How To Make A Studio: Introduction

Guitarist Asad Ahmed and the team at EMI Pakistan approached us to design and build two edit studios for their new office. While our portfolio has projects like Nueplex Cinemas DHA, Soch Studio, Pepsi Battle of the Bands, and over 30 broadcast television stations, creating these studios presented a unique opportunity.

Initially, we sought clarity on the studio’s primary function. It may seem obvious that a music studio is for making music, but the specifics matter. Would it be for live band recording, accommodating large instruments like a grand piano, or capturing choral performances? Perhaps it was for beat production, voiceovers, or music composition?

Surprisingly, EMI’s focus was solely on mixing, mastering, and video editing. This clear objective streamlined our approach to acoustic treatment and allowed us to tailor the studio spaces accordingly.

Using Acoustic Panels for Acoustic Treatment

Acoustic treatment is the art of optimizing a space for sound. By strategically employing materials and techniques, we can control sound reflections and reverberation to achieve desired acoustic qualities.

Before our work started, Mr Ahmed described the acoustics in the studio saying that “The 2 rooms were simply a shell with a lot of echo”. They clearly required a great deal of acoustic treatment.

We aimed for a natural sound reproduction that accurately represents how music will be perceived through speakers. Consequently, we carefully balanced sound absorption with preservation of essential reverb.

Bass traps are specialized acoustic panels designed to absorb low-frequency sound waves. Those pesky, rumbling sounds that can muddy your music or create uneven sound distribution in a room. We installed 8-foot bass traps – much larger than the ready-made 4-foot bass traps that we sell – to effectively capture these unwanted frequencies, as well as to fully cover the corners of the studio. By reducing low-frequency build-up, we helped create a clearer, more defined sound environment in the EMI studio.

A studio should seamlessly integrate a company’s brand identity — color scheme, aesthetic, and overall look. How did we achieve this for EMI Pakistan?

In crafting the acoustic panels and studio furniture for EMI, we understood the critical role of brand identity in creating an immersive studio environment. Beyond functionality and acoustics, we integrated EMI’s distinctive brand aesthetic into the design. Their signature yellow color, a cornerstone of their visual identity, was seamlessly incorporated into the acoustic panels, transforming them into not just functional elements but also visual representations of the EMI brand.

Creating a false ceiling for further sound absorption and diffusion

It was essential to treat the ceiling of the room for one reason. To eliminate standing waves. To understand, imagine a bouncy ball. You throw it against a wall. It bounces back. Now, imagine throwing two bouncy balls at the same time, one towards the wall and another from the wall towards you. If you time it just right, the balls can collide in the middle, making a bigger bounce.

Studio Furniture

Workstations, Speaker Stands & Side Tables

Every studio is unique, with its own vibe and brand identity. That’s why we believe one-size-fits-all studio furniture just doesn’t cut it. In addition to our standard studio desk and speaker stand designs, we specialize in creating custom pieces tailored to each client’s vision. For EMI, we worked closely with Mr. Ahmed to develop a design that perfectly matched their aesthetic. ⁠

The result? Two custom studio desks that are the heart of their space. Paired with our custom speaker stands and side tables, we created a studio environment that’s both functional and stylish.

Beyond aesthetics, we focused on creating audio workstations that were as practical as they were stylish. These desks were designed with mixing, mastering, and editing in mind, offering plenty of space for equipment and comfortable work areas, with two layers of desktop and rack-mounts on both sides.

Our overall goal was to create studio furniture which was as good-looking as it was functional. By crafting custom studio furniture and implementing advanced acoustic treatment techniques, we transformed two ordinary spaces into world-class audio havens. Our collaboration with EMI Pakistan is an example of our commitment to delivering tailored solutions that elevate the creative process.