AudioMedia - June 2008 - (Page 42)

…and how to keep them coming Yes, Jazz really can keep a studio in the black – if the conditions are right. PAUL MAC talks to Koolworld’s Dave Wooster about running rooms and keeping busy. n the centre of Luton, there’s a big music studio. And as unlikely as this might sound to those who disparage the town, Koolworld, owned by the half-and-half (live versus studio) sought-after self of Dave Wooster, is rather nice. It occupies a reasonable chunk of The Hat Factory (a Luton arts centre established by National Lottery funding), and makes good use of that building’s infrastructure to provide recording and mixing services (though not exclusively) to the world of Jazz Kool Customers… The Work I In overall throughput, Koolworld divides its time between jazz, educational work, production/artist development, and major label projects – often tied in with live work that Wooster has been involved with. Wooster puts the jazz content at around the percent mark – built up through reputation and links with independent jazz labels, such as Jazz, which happens to be based in the same building. He is keen though to develop the production work in the studio, especially the other permanent fixture in the facility, Mat Collis, who errs more towards practical musical endeavors than engineering, and spends a good proportion of his time working on the artist development side, as well as looking after studio clients while Wooster is out occupying his live-sound persona. He ended up working with Wooster through a friend who was on a school placement at Koolworld (“I wanted to be there, so I kept just turning up.”) The perseverance obviously paid off. “Matt’s a very talented musician,” says Wooster. “And, especially for the Jazz, he has a good appreciation of what they’re doing At the moment he’s taken on more of the sessions because when I get back I need some time off – he’s done the majority of the sessions in the last months, and we’ve had really great results.” On the production business, Wooster claims it’s as important as any other item: “I don’t believe that any studio can survive without having some form of production work on the go, in search of the elusive deal If it happens, then the studio’s got some support from the artists that it’s helped develop.” Koolworld’s main studio area consists of an ample control room, plus two live rooms – one big, one smaller. The big A G rand Decision live room has a Yamaha C grand as a permanent fixture. In addition, however, the studio has use of other spaces in The Hat Factory. Wooster: “Because the whole building was originally wired with Cat and fibre, I can record in any part of it from The Venue through to the gallery, from the theatre studio, to the TV studio.” To enable all this, Koolworld uses an RSS By Roland Digital Snake system, as well as a Hear Technologies Hear Back Cat personal monitoring system for retuning headphone mixes. Wooster: “We really have got the whole building to play with.” So far, Koolworld has completed several big band projects using the purpose-built TV studio at The Hat Factory (up to around -piece ensembles), as well as other projects, such as comedy nights, in the Venue and theatre workshop spaces. There are plans afoot to split the larger live room at the studio into three, with booths for the piano and any other instrument that requires isolation. That way, says Wooster, they will be able to accommodate trios in a single room – an often asked-for facility. The piano, states Wooster, is one of the most important pieces of equipment for a studio that relies so heavily on Jazz work. Before purchasing that particular one, much market research was undertaken – questioning piano players that came to the studio on the pianos they would like to see in the studio. An enormous range was offered, and Wooster ended up with major job – examining Steinway options in particular. “It all comes down to which model, which year,” he explained. “I ended up buying a bible of Steinways – the models and the years and the people that put the things together It all makes such a huge difference.” However, budget started to play a part, and Wooster returned to his clients with ‘if you can’t have that, what else would you be happy with?’. Yamaha came in as the consistent choice. “We ended up with a C , because it’s what we could afford, but the one we have has one of the most mellow high ends that I’ve ever heard. Any piano player that’s come through the studio has commented on how good the thing is, and it’s actually bedding in better every time it gets tuned, and through playing, it’s really starting to achieve its own sound.” Koolworld keeps a pair of DPAs and a Neumann U specifically for the piano. In the control room, adorned with a good array of outboard, plus Pro Tools, RADAR, and a little-used two-inch > 42 AUDIO MEDIA JUNE 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of AudioMedia - June 2008

AudioMedia - June 2008 Contents Recording Post Broadcast AES Review What's Up UK? Geofocus: Australia For the Record Special Report: Videosonics Newstalk: DPA New Microphones Novation SL Compact Allen & Heath IDR-8 Eastwest Quantum Leap SD2 & Goliath Final Cut: Indiana Jones Merging ADR Module Koolworld SSL Duende Good Product Sampler: Microphones Video Guide AMSR Meyer Sound The Blue Planet Live! Royer Labs Mics R-121 & R-122

AudioMedia - June 2008

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