subject: A Dream Recording Studio in a Nightmare of Noise [print this page] A Dream Recording Studio in a Nightmare of Noise
When you think about it, there is no perfect place for a professional recording studio. You could set up shop in a very quiet, very remote locale; but how many people are going to find you out in the hinterlands? In other words, if a studio records in the woods, can anybody hear it?
On the flip side, of course, most downtown commercial centers tend towards noise; so what to do?
For many, being close to the heart of local commerce is essential; that was certainly the case for Creo Productions of Grand Rapids, MI, a full-service creative production company that needed to expand, especially in the area of audio recording, which was burgeoning due to massive growth of Internet applications like podcasting and multimedia applications.
After scouting the possibilities, they were faced directly with this very acoustics vs. economics question.
"For businesses, location is pretty important," said Aaron Carriere, co-founder of Creo. "We found a great location on a busy street in the Heartside district of downtown Grand Rapids, an up-and-coming urban area that is experiencing an exciting renewal and revival. But it was in a basement and just around the corner from a fire station. When you were down there you could understand people's conversations on the street and hear skateboarders going by. But we decided to go for it knowing if we could pull this off -- it would be worth it for our business."
So how did Aaron have his cake and eat it too?
Ultimately they settled on Serious Materials' noise-cancelling Quiet product line to tame Creo's ideal location in Heartside. The key products were QuietRock 525, which was installed on the interior walls and on the ceiling of their wood-stud basement studio, with QuietSeal and QuietPutty around the doors.
According to Jerry Marquette, senior architectural representative from Hansen Marketing Services, which assisted Creo in finding their best noise-cancelling solution, the results were startling.
"After the studio was in place," chirped Jerry. "I went back to see and hear the finished product. The difference was amazing. In fact, they told me about a recording session where an emergency vehicle went by. The folks upstairs who heard it were worried that it impacted the session, but the people in studio were unaware. When they checked, it hadn't been picked up in the recording."
Mr. Carriere concluded: "We wanted an office with a lot of energy that helps the creative process thrive. With Serious Materials' Quiet products, the difference between rooms is easily recognized. Everybody who has come down to our space does a double take; especially those people who saw - and heard - it before."
So lesson learned. With today's high-tech noise-damping technology at hand, choosing a suitable spot for a professional recording studio is a whole lot easier. Just go where the money is and block out the noise.
