After spending 21 years mastering albums for many of the most prominent artists in country and gospel music, Hank Williams found he was outgrowing his Music Row studio, MasterMix. To remedy the situation, he purchased land near the original MasterMix studio and set upon building his ultimate mastering facility.
Beginning from scratch was a giant undertaking, but afforded Williams the opportunity to properly integrate his equipment into a custom-built environment. Enlisting Russ Berger Design Group for acoustical and architectural design resulted in an exceptional facility that offers the industry's most cutting-edge acoustical technology in a functional, comfortable environment.
"Most of the electronic technology that we have in the new place was already in use," said Williams."The only thing that's changed is the physical space. Clients still receive the same quality and service they've come to expect, but in a much more pleasant atmosphere."
Beyond its tranquil surroundings, MasterMix exists on another level - studio of the future.
"We see this as one of the few mastering facilities that is able to take people beyond where we are now," said Williams.
Two identical mastering suites handle the high-definition audio mastering, surround sound and DVD authoring projects. Dubbed"Hank's Room" and"Ken's Room", each is outfitted with the occupants' preferred equipment. Among the"toys" are Sonic Solutions editing system with DVD Creators, Gordon Electronics Class A mastering pre-amps, PMC BB5 and Ed Long CRM 100 Monitoring Systems, as well as a vast collection of classic and cutting-edge equalizers, compressors, encoders and AD/DA converters.
From its inception, the facility includes an area for new and emerging technologies, such as DVD and HDTV. MasterVision, appropriately named to indicate its strong ties to visual products, handles all projects requiring video encoding and authoring. MasterVision caters to the corporate, educational and entertainment industries.
The need for ample storage led to the creation of clever niches and dual usage areas throughout the facility. For example, an attractive sandblasted glass wall partially screens the central machine room equipment that requires quick and frequent access.
In the stressful world of the entertainment business with competitive pressures and deadline oriented schedules, MasterMix is an oasis of calm. Fusing comfort with technology, the client lounge features comfortable seating, custom area rugs, warm maple wood accents and many industry-related diversions including a 5.1 surround audio/video system and a 40-inch direct view video monitor. Adjacent to the lounge is a well-equipped kitchen.