Upgraded room acoustics

If it hasn't been mentioned before, the studio expanded a lot between 2022 to now in both equipment and qualified help.  LBA is now a 40-channel studio with the capability of recording through upgraded AD/DA converters up to 192kHz 32Bit WAV.  We can also record, mix down, and even Master to analog tape.  A commanding AMEK Big 44 digitally controlled analog console is the centerpiece to the control room.  Legendary brands such as Fairchild and Altec adorn the racks of equipment.  The Mic locker has filled with a large variety of new additions including a stereo pair of AKG C414B XLII microphones and a great sounding Beyerdynamic M 102 TG dynamic mic.  The list goes on, but just last week we made some big acoustic upgrades to the space.  Honestly, a lot of acoustic upgrades have taken place over the past year or two, but this latest one takes the cake.

Last week we ran a program called, Room EQ Wizard in a couple rooms - notably the control room.  This program, combined with several other pieces of equipment, including a calibrated reference microphone/measurement mic.  Room EQ Wizard was able to provide us with a 3 dimensional graph of the frequency response of the rooms along with reverb times for each frequency.  Additional information, like phase response of the room at various frequencies was also provided.  This made it possible for us to fine tune the speakers to cancel out the room sound through the use of analog equalization.  The result is dramatic.  The mix position in the control room is practically unbelievable in terms of how clearly defined every element in a song sits within the mix.  The stereo field seems almost holographic to my ears.  I can only think of maybe 2 other times in my life where I was that impressed by a sound system and one of those times involved $200,000 speakers that I could only dream of.  One of the coolest things about this newly eq'd listening setup is that it can be bypassed with a switch.  That's how we know for a fact it's much better now.  The stereo field is immensely expanded in all dimensions.  3D is an understatement.  In the past I could hear depth of field in the music, but it usually was situated toward the center of the mix, whereas now it's everywhere.  I can hear in the before how the room sound was muddying up the depth of field in the distant L/R sides.  It sounds like I'm now hearing 30% more information.  That's why I'm so excited and why I'm writing this now.  It means mixing will be better, easier, and faster than ever before at LBA.  That means a lower price for mixing services in the future.