Recording and Production in the News

ADA-8XR Converters in the revamp of Wisseloord Studios

Cambridge, UK: Wisseloord, the historic and much loved studio complex in Hilversum, the Netherlands, will reopen in 2011 after a comprehensive rebuild of the facility's mastering and control rooms.

And among the extensive array of new equipment being installed are 19 Prism Sound ADA-8XR multi-channel modular AD/DA converters - the largest single order Prism Sound has ever received from one customer.

ADA-8XR

The team behind the revamp of Wisseloord is being led by Ronald Prent, Darcy Proper and Paul Reynolds. Their aim is to create a studio with a fundamentally different business approach, one where creativity and music come first and the facility comes second.

"There is huge excitement and support for this project," says Prent, who is responsible for the concept of the new complex, its technical design and all equipment choices. "This whole idea is born out of our frustrations, as a group of friends, by the apparent inability of parts of the music industry to reinvent itself to suite the changes we have seen in recent last years. This led us to take action and form a new business based around our team, our beliefs, our values and a new business concept that we think will enable us to service the market well."

When the facility reopens Prent will take charge of recording and mixing while Darcy Proper will be responsible for the mastering business and defining the way that operates. Paul Reynolds will look develop new projects and jointly run the business with Prent.

The rebuilding process will take seven months to complete and all existing equipment has been removed, allowing the studios to be demolished.

"We need to fundamentally rebuild the mastering and control rooms to bring them up to surround and future format standards," Prent adds. " There will be some enrichment of the recording spaces but we will preserve their essential character, the loved acoustic and vibe because, for us they are (almost) Holy."

The decision to invest heavily in Prism Sound converters was taken by the team because the audio quality of the units fits the studio's philosophy that only the best is good enough. A variety of converters were tested and according to Prent the ADA-8XRs came out streets ahead of the competition both in terms of functionality and sound quality.

He says: "Prism Sound ADA-8XRs deliver the clarity, precision and extreme flexibility that we need in our converters in order to preserve the musical integrity of our clients' products throughout the facility."

Prism Sound will deliver the units once the studio rebuild is completed. Once installed, they will be used in conjunction with Wisseloord's Pro Tools systems for recording, mixing and mastering.