acoustic designers for mastering rooms

[mischa janisch]

It looks like we finally found a suitable place for our new mastering facility - if everything works out the way we'd like to... Right now we're looking for someone to design the new room who has already sucessfully designed mastering rooms. Obviously there is FM Design and WSDG - do you know of anyone else who has built great rooms?

I'd also really apreciate if you could share personal experience with particular designers and design concepts. Anything to avoid? Is RFZ the way to go? Any information helps.

[Thomas W. Bethe]

I can HIGHLY recommend a very good acoustical designer. His name is Don Mitchell and here is his web site [ DSM & Associates ]. He is very good at designing and working with clients and we are VERY PLEASED with the two rooms he designed for us. He did our design in such a way that we could do the major acoustical work and then as time and money permitted add the finishing touches. I suggest you contact him at the phone number shown on his web site.

Best of luck!

[jayfrigo]

Fran Manzella certainly counts, having done Sterling and some Masterdisk rooms. Russ Berger (RBDG) has done rooms as well, including Mastermix in Nashville, which is one of the best sounding rooms I've been in. Vincent Van Haaf (waterland design) has done some work for Sony Mastering and I liked his approach as well.

[Brad Blackwood]

George Augspurger has done tons of great mastering rooms...

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by mischa janisch

do you know of anyone else who has built great rooms?

Wes Lachot is great:

Wes Lachot Design

Is RFZ the way to go?

Yes!

--Ethan

[DSD_Mastering]

I'd also recommend:

Pilchner-Schoustal

Chris Huston

Goodwin's High-end



Regards,
Bruce

[mischa janisch]

Thanks a lot for the response, I'll see if any of those will fit our budget, but I guess great rooms don't come cheap:-)
Speaking about the budget. If you don't mind to share - how much did you spend on your current room (design and construction, no equipement)? I do understand that this might be something one does not want to discuss in public, but if you feel the urge to share anyways, feel free to PM me...

[DSD_Mastering]

I have almost completed my Mastering Room, Post Room, VO Booth and Machine Room. Here in Seattle I paid ~ $360 sq/ft. It's pretty much a no-compromise build. Hell... the door hinges were $155 a piece!! I had to buy 18 of them and I've got 3 extra if anyone wants them! LOL
Remember, the more you do yourself, the more money you can save.
This was design, build, electrical, plumbing and HVAC.

Regards,
Bruce

[mischa janisch]

360 USD per sqarefoot? I'd hope this is just for the acousticaly treated area and does not include lounge, restrooms, office space... The way I understand your figuers is that for a 500 SF mastering room that would be 180 000 USD.

To get this price a little better in perspective - How much is the price for regular renovations in Seattle per sqarefoot? The price around here is about 75 USD per sqarefoot...

[Brad Blackwood]

Most acousticians will tell you to budget about $150-175/foot if you need to worry about isolation.

[mischa janisch]

Thanks Brad, this is in the ballpark of what we had expected. Is this including design fees and HVAC as well?

[Brad Blackwood]

Originally Posted by mischa janisch

Thanks Brad, this is in the ballpark of what we had expected. Is this including design fees and HVAC as well?

According to the acousticians I have spoken with, yes, that's the total budget.

[DSD_Mastering]

Originally Posted by mischa janisch

360 USD per sqarefoot? I'd hope this is just for the acousticaly treated area and does not include lounge, restrooms, office space... The way I understand your figuers is that for a 500 SF mastering room that would be 180 000 USD.

To get this price a little better in perspective - How much is the price for regular renovations in Seattle per sqarefoot? The price around here is about 75 USD per sqarefoot...

Yes, this is for the acoustically treated/sound isolated rooms. My Mastering and Post rooms are a room with-in a room.
"Normal" renovations in Seattle are about $150 - $200 sq/ft. The "MEDIAN" home price where I live is over $600k!! It's not cheap to live here!

Regards,
Bruce

[jamsmith]

Originally Posted by mischa janisch

360 USD per sqarefoot? I'd hope this is just for the acousticaly treated area and does not include lounge, restrooms, office space... The way I understand your figuers is that for a 500 SF mastering room that would be 180 000 USD.

As it has been pointed out this would include isolation. Isolation is not really "treatment", isolation is construction and much, much higher standard of construction than a regular renovation.