Outernet Live, the brand new 2000 capacity live events venue coming to central London today revealed its name and operating partners as bookings officially open ahead of a full launch in the Summer. In addition, the team will operate the reborn and revamped former 12 Bar Club which will now have an increased 350 capacity.

Robert Butters and Karrie Goldberg (founders of Green Light Development) have been hand selected as Joint Venture partners to manage and operate the venue.  Robert and Karrie have worked across major live music venues, award-winning nightclubs, global touring theatre shows and blue-chip corporate clients and bring a creativity and entrepreneurial spirit to this unique space.

Prior to Green Light, Robert was the CFO and Vice President for Business Development for the Really Useful Group and SVP of business development for SFX (now Live Nation) before starting his own production and apparel printing and distribution company. In 2016 Robert sold a majority share in Green Distribution to Falfurrias Capital (a private equity company based in Charlotte, North Carolina).

Karrie, the founder and CEO of venue and talent booking agency The Kagency is one of the most successful female entrepreneurs in the live event and entertainment space.  Karrie has had a continuation of her decades long career that has seen her program and manage unique spaces around the world delivering creative value and engagement contracts for artists such as Madonna, Lady Gaga, Brian Eno, The Estate of Basquiat and Beyoncé.

Providing a much-needed central London venue for the global live music industry Outernet Live is an integral part of Outernet London, a billion pound immersive media, music and culture district fully opening later this year and located on the corner of Oxford Street and Charing Cross Road. The venue will sit beneath The Now Building – the most advanced experiential public space in the world – which features 23,000sq foot of floor to ceiling 16K screens.

With the venue and The Now Building at the epicentre of the wider Outernet campus in addition to traditional shows the opportunities to combine both the physical and the digital on the giant screens are simply epic. From major movie premieres staged in way that has never before been possible to intimate artist showcases that could then be broadcast across the screens, the launch of Outernet Live is a game changing moment.  It will play host to a broad array of live music, dance, immersive theatre, awards shows, brand experiences and beyond.

To deliver the internationally renowned performers and first-class events, for Outernet Live, Robert and Karrie have assembled a senior management team with a broad range of international experience.

Tristan Hoffman – Chief Operating Officer

Tristan joins as COO, following a 20 year career in London and New York conceiving and operating multi-faceted, high profile hospitality and entertainment venues (BB Kings Blues Club in Times Square and the Highline Ballroom in Chelsea). The artists he worked with included BB King, Etta James, Lou Reed, Adele, The Roots, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Arctic Monkeys, The Killers, LCD Soundsystem, 50 Cent, Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney.

Leo Green – Artistic Director

Leo is a concert promoter, musician and broadcaster who has previously worked at London venues The 02 and Ronnie Scott’s Club as well as having toured and recorded as a saxophonist, with a huge range of artists, including Paul McCartney, James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jeff Beck, Ronnie Wood, Paul Weller and spent many years touring and recording with Van Morrison. Leo founded BluesFest in 2011 which has featured artists including BB King, Steely Dan, Hall & Oates, Robert Plant, Sheryl Crow, Bobby Womack, The Doobie Brothers, Chaka Khan, John Legend, Mary J. Blige and many others. BluesFest was acquired by Live Nation, where Leo spent more than a decade, most recently serving as Live Nation’s Director of Live Events.

Octavia Harwood – Operations Manager

Octavia joins the team straight from a five year stand out run at the O2 Arena as Head of Venue Management. Previously at Wembley Stadium and Brixton Academy, Octavia has over ten years’ experience running entertainment venues that deliver extraordinary customer service and experience.

Shannon Tebay – Beverage Director

Shannon’s experience in the hospitality industry spans more than a decade. The French Culinary Institute alum has applied her training in pastry arts to craft cocktails, incorporating various techniques and developing uniquely creative flavour profiles to her lengthy list of original drinks. Her personal cocktail-writing style is best described as dynamic minimalism, defined by left-of-centre combinations that harmonize in unexpected ways. Included in her list of esteemed NYC bars, Shannon held the role of Head Bartender at Manhattan’s Death & Company where she worked for seven years. She most recently moved to London in 2021 to take on the position of Head Bartender at The American Bar at the Savoy Hotel.

Music lies at the heart of Outernet London. Situated on Denmark Street, the area is often described as the birthplace of the British music industry where iconic artists such as Elton John, The Rolling Stones, Sex Pistols and David Bowie hung out, made music and lived. Outernet Live whilst being thoroughly modern is proud to be driving the revitalisation of this part of the city, adding to and celebrating the musical lineage and heritage of what will once again be a mecca for music lovers and performers.

Philip O’Ferrall, CEO and President Outernet Global said “This area of London has an amazing tradition of brilliant venues but many of them have sadly gone. To open Outernet Live as part of our wider culture and music district makes us all immensely proud. It is absolutely vital that artists and fans have a place to go in the centre of our city to perform and enjoy live music and we will welcome many other types of events to our venue as well. When you factor in the incredible things we can do with the Outernet screens we move to another level and our offering is something that really can’t be found anywhere else in the world. We love the history of Denmark Street and embrace what the future holds.”

Robert Butters and Karrie Goldberg said “We have two amazing venues that sit at the heart of London’s first music, media and culture district. Launching Outernet Live is going to be very special as we combine a world class venue with the power of the wider Outernet campus.”

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Making a list of the best venues in London is no small feat, but it’s a challenge we’ve risen to. Presenting our run-down of the capital’s most thrilling environments for enjoying live music…

London is much loved as one of the world’s top cities for live music, generating up to £1bn for the UK economy back in 2016. The research, published by IQ Magazine from data compiled by concert website Songkick, showed how the city hosted the most live gigs in Europe and had the third highest number in the world, only behind the likes of New York and Los Angeles.

From jazz and soul to rock and roll and UK grime, global stars and emerging indie outfits and more, the capital’s reputation as a hub for live performance has a long history. This resonates through a dizzyingly diverse range of genres, sonic styles and of course venues, both big and small.

Over the last 18 months, the pandemic has had a devastating impact on the global music industry. However, with live music now open and demand spiralling for gigs and festivals, London’s reputation is continuing where it left off, thanks to its stellar network of venues.

Here, we explore some of the spaces that have helped the city become a leading player on the world’s live music stage…

Best London Venue 1: The O2 Arena

Image from theo2.co.uk

Originally developed as the much-maligned Millennium Dome to mark the celebrations heralding the new decade, the O2 Arena as we now know it opened its doors in 2007.

Located near Greenwich and with a capacity of more than 20,000, the venue is one of the biggest in the UK and has played host to a wide variety of musical icons since its inception.

The late, great Prince lorded over a 21-night residency back in 2007 at the newly opened arena, playing in the round to a cumulative audience of hundreds of thousands of fans.

After nearly 30 years, rock titans Led Zeppelin used the O2 as the location for their reunion gig in 2007. Their tribute show to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun saw more than 20 million people applying for tickets to the show.

Since then, the venue has been a must-stop for big artists passing through the city from pop stars such as the Spice Girls to hip-hop legends Kanye West and Jay-Z performing as Watch the Throne.

theo2.co.uk

Best Venue 2: The 100 Club

Image from the100club.co.uk – photo credit: Gobinder Jhitta

Located on Oxford Street in the bustling heart of central London, the 100 Club is one of the city’s most legendary live music spaces. First known as the Feldman Jazz Club in 1942, its walls have felt almost every conceivable musical style and genre reverberate between them.

From the blues of BB King and sixties guitars of The Kinks to the punk squall of the Sex Pistols and the Clash to the first ever Northern Soul all nighters in the eighties, it’s been a vital venue in Britain’s musical evolution, and undoubtedly one of the best venues in London.

Some of the stories surrounding the 100 Club are the stuff of musical legend. Supposedly, the current stage is the same one put in place in 1964 by the then-owner, Roger Horton. Oasis played a six song set in 1994 when they cost a mere £250 to book while the Gallagher brothers’ hero, Paul McCartney, played an intimate gig at the venue to help save it from developers.

the100club.co.uk

Best London Venue 3: The Windmill

Image from windmillbrixton.co.uk

Iconic London venues don’t come much rawer than the Windmill in Brixton, yet few have been as influential in kickstarting the careers of so many of the capital’s best new bands.

Ostensibly a rather unassuming boozer with a flat-roof slumped opposite a windmill, the venue was originally a bar before the clientele of musicians, sound engineers and promoters who regularly drank there began arranging gigs during the nineties.

The informal setting has proved to be a hit with emerging artists and a rite of passage for many who have gone to become stars.

The list of artists to perform includes everyone from Art Brut, Biffy Clyro, The Black Lips, Bloc Party, The Cribs, Daniel Johnston, Example, Florence & The Machine, Frank Turner, Frightened Rabbit, F*ck Buttons, Get Cape Wear Cape Fly, Guillemots, Hard-Fi, Hot Chip, The Horrors and many more…

windmillbrixton.co.uk

Best Venue 4: Ronnie Scott’s

Image from ronniescotts.co.uk

Ronnie Scott’s is revered as one of the oldest jazz clubs in the world, having been welcoming music fans to its sophisticated surroundings since it set up shop in 1959.

From its early days when it counted the likes of Sarah Vaughn, Count Basie and Miles Davis as performers, the club continues to present the biggest names in jazz including Wynton Marsalis, Cassandra Wilson and Kurt Elling. These headline stars all shun the larger capacity concert halls in favour of the smaller, more welcoming environs of the club.

Intimacy is what makes the venue so special with music legend Prince using it for one of his Hit and Run gigs in 2014. Jimi Hendrix’s last public performance was at Ronnie Scott’s, taking place in 1970.

ronniescotts.co.uk

Best London Venue 5: Brixton Academy

Image from academymusicgroup.com

For any music lover living in South London, Brixton Academy is an essential spot for you to cut your teeth on live performance.

Originally opened as a cinema and theatre in 1929, it enjoyed more than 40 years in its first lifetime as the Astoria. It closed its doors and was almost demolished before planning permission fell through, leading to its opening as a music venue in 1981. Named the Fair Deal, it hosted gigs by the Clash and UB40 before closing a year later. Then local entrepreneur Simon Parkes bought the venue for a mere £1.

Since then, its blend of art deco design, state of the art sound and sloping floor have made it an essential destination for many of the best bands around. The xx, the Specials and Sex Pistols have all performed residencies there while the venue was also where Manchester indie legends The Smiths played what would be their final gig in 1986.

academymusicgroup.com/o2academybrixton

Best Venue 6: The Union Chapel

Image from the100club.co.uk – photo credit: Gobinder Jhitta

Union Chapel can be found near Highbury and Islington but is a world away from the hustle and bustle of Upper Street.

Built in the late 1800s, this chapel was originally a popular church before falling into decline after the Second World War. However, the local community came together to help save it and now it doubles as a working church as well as an excellent spot for live music.

It means that this venue is a unique one, with its very special sound and setting ensuring it is one of the most popular among the capital’s gig-going populace. Hosting more than 200 events per year, the space has attracted everyone from Elton John and Tori Amos to Bjork and Bat for Lashes wanting to take advantage of its numerous qualities. It’s up there with the very best venues in London.

unionchapel.org.uk

Best London Venue 7: KOKO

Image from koko.uk.com

Camden is one of the boroughs most closely associated with live music so it’s no surprise that it features many of the best venues in London.

Previously the Camden Palace, KOKO is one of the capital’s greatest spots for gigs, combining a unique heritage with brilliant sound that has made it a hit with everyone from the Rolling Stones to Stormzy and local star Amy Winehouse.

The venue’s doors have been shut since March 2019 as part of multi-million pound refurbishment. The impact of the pandemic and an unexpected fire in January of last year have been undeniable setbacks, although the venue is due to reopen in 2022.

Some £70m has been invested into the redevelopment, which has enabled a four-storey upwards extension of the Grade II-listed theatre. The work has also led to an expansion into two adjacent buildings: a former piano factory dating back to 1800, and the old nearby Hope and Anchor pub.

koko.uk.com

Best Venue 8: The Dublin Castle

Image from thedublincastle.com – Photo credit: Chris Dorney

The Dublin Castle is also located in Camden, but somewhat grimier, stickier and more beer-soaked than KOKO. Having been run by the same family for almost 30 years, the pub can accommodate up to 200 punters and usually hosts as many as four bands every night with DJs at the weekend and a legendary jukebox in the front bar.

It was originally opened to cater for Irish workmen employed on the nearby railway. However, it gradually became a music venue during the seventies thanks to landlord Alo Conlon. The likes of Madness, Travis, Blur and Amy Winehouse all cut their musical teeth here with Suggs and his motley crew enjoying their first gig at the pub. Winehouse was such a part of the boozer’s family, she even used to serve behind the bar when not performing or partying.

thedublincastle.com

Best London Venue 9: EartH (Evolutionary Arts Hackney)

It comes from the team behind Shoreditch’s Village Underground and sees three venues offered to East London’s music lovers, with the EartH Theatre the jewel in the venue’s crown. This atmospheric, seated space has seen the likes of Lambchop, Anna Meredith and Omar Souleyman all grace the venue with their presence.

An on-point booking policy for left-field artists is enhanced by an immersive soundsystem utilising the latest L-ISA technology. This means enhanced clarity, more natural sound, and comprehensive sound panorama.

earthackney.co.uk

Venue 10: O2 Shepherd’s Bush

Image from academymusicgroup.com

O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire was originally opened in 1903 as a music hall with early performers supposedly including Charlie Chaplin. During the 1950s, it became the BBC Television Centre before becoming a music venue during the nineties.

In this latest guise, the venue can accommodate 2,000 gig-goers and has attracted some of the bigger stars to perform in a more intimate setting. The big names to take its stage including the likes of the Rolling Stones, Kylie Minogue, Public Image Limited and Elton John.

Alongside the performances, the venue is also notorious for Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines causing controversy when on stage by saying she was ‘ashamed the President of the United States [then George W Bush] is from Texas’.

academymusicgroup.com/o2shepherdsbushempire/

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A selection of DPA microphones are now being used for events such as lectures, panel discussions, filming, live streaming and podcasts at London’s Royal Academy of Arts.

From its unique double-height dimensions to the extensive use of reflective marble surfaces used during its construction, the Royal Academy of Art’s new Benjamin West Lecture Theatre in London presents some unusual acoustic challenges, so it was important that the right microphones were chosen for this space.

“DPA microphones have proved to be the ideal solution because they allow any technician or engineer to jump in and achieve quality sound,” said Benji Fox, AV Events Manager at the RA. “We are using a selection of the company’s products in a number of different ways, including acoustic mics for lectures, belt packs and lapel mics for panel discussions and the new 6066 CORE Subminiature Headset Microphones for smaller panel discussions, filming and live streaming.”

Opened in 2018 as part of the RA’s Burlington Gardens’ landmark redevelopment to mark its 250th anniversary, the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre signals a new stage to the RA’s heritage of rigorous and lively debate, hosting events such as the Festival of Ideas. The Lecture Theatre’s DPA inventory now includes two 4018 supercardioid microphones, which are positioned on custom lecterns at the front of the room.

For panel discussions, the RA is using DPA 4080 miniature cardioid microphones that are usually attached to panellists’ lapels. Many of the RA’s events are recorded for archive and for podcast, with production handled by the in-house AV team.

“Whichever DPA mics we choose, from 4080s or our recently adopted 6066 Headset microphones, we know we will be making the best possible source recordings that will need the minimal amount of post-production,” Fox added. “The proven track record of DPA mics at the Benjamin West Lecture Theatre means that I am now looking to expand the RA’s stock across other sites and for a variety of specialised applications.”

www.dpamicrophones.com

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This year’s Hackney carnival was the biggest to date, with its attendance expected to be confirmed as well above the 60,000 who attended in 2018.

The borough was awash with colour as the streets played host to dancers, entertainers, food stalls, children’s areas and sound stations. One of the seven sound stages around the Hackney Central area was supported by online radio station NTS and leading record label, Island Records. The stage was located in a large supermarket car park on Morning Lane and featured artists such as Wiley, Donaeo, Ms Banks, Lil C, Felix, Kemal, Rockers LDN And Dubplate Pearl.

NTS approached Pioneer Pro Audio with a view to providing a top quality sound system for what was effectively a day-festival brief, covering a broad range of live music styles. Pioneer Pro Audio in turn consulted with The Audio Group who set up and managed the sound throughout the event. The nature of the line-up demanded a system that was punchy, clear and could deliver plenty of rich bass and Pioneer Pro Audio’s XY Series comfortably took care of business.

The front of house system comprised 6 x XY-3B 3WAY Bi-amp speakers, complemented by 10 x XY-218HS dual 18-inch horn loaded subs, whilst the DJ booth was equipped with 2 x XPRS 12 full range active speakers and 2 x XPRS 115 reflex loaded active subs. A further XPRS 12 was used in wedge mode for MC monitoring.

“The Pioneer Pro Audio system worked perfectly in the wide, outdoor setting, giving a weighty audio experience for a huge crowd of over 5,000 attendees,” said Rory Bowens, Head of Radio Production at NTS Radio. “The DJs using the system played a diverse range of genres, new and old: soul, reggaeton, dancehall, dub and hip-hop. On top of this, the NTS stage hosted live performances by Donaeo and Ms Banks, as well as a surprise appearance from Wiley. The system did justice to all the sets and performances we put it through, both planned and unplanned. The Audio Group worked tirelessly on the setup, supporting the  NTS production team throughout the event as required.”

www.pioneerproaudio.com

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Producer and engineer Al Lawson has recently given his south-west London studio space Pop Fiction – that he co-owns with songwriter and artist, Janie Bird (aka Bird) – a general revamp with an ASP880 8-channel preamp from Audient. 

“I love working in big studios, and that’s what I find myself doing a lot of the time when I’m engineering for other producers,” said Lawson, who can find himself anywhere from Kore Studios and Lynchmob to any of the Miloco rooms, and has worked on records by KT Tunstall, Lower Than Atlantis and whenyoung.

Tending towards working on rock and pop records in the main, Al will happily turn his hand to hip hop, metal or jazz. “Our studio is great for certain records – there are a lot of toys: guitars, amps, pedals, synths, tape delays, spring reverbs. Stuff for musicians to get their hands on and it’s a very homely atmosphere – going somewhere else is now more of a choice than a necessity.”

‘Pop Fiction’ studio comprises a large control room and a live room, and Al and Janie were already aware that it sounded great for acoustic guitar and her cello. Then they discovered it had even more potential: “Janie’s 60s Premier drum kit was in there, and we’d do little tom overdubs or demo drums with a couple of mics, and it turned out that the room sounds really cool for drums; plenty of air around the kit but not too clattery or boxy,” explained Lawson. “It felt like a wasted opportunity not to be able to record drums properly, if they sounded that good. My first thought was an Audient ASP880 to add the extra inputs that we needed and I knew from working on ASP8024s that it had proper professional mic preamps in it.

“I guess finally after 12 years enough people trust me to make their record – either engineering or producing. Long may it last!” he added, listing some of the diverse array of projects he’s been working on most recently. “I just finished a solo record with Wendy James from Transvision Vamp, a library music album for Audio Network, ongoing work on Janie’s new Bird record (which Mike Hedges is producing), soundtrack for a new TV series Two Wolves and right now I’m doing additional production and mix for UK hip hop artist Apex Zero’s new album.”

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This year the PLASA Show will present Stage to Studio, a new feature where a live band will be recorded in front of an audience by a renowned sound engineer.

The professional sessions will run from 3pm on Sunday 15th and Monday 16th September, revealing what it takes to get the best recording from a live performance.

With the engineer’s Digital Audio Workstation displayed above the stage and live commentary, the audience will learn top level techniques for capturing high quality sound from the stage. This will include microphone choices and placements, step-by-step mix decisions, and how to maximise multi-track recordings.

Following the sessions, the audio stem files will be made available and a competition will open. A team of experts will then pick the best mix and the winner will receive an exclusive professional audio prize.

The artists performing live for Stage to Studio are two highly acclaimed emerging artists. VC Pines delivers a blend of alternative soul, poetry and punk. He has garnered the support of BBC Radio’s Steve Lamacq, Lauren Laverne, Chris Hawkins, Huw Stephens and Cerys Matthews, as well as Clash Magazine, Headliner Magazine, Atwood Magazine and Fred Perry Subculture.

Effie was crowned NME emerging artist 2018 and has gained support from BBC Radio 1’s MistaJam and DJ Target, Capital XTRA, and KISS as well as Clash and Notion magazines. She lent her vocals to ‘Body Talk’ by dance duo Just Kiddin and wrote and sang on ‘3 Words’ by FooR. She has also earned over one million Spotify plays.

They will be mixed by sound engineer Simon Todkill who has worked with the likes of Kanye West, Matt Corby, Hiatus Kaiyote, Charli XCX, Movement and The Griswolds, earning him numerous Gold and Platinum album credits. These include Kanye West’s 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy and Matt Corby’s ARIA Song Of The Year ‘Brother’.

Miloco Studios are providing the expertise and professional equipment for Stage to Studio. Established in London in 1984, Miloco now run over 90 studios worldwide, many of which are go-to destinations for major international artists and producers.

Between the Stage to Studio sessions, upcoming talent will perform acoustic sets courtesy of ‘Tony Moore Presents’. Tony began his career as an original member of Iron Maiden, then moving to Cutting Crew in the mid 80s. In more recent years he has promoted homegrown talent at the iconic Bedford in London, including Ed Sheeran, Paolo Nutini and James Bay. These acoustic sets will run throughout the Sunday and Monday of the show.

PLASA Show is running from 15-17 September at Olympia London.

www.plasashow.com/stage-to-studio

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Capital Sound recently celebrated the seventh year deploying Martin Audio’s MLA multicellular loudspeaker array technology at the British Summer Time festival at Hyde Park.

The contract for the festival is now up for renewal.

Monitored by acoustics consultants Vanguardia, as it has been every year, MLA – optimised using Martin Audio’s proprietary advanced DISPLAY software – was equal to a wide range of performance over the two weekends, extending from Barbra Streisand, Celine Dion and Josh Groban at one extreme, and Bob Dylan and Neil Young at the other.

The Great Oak main stage was equipped with two hangs of 16 x MLA and a single MLD Downfill per side, with 13 x MLA and an MLD Downfill for the sidehangs. The sub array consisted of 32 x MLX in the now familiar broadside cardioid design (21 front facing, 11 rear facing). With 12 MLA Compact serving as front fills, all MLA components were running on the same network.

Out in the field, the main ten delay towers comprised seven MLA and a single MLD Downfill, supported by 12 MLX subs while delay positions 10 and 11 deployed eight MLA Compacts. One slight change this year was that delay position nine was bolstered with the addition of two further MLA elements in respect of the depth that the site now runs to, enveloping those at the rear of the field.

Martin Audio systems were also provided elsewhere. On the Barclaycard Stage (Stage 2), eight MLA Compacts were flown on each side with 14 x WS218X subs in a spaced and recessed cardioid configuration, with four Martin Audio DD12 providing front fill sound, while two MLA Compacts were provided as outfills on Stage Left.

Production manager Mark Ward supported the assessment of Capital Sound’s Martin Connolly that both this year’s event, and the entire seven-year programme had been an unqualified success from an audio perspective. “We have relied on the talents of Capital Sound and their expert use of Martin Audio’s MLA PA rig since 2013 when the British Summer Time Festival began,” he confirmed, “and this year was no exception.

“With a few tweaks to the system layout and drive mechanics since 2018, all sound level thresholds, both on and off site, were once again comfortably met at this notoriously difficult Hyde Park location. Consequently, the paying public, the Royal Parks team, incoming engineers and the local authority were once again very pleased with how the show’s audio team and audio system delivered.”

“Our seven-year relationship with BST shows that you don’t need to compromise the quality of audio for the audience in order to meet exacting off-site SPL limits,” concluded Martin Audio’s managing director, Dom Harter. “We are grateful to the whole technical team who have worked tirelessly over the years to deliver our signature sound, consistency and control to audiences across the whole site. We hope it will continue for many more years to come.”

martin-audio.com

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NEXO is bringing its GEO M12 Experience Day event to London this week on Wednesday July 3.

Open to sound engineers, rental companies, installers and students, GEO M12 Experience Days offer the opportunity to check out NEXO GEO M Series line arrays with Yamaha PM Series mixers in a typical venue.

NEXO and Yamaha System Experts will be on hand to demonstrate GEO M12, M10 and M6 systems, and to discuss a range of topics including rigging, Dante networking, NeMo system monitoring and integrating Yamaha consoles with NEXO NXAMP powered controllers.

The event – with an emphasis on sharing information, hints and tips – will kick off at midday.

For more information and to register, follow this link: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nexo-geo-m12-experience-day-london-tickets-62305909653

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Acoustic design consultancy White Mark has helped London-based audio post production house Jumbuck embrace the latest in immersive audio formats by transforming its main studio into a fully Dolby Atmos capable facility.

Established in 2001, the company is headed by Glenn Calder, Richard Davey and Anne Pamphilon. Jumbuck works across audience comedy, single camera comedy drama, drama and film for clients including the BBC and ITV.

The decision to upgrade to Dolby Atmos was taken at the end of 2018 when Jumbuck signed a new lease on its current premises, giving it the security to think about investment and future planning. In addition, the company had just completed Bounty Hunters, its first Dolby Atmos series for Sky, and was about to start work on drama series Top Boy Series 3.

Along with making the main studio Dolby Atmos HE compatible, White Mark was also tasked with relocating the existing machine room and using part of the newly available space to enlarge and reshape a second studio, reversing the orientation and offering a more comfortable and better proportioned environment. A smaller studio for pre-production editing was created in the remaining space of the former machine room.

“The biggest challenge we faced was the low room height because the ceiling channels required Atmos,” said White Mark’s managing director David Bell. “This produces problems in many rooms, with the conflict between such practical issues as doors, coverage of client areas and compliance with the standard and the aesthetic desire to create a great working environment that feels spacious and light.

“We are particularly pleased with this room as we have worked over a number of years with Jumbuck towards creating a space that they are happy to be in for the foreseeable future. During the rebuild we took the opportunity to improve the basic response of the space to offer a creative environment that gets the most out of the significant equipment and monitor investment that Jumbuck has made.”

Everyone at Jumbuck is reportedly delighted with the new studio, which took seven weeks to complete. “We are now well into mixing our first Dolby Atmos jobs,” she said. “We are continuing with our refurbishments and are looking forward to a formal re-launch later this year.”

Other projects recently completed at Jumbuck include Afterlife, Fleabag, Brexit: The Uncivil War, Hatton Garden and The Bay.

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An Audient ASP8024 Heritage Edition console was recently installed in Nicholas Lloyd-Webber’s brand new central London recording facility.

He describes the five-room complex which is now up and running as “a wonderful studio. It’s incredibly flexible whether it be for tracking, mixing or working to picture in all of the rooms at once or independently.”

Designed and constructed by Kazbar Systems, the whole studio – from installation to the final product – met with Nicholas’ approval. “It has a wonderful sound and their care, precision and unrivalled advice is reflected in every aspect,” he said.

Having used the Audient ASP8024 in his Palace Studio previously, Nicholas’ decision to upgrade to the flagship Heritage Edition console was an easy one. The addition of the Dual Layer Control (DLC) module gives him enhanced and ‘seamless’ integration with DAW.

Kazbar Systems also recommended Genelec 1238A Smart Active Monitors designing the control room around the console and speakers, “to provide optimal symmetry and sonic accuracy,” according to their website.

Located in a basement, there was some initial concern as to whether the desk, complete with 24 channels, DLC and patchbay, would be manoeuvrable around the tight corners in the space. Delivering the desk in two parts with the modules out solved the restricted access problem, and the Heritage Edition console was reconstructed by Audient technicians on site.

The final design of the space comprises an isolation booth within the control room and two smaller, multi-functional isolation booths that can be used as additional live rooms, or alternatively as writing and production studios.

Read more about the full construction and install here at Kazbar Systems website.

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