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Real-time social streaming. Concerts live from the recording booth. Design that’s as stellar as the sound. Is this the recording studio of the future? Written by HILLARY RIELLY : Photographed by SAMA JIM CANZIAN
JONATHAN SIMKIN WASN’T TRYING TO TURN THE TABLES ON THE RECORDING INDUSTRY when he renovated the future
home of his company, 604 Records, in Vancouver’s Railtown neighborhood. But along with architect D’Arcy Jones, he created a space that’s done just that. 604 Records is a studio that goes beyond merely capturing audio. It also creates and streams video content directly to fans everywhere, anytime—a game-changer in a world of ever-present social media. “There’s no precedent in the industry,” says Simkin. “We’re the first to offer live performance streaming, small concerts, and photo shoots that are completely integrated with the actual recording of the music.” Simkin and Jones agreed that the building, a former garment factory, had good bones when they first saw it in spring 2014. “It was solid but tired,” says Jones, who saw the potential to craft a high-tech space with a back-of-house club feel. After removing decades’ worth of clutter, Jones, along with Peregrine
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General Contracting, project manager Jennifer Watt, and Chris Potter, one of Canada’s leading acoustic consultants, carved five distinct studios out of the long and narrow space. The jewel in the crown is a live room Simkin dubbed the Cyclorama. 604’s largest and loudest studio—typically used for recording drums and piano—the Cyclorama features a stunning infinity wall that serves as a backdrop for photo shoots, music videos, and streamed live shows. Inspired by Swiss architect Valerio Olgiati’s idea that black is an extroverted color and white an introverted one, Jones balanced the two “to suit the use.” Rooms that require quiet and concentration, such as the offices and meeting areas, are white. In the lounges and staff kitchens—“spaces for chatting, brainstorming, and creating,” says Jones—everything down to the faucets is black. “The public spaces take a beating, but their toughness is familiar to most musicians. It puts everyone at ease.” »