Before taking on the challenge of building our own facility, we consulted veteran voiceover and carpenter, Mark Tankersley, who had helped build GBT Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.  As well as having an extensive knowledge of sound-proofing and noise baffling, Mark was also able to draw on his own experiences as a voiceover artist for the sound-booth design.  With Paul’s engineering history and Mark’s professional background, bitsixteen’s new studio was built with quality and voiceover comfort in mind.

What was the plan?

The plan was to build a soundproof booth inside an existing control room.  This meant that none of the sound booth’s walls could touch the walls of the control room.  Also, the booth needed to have its own floor and ceiling, separate from those of the control room.  It also needed ventilation, so we designed a vent shaft that supplied both the sound booth and the control room with fresh air from outside, but without allowing any environmental noises in.  We also needed to cover the interior walls, corners, and ceiling with acoustic panels.  Mark built these unique panels to fit every nook and cranny, in order that all manner of unwanted acoustic anomoly would be eradicated.

So what makes this studio so comfortable?

Well, as this is chiefly a voiceover studio, our aim was to minimise the discomfort often associated with lengthy sessions.  So, at every step  in the design, we thought about what we could do to achieve this.

We first decided that an orthopaedic chair was a must; so we put one in the booth.

We then considered that temperature was important, so we installed an oscillating halogen heater.

Next, our attention turned to our clients’ all-important scripts.  We initially planned to put an LCD screen up against the booth window, so that the VO could read it from there, but we realised that this would block essential eye-contact between engineer and VO.  So we put a screen inside the booth.  The 20″ widescreen LCD panel is mounted on a wall bracket so that it’s position and angle can be adjusted to the VO’s taste, height, and posture.  And it’s right next to the window so that the VO can look from script to engineer with ease.

However, putting the monitor inside the booth was a challenge in itself.  Monitor cables are bulky, particularly with those moulded D-SUB VGA connectors at the end.  We looked around for a patchbay that would enable us to connect microphones, headphones, and the monitor, without the need for a large hole to accommodate such a loom, but we couldn’t find one.  So, we built one from scratch.  Now, projects requiring multiple VOs in the booth at the same time are not a problem.  We have six balanced connectors running into and out of the booth, which we can configure any way we want.

The raised floor is fitted out with a dual-underlay and wool carpet.  Lastly, the voiceover has their own shelf on which to place refreshments of their choice.

Anything else?

Yes!  We have a tea station where visitors can enjoy tea, Starbucks coffee, and biscuits.