Musical expert hits the right note

by Justin Richards

I was approached by "The Fuse" Broadoak to offer some help regarding their recording studio. It is a new build project and they were well into the construction stage, but after looking at the plans I was keen to look over the acoustician's report before anything else.

The combination of the report and the layout of the proposed rooms for recording areas and control room threw up quite a few areas of concern for me, namely sound insulation and acoustic treatment.

The sound insulation requirements in studios are considerably more demanding than typical office spaces and commercial properties in general, so I really wanted to make sure that this wasn't going to be a problem for the facility once up and running. I asked The Fuse to go back to the acousticians and check several key points.

I was also concerned that one of the recording areas was going to be multi-purpose, which could possibly mean that as a recording space, it might be acoustically compromised. There was also the small matter of treating the relatively small control room so that it would be closer to an accurate listening environment.

All these issues were thoroughly discussed and explained before various solutions offered. We then moved on to the subject of studio equipment.

The Fuse had already been given a proposed spec for a small set-up of studio equipment, and I initially pointed out that the quoted price was far too high and if they wished to go ahead with the proposed gear, I could suggest a much cheaper way of purchasing it. It was quickly pointed out that The Fuse wanted the studio to look serious, have a "wow" factor and be able to attract commercial work, at which point I suggested that they really needed to up their budget and approach the equipment purchase in a very different way.

So I went away to produce a starting point equipment list and talk to some pro-audio outlets. I was looking for a company that would not only be able to supply a well-specified studio, but also be able to install, test and support it afterwards. I went back to The Fuse with some quotes from two reputable suppliers that were both capable of delivering equipment, installation, training and support.

After this point, it became a number-crunching game, coupled with regular discussions between myself, the two suppliers and The Fuse about editing the proposed equipment list and trying to make it fit the budget. Finally, both suppliers submitted tenders and a decision was made to go with one of them.

Nicky Cullen of The Fuse commented:

"We approached Justin to assist us with the specification of equipment for the recording studio in our brand new £5m myplace facility. We had no experience in this area and were keen to ensure that the installation was fit for purpose. We also asked him to source suitable suppliers for us to invite to tender for the works.

Justin was a huge help in all aspects of this work. He carried out significant research and provided us with valuable advice on both the equipment and suppliers. He made himself available for a number of meetings with us and was quick to respond to our requests.

With Justin's help we were able to successfully tender the works and have now appointed a contractor."

For more information about Justin visit his webpage www.justin-richards.co.uk