Although RBDG could easily be classified as a high-end studio designer, the firm also creates sonic masterpieces for just about any size room or budget, with Hal Winer's intimate BiCoastal Music in Ossining, NY, being one example. RBDG stretched every available dollar, turning a modest supply of funds into a spacious, 1,700 square-foot facility outfitted with an SSL C200 digital production console.
"This is a really great example of a significant trend, where people are building more high-quality studios in rural settings," states Russ Berger. "BiCoastal was designed to service a local group of producers, engineers and artists who live outside of New York City and are tired of the commute."
For some time, Winer had wanted to improve his current recording space. He decided to augment his house (which previously was an inn built in the 1800s) with a much more spacious private studio, where he could record his own music and provide a quaint, authentic facility for a small group of locals including Mick Guzauski (Mariah Carey, Neil Diamond) and Neil Dorfsman (Bob Dylan, Dire Straits). He solicited every acoustician and studio designer he could find, but received only one response, which was from Berger.
"RBDG did an incredible job with what we had to work with," states Winer. "We had to operate within the context of my house and more importantly, my budget. Russ and [RBDG project architect] Blane [Kelley] created something light years beyond my expectations. We have a gorgeous, scenic landscape out here and the two of them came up with a way to capitalize on that. They created a world-class facility to match the vocabulary of the house and our surroundings."
RBDG's initial goal was to isolate the facility from outside noise and render the room virtually silent. Chillers, air handlers, electrical drops, dimmers, chokes and other noisy equipment that could disturb critical listening and recording were confined to a completely separate mechanical room. The result is a recording studio that, combined with the serenity of the surrounding woods, streams and lakes, exhibits a deafening silence that Berger says, "approaches the limits of human hearing."
Next, RBDG wanted to take advantage of the 22 ft. vaulted ceiling in the 25 ft. x 30 ft. live room, one of the many unique charms of the studio. A soffit that runs all the way around the room separates the space into upper and lower volumes. This division creates a loosely coupled space, a trademark of RBDG studio designs. "The acoustical treatments were intended to create a very diffuse, homogenous sound in the live room," continues Berger. "It has a sweet, controlled, reverberant tail." RBDG not only crafted a lovely studio sonically, but also took advantage of existing structural elements including windows, so that the facility could be bathed in the tranquility of natural light.
The character-rich, number three grade oak floors sit on top of fully isolated and floating concrete floors. The walls are built on the floating floors and the ceiling sits on the walls, so nothing touches the outside shell of the building. This creates, according to Berger, "an isolated room within a room." The walls are treated with a variety of acoustical materials. Absorptive finishes are custom fabricated from multiple-density, glass fiber acoustical core materials in a concealed track mounting system, covered with an interesting rhythm of fabrics to enhance the aural and esthetic environment. On top of all that, the walls are finished with wood accents and earth-toned paint colors.
To open the control room and studio to each other, RBDG created an expansive window using laminated glass that extends all the way to the floor, with the hardwood running directly through. This same glass structure was also implemented in the two isolation booths and the entry vestibule. High-performance acoustical doors were just as important and RBDG chose several by SoundDoor, a new manufacturer of high-quality, sound-rated doors. These doors have dual magnetic seals and provide a field Sound Transmission Class rating of approximately FSTC-50.
In order for an acoustically refined room to reach its potential, the recording and monitoring equipment must be selected just as carefully. "Hal has quite a nice equipment configuration," concludes Berger, who also fabricated a custom 5.1 surround monitoring system for BiCoastal Music. The Precision Kinetics monitors are shown in the photos above. "We've maintained a digital path from console, through the crossover and all the way up to the amps. As far as I know, this is the first time that's been done successfully."
Winer had previously thought that SSL's C200 digital production console would be unattainable to him, but SSL constructed a console that fit Winer's needs and budget. The C200 provides the latest adaptation of SSL's popular in-line console heritage with a dedicated 'knob per function' control surface. The C200 is suitable for creative mixing applications, such as music or entertainment, where "hands on" access to a large number of controls is essential.