Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Hi, I'm John Calder with Acoustic Geometry. We're here doing an acoustic intervention
at Old Blackberry Way Studio in Minneapolis with owner, Neil Weir.
Hi Neil. Hi John.
Well this has been a studio mainstay in the Minneapolis music scene for years.
Can you give us a little of its history? Yeah, it's been a studio since the early '70's.
A lot of bands recorded here in the 70's and 80's.
Soul Asylum, Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Suburbs. You've got a really great updated 70's and
80's feel to the place. It's really a great spot to do music in. What
kind of bands record here now? It tends to be bands who want to take a fairly
organic approach to recording. And how long have you owned the studio?
About 8 years. And in that time, you've made some improvements.
What's the main reason you called us for an acoustic intervention?
Well, I've done quite a bit of broadband absorption in my control room and I'm generally happy
with the results. But, I'm curious as to what a little bit of
diffusion would add. Well, I think we can help you.
Good. Neil already has a lot of absorbers in his
room. So, we're putting in five Curve Diffusors.
Two medium Curves on each side of the main listening position.
One overhead. And two small diffusors in the back.
Neil, you've spent probably hundreds of hours in this room.
Both recording and mixing. Why don't we play something you're really
familiar with and get your first impressions after you've listened to a few minutes of
it. Alright.
So, Neil. What do you think? It's interesting because it seems to be kind
of more focused in a way that I wasn't necessarily expecting it to be that reminds me more of
the mastering studio that most of the stuff I work on ends up at.
Which I think is like a very good sign. What we're going to do is leave you alone
for twenty to thirty minutes, let you listen in calm and peace and we'll come back and
ask you further impressions after you've had a chance to listen at a little more length.
We're back with Neil after he's had a chance to listen to his new acoustic environment
for twenty-five or thirty minutes. Neil, any further impressions?
Yeah. The listening environment, in general, seems
more even now. The imaging seems more consistent.
The low end seems more consistent. The top end seems to have just a sort of like
natural liveliness that I feel like I was missing.
I think in the end, it will be less fatiguing. And you had a chance to move around the room
a little bit. Any impressions from different listening positions
in the space? Yeah, it's pretty remarkable how much more
consistent it is as I move through the room. So, in terms of an overall impression, in
just a couple of words, how would you describe it?
More even. Thanks Neil.
If you have an idea for an Acoustic Intervention, go to acousticgeometry.com and send us a comment.
Thanks for watching and Neil, thank you very much.
Thank you John.