Studio Facilities
We offer two sound-baffled production studios, including a fully-functional kitchen set.
We chose to use the downtime during 2020 and 2021 to our advantage by initiating work on our long-term goal of building professional sound baffled studios and a digital communications “live” control room within our existing complex. The back half of the house that is now our studios contained a large living room, and although we had used it for recording in the past, the issue had always been headroom and noise. As our building is of heritage period construction, the walls were insulated with materials no contractor would use today, and sounds from the nearby major intersection often cut through into the interior like a hot knife through butter.
We started with the roof that we knew would soon need replacing and we had experts remove two old and unused chimneys that were like tunnels for incoming noise. Then we insulated the attic with special sound-absorbing insulation and removed all windows on the side of the building facing Essa Road. The old doors were also replaced with sound-dumbing foam-filled alternatives. At the same time, we built a fence that appears to be normal boards on the side facing the world, but which was filled with dense Styrofoam and then covered on the inside with sheets of four-foot by eight-foot plywood that we then sealed at every joint.
According to your decibel meter, that custom barrier effectively blocked about 75% of all noise from ever reaching the studio walls.
Then, through our efforts and the skilled expertise of local contractors, we raised the ceiling of the room by a little more than three feet. Then we removed all drywall and any old thermal lining from every wall in both the living room and kitchen. As noise could come from any direction, we installed sound padding in every external and internal wall, and we installed sliding glass and sound baffled doors. Finally, we added strips of metal sound-dampening channel and then Sonopanel to every wall, ceiling, and point of entry into the production areas. The channel provided separation for the drywall so it would not transfer noise from the studs.
Meanwhile, the green sheets of Sonopanel, composed of hundreds of layers of thin paper, acted like Kevlar for sound.
Finally, we added a voice-activated AI-controlled electrical rig that frees us from needing to climb up and down ladders simply to turn our lights on or off. Finally, we painted the walls with green screen chroma-key paint on one end and white on the other. The white wall was then fitted with lights that can be changed to any colour and even produce strobing or other illumination effects.
When the main studio was completed, we did it all again in the kitchen, but this time with a bit of help from Ikea. The old kitchen was beyond resurfacing so we tore it all out along with the drywall, flooring, and insulation. Then we followed the sound baffling techniques again and built the new kitchen and installed a new floor. The wiring was then reconfigured by an electrician so that all lights in the kitchen were on the same circuit, and flat panel lighting was installed.
At the end of it all, we found we had built two very effective professional studios that can be used by our clients, and for programming produced by our not-for-profit community channel, the Ontario Community Awareness Network, or OCANetwork.
Space was never an issue within the Big Blue Box Studios.
We had recorded various videos in the room.
What we needed was headroom and sound proofing.
We started by replacing the roof.
Then we replaced existing insulation with sound baffling.
A local engineer ensured the process was safe.
We also protected the basement from flooding.
The sound wall keeps out about 75% of street noise.
We removed and shuttered the windows seen here.
Every wall, inside and out, was ripped out and fitted with sound baffling.
We carefully removed joists and lifted them three feet.
A new nee wall was installed for extra height.
Glass and sound baffled doors were installed throughout.
Sonopanel was installed on every wall and ceiling.
The metal channel limits vibration through the walls.
Next came drywall installation and sanding.
Curved corners were installed at both ends.
All walls were primed by sprayer for smoothness.
Acoustic foam was installed to limit echo.
One end was painted for green screen and the other white.
An AI controlled lighting rig was installed with voice and app control.
An epoxy floor was poured and levelled for smooth camera movement.
So far, the studio has performed better than was expected.
It is a creative space with almost limitless possibilities.
The old kitchen was beyond resurfacing.
So, we tore out the cupboards and replaced the walls and insulation.
Our new kitchen came to us from Sweden.
Assembly took more than a couple of Allen keys.
We also replaced all of the appliances.
Our kitchen set is both pretty and fully functional.
It also provides a comfortable set for conversational programming.
To the best of our knowledge, ours are the only fully-independent studios of their kind north of the GTA.
Studio
This playlist includes full-length examples of our studio work.
No matter if it was produced in our less than ideal older studio, or in our new state of the art facilities, we have always taken extreme care to ensure that all of our studio productions were as good as those produced in any broadcast facility.
The studios provide a creative space where quite literally anything is possible.
We present here a couple of dozen full-length examples of our more recent studio work. Some of that programming was produced before the studio facelift of 2020-2021. However, the dedication to quality has always remained consistent.
The new facilities simply optimize our workspace which saves our clients time and money.
Please download details of our studio facilities here.
