Middle Tennessee State University

For this 90,000 square foot building, RBDG designed technical facilities which include two audio recording studio complexes, a MIDI lab, a television studio with associated video and audio control rooms, two video post production rooms, eight booths, a digital graphics lab, central machine room, electronic newsroom, and a 30-foot mobile teleproduction vehicle with maintenance areas, along with traditional classrooms, seminar rooms and staff offices.

One unique aspect of each audio suite is the teaching lab adjacent to the control room. The labs provide an acoustically accurate listening environment for the entire class. Images from remote pan and tilt cameras in the control room and studio are fed to three screens in the labs. The students can actually see more at one time than they would if they were in the control room. In the audio studios, the control room by itself is a production facility. The adjacent teaching labs accommodate 25 students on tiered seating. A complex communications systems links the control room lab and studio to allow interaction among the students, instructor and production personnel.

Besides the design requirements of creating appropriate room acoustics within each of the diverse production spaces, the concentration of acoustically sensitive spaces demanded special attention to the sound isolation construction surrounding the individual rooms. These facilities also have exacting criteria for extremely low noise environments, which necessitated extraordinary acoustical performance from the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing infrastructure that serves them.

Studio owners John and Nanette Buroker worked with the Russ Berger Design Group to transform a Seattle, WA storefront into this busy facility, where they provide sound design, audio post and custom music services. RBDG’s acoustical design isolates the control room, studio and support spaces from nearby urban streets. The studio was designed to provide comfort, with a sophisticated vibe, and featured equipment includes a Euphonix Artist Control console, API mic preamps and Genelec 8000 series monitors.