AudioMedia - November 2008 - (Page 25)

> game, so it’s about maximising within those confines.” Obviously one of the biggest advantages that moving into almost ready-made rooms offers is significantly lower cost – important in a financial climate that has seemingly gone off to do its own thing these days. I was interested therefore in whether this was that one circumstance under which Aquarium would expand. That is, if much higher build costs had to be incorporated, would the expansion have happened? “It would have been a very difficult thing to do,” replied Joly. “Although we could have found the space – a similar or bigger space, creating an acoustically aligned theatre that was sound-proofed enough, in and out, and wired up in the right way would, in this current climate, have been a difficult thing to do.” Currently Aquarium has 14 staff, nine of which are directly involved with audio, with the rest making up bookings, reception, and other admin. “The idea is to keep it as tight as possible,” said Joly. “Because there are freelancers out there, and the one thing you can’t afford in this climate is to get over-burdened. The mix is always tricky – you’ve always got too many or too few on any given day – but the way Aquarium has always built itself up is to keep it as small as practical, and then either make a decision to get someone else permanently onboard (but after a lot of thought), or hiring any one of a number of freelancers.” He points to the bad old days of too many technologies and too many standards, when putting together a team of freelancers with the right skills was actually pretty difficult. Nowadays that is not the case, and studios can operate on smaller staff in the knowledge that the freelance pool has enough resources to keep the work flowing. B e s t Way Fo r wa rd Hard at work in Aquarium's new Dolby room. Mono, Stereo, 5.1 and Beyond The new SoundField SPS200 ‘software controlled’ microphone generates mono, stereo, 5.1 and beyond and gives the user complete control over all microphone parameters within the audio workstation. Designed and built to the same exacting high standards as other SoundField models, the SPS200 is supplied with its own Surround Zone software for both Pro Tools® HD and VST platforms. By using a single SPS200 microphone and laptop computer, making world class surround and stereo recordings has never been so easy. One new addition to the Aquarium portfolio is a venture designed to keep money and work flowing without the need to wait for clients. The studio is going into the audio book market. “We’re getting more and more involved in audio books,” Joly told me. “We’ve got the rights to two or three things that are now selling through Audible (audible.co.uk). “When everything else is quiet, it’s something we can get going in the studios. We did a thing last week – Mouse And Mole, with Alan Bennett, Richard Briers, and Imelda Stauntun. It was an animated series that was on TV some years back and I think there were 17 of them – but there were another dozen or so that have been written and not put fully into production. We’ve edited the existing ones down so they become a standalone audiobook, and we’ve recorded audio for the ones that haven’t been animated – a back-up for when money is raised for the rest of the animation. “It’s another sound thing. We’ve got the booths and the mixing rooms, and the people to operate them. If it makes a noise, record it and turn it into another string to Aquarium’s bow. Now, with an additional building, Aquarium’s official room count stands at seven. It has achieved this without the massive investment, song, and dance most studios seem to make when they want to get bigger. It’s a practical and resourceful approach that sets it apart, and hopefully will see it flourish a long time into the future. ∫ I N F O R MAT I O N N ew B o o k i n g s The NEW SoundField SPS200 Microphone SoundField • t: +44 (0) 1924 201089 • e: info@soundfield.com • w: soundfield.com SOUNDFIELD ® is a registered trademark of SOUNDFIELD Ltd. W www.aquariumstudios.co.uk A UAD I D I O E DE I D I A N n O v EM BbE ERr 22000058 UO MM A OVE M 25 http://www.soundfield.com http://audible.co.uk http://www.soundfield.com http://www.aquariumstudios.co.uk

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

AudioMedia - November 2008 Contents Recording News Post News Broadcast News Geofocus: Italy What's Up UK AES Review For the Record Studio Snapshot: Aquarium Abbey Road Plug-ins Brilliance Pack Neumann TLM67 Mercenary Audio KM-69 IZ Technology ADA Final Cut Special: Bond TC Powercore 6000 EP Productions Nagra VI Product Sampler: Location Tools Video Guide AMSR News Shure KSM9 Big Beach Boutique 4

AudioMedia - November 2008

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