobbie came up with this idea to spice up the space a little.





If you look at the space to right in the photo just above, that's where we'll be adding two old-fashioned, four-person lunch booths. Bobbie was able to acquire the real thing from the Mantis Restaurant, a landmark Charlotte eating establishment that unfortunately closed not long ago. We're going to clean them up and install them just like they were left, providing a comfortable place for up to eight people to dine - as well as preserving a small piece of Charlotte history.

Now that's my kind of design choice.

Until next time...

The new studio at night.

Now that almost all of the lighting fixtures are in place, I was able to drop by after dark yesterday and take a load of well-lit photos. (The iPhone doesn't have a flash, and likes lots of light.)

Let's start in the breakroom. Here are some shots of the cabinets, with openings for the refrigerator, dishwasher, stove and microwave. All the comforts of home. The wall color (for you, Elaine) is called Wheat Grass.




In an earlier post, I'd mentioned the beautiful lobby display case designed by our architect. Now that the lighting is in place, you can begin to get a sense of just how cool it's going to look. The slots are for laminated glass shelves, which are being cut in one piece to conform to the angles of the display. The front edges of the shelves will be supported by slender cables extending top to bottom, with industrial looking grommets attaching above and below the glass. Then a pattern consisting of strips of white oak will go over the painted sheetrock, with white oak trim all around. (You can see the beginnings at the bottom of the display.)

I think it's a great design on two levels. It'll look great as well as maintain clear sight lines to the displayed items. Our logo will go in the black space above, which is lit by really cool contemporary track lights. (Of course, I picked them out - so I would say that.)



For energy efficiency, all overhead lighting fixtures in the common areas use compact florescent bulbs. I like the effect, which you can get a sense of in these shots of the lobby and various corridors. It feels bright and cheery. (Studios don't have to feel like caves, you know.) As you can see, drywall touch up is underway before the second coat of paint.





And now on to more geeky details of the studios and control rooms.

Studio designer David Rochester has decided to use hanging panels in many of our bass traps. These have affectionately been dubbed "Flapulators" (Trademark pending, I'm sure.) He has explained to me how they work and why he made this choice. But once again I fear descending into geeky detail madness. (You should have heard some of the comments after my Hemholtz Resonator post!) Plus I wouldn't want to give up any of David's trade secrets.

In this sequence from Studio 1, you can see the bass trap cavity minus the lower Flapulators, the process of hanging them, and a finished trap. The back sides of all the Flapulators are covered with rock wool, but David has selectively left some of the front surfaces hard to add some diffusion. The entire trap cavity will be fabric covered using the Novawall system.





Here are a couple of shots of Studio 1's back wall, including a close up of the the HVAC return plenum. Framing to the left and right of the curved stone wall will support oak diffuser panels installed at angles.




And turning to the control rooms, if you've been following our progress you've seen photos of the rear wall bass traps under construction. Here's a control room with all Flapulators installed. The framing in the center will hold six 2'x2' wooden diffuser panels.



This wall will also be fabric covered using Novawall.

So lots of pics for this post. We're officially one month from move-in, and things are progressing right on schedule so far. Another tip of the hat to Denver Construction Company and our first-rate Construction Superintendent Jerry Hyde.

Until next time...don't try building those Flapulators at home, kids. Someone could get hurt.

Happy New Year!

With the hubbub of the holidays, it's been almost two weeks since I contributed a new blogification. But that doesn't mean a lot hasn't happened during that time. Let's start with those baseboard details I promised. As I mentioned, architect Brian Gaddis came up with a handsome look for our white oak wooden baseboards. It was milled off site, received a clear stain from the painting crew, and is almost all in place. Here's a shot of the baseboard around one of the hallway columns, then a longer piece leading to the entrance to the breakroom.



This close up shows how the notch and chamfered edge give even more of a three dimensional look at the corners.


One of the most exciting new items last week was completion of the some of the hardwood floors. I pulled back the protective cardboard to get this shot of the 3/4" tongue-in-groove flooring we'll be using in all the studios. (This photo was taken in Studio 2.) All studio floors are floated on Enkasonic underlayment (an amazing product) and 2 layers of 1/2" playwood.


Here are some images of control room hardwood floors, in progress - and completed. Floors in all control rooms are 3/8" glue down. We're using pre-finished floors throughout.





And here's the floated floor for Studio 3, the small vocal booth, in progress.


From earlier posts, you may remember a cool control room feature, the floorbox under the producer's desk - which will include stuff like power for a laptop, input for talkback mics, even a jack for the Hearback headphone monitoring system we'll be installing, so musicians who like to perform in the control room can get the same headphone feed as players in the studio(s). Here's a closeup of one of the cutouts, including a shot with my foot for scale. (That's a size 13, in case you're wondering.)



Our intrepid studio designer, David Rochester, doesn't just design 'em - he helps build 'em. Here he's cutting ductboard for the control room HVAC return plenums.


And let's not forget that we'll be making music in these rooms when they're completed. So of course, we need to allow for conveniences like wall-mounted guitar hangers. David has already marked the locations...as only a musician would.



I'll take the Flying V!

Until next time...