Recording Studio

A recording studio. On the back wall, a white screen. In front, a black table with an iMac, microphone and two black chairs.
A recording studio. On the back wall, a white screen. In front, a black table with an iMac, microphone and two black chairs.

Permitted Uses

  • General recording (podcasts, interviews, voice over, Foley, etc)
  • Audio editing, restoration, denoising and cleanup 
  • Scoring for independent video or film
  • Mixing (the space supports stereo to 9.2 surround sound. Logic projects support 7.1 surround sound) 
  • Creation of sound art 
  • Sound design
  • Music recording

Non-Permitted Uses

  •  Commercial productions for which the director/creator does not retain copyright and artistic control, director/creator is being paid under commercial contract for content and for which the production/work is being produced for a commercial client or for the purpose of advertising or promotion.
  • Bookings by those who are not Extended Access members of DARC.

Training

We host recording studio orientation sessions based on member demand. Please keep a lookout for the next scheduled training.  If you’re not sure which studio to use or if you need access to the control room, just let us know your goals. We’ll guide you to make the most of your recording session.

Members who do not meet DARC’s technical skill requirements to operate the recording studio must hire a DARC approved technician. 

Block Booking

The DARC block booking system offers four blocks in our recording studio per day. Rates vary depending on the space and configuration used. Blocks are booked for the time slots listed below, regardless of whether you need the entire block. This helps us keep our studio well maintained, clean and available when our members need it.

 

Members are welcome to book more than one block at a time. When booking an overnight session you’ll be required to perform our after hours rules and security procedure. Fees must be paid in advance of all bookings.

 

DARC reserves the right to cancel bookings but will notify you as soon as possible in the event of any cancellations. DARC reserves the right to change these terms at any time.

Recording Studio Technology + Specifications

The recording booth is a non-rectangular space shaped to cut down on the possibility of standing waves, and features treatment to control the amount of reflectivity on the walls and ceiling. The control room has also been constructed to reduce standing waves, and has been treated to control diffusion and reflectivity to help ensure a clear monitoring environment. There are shared windows between the two room and lines running from one room to the other for mic inputs, headphone feeds, talkback and other connections.

  • 16’x10′ in a non-rectangular shape; the narrowest being 6′, to cut down on the possibility of standing waves
  • Music stands and Mic stands are available 
  • 12x XLR microphone inputs, 3x DI ¼” inputs, 4x Headphone send outputs, talkback and other connections.
  • 15’x15′ in a pentagon shape; the narrowest being 7′, to cut down on the possibility of standing waves
  • There are shared windows between the two rooms and lines running from one room to the other for mic inputs, DI inputs, and headphone sends
  • A system for talkback from the control room to the recording booth has also been implemented.
  • Three focal Trio6 Be monitors (stereo set up at the front of the control room)
  • 2 Mackie MRS10 subs (front of the control room)
  • 6 Mackie MR624 monitors (surround)

There are two audio interfaces, a Focusrite Clarett 8PreX and a Focusrite Clarett 8Pre, for a total of 16 X analog (XLR) inputs and 16 X (1/4″ TRS) analog outputs. The interfaces are connected through an ADAT light pipe, allowing for sample rates of 48kHz and are connected to the computer using Thunderbolt 3.

  • 27-inch Retina 5K screen
  • Quad 4.2GHz Intel Core i7 Processor
  • 32GB of 2400Mhz DDR4 RAM
  • Radeon Pro 580 8192MB Graphics
  • Bootcamp available to run PC applications
  • 720p HD monitor 
  • Sony VPL-HW45ES Projector (1920×1200)
  • Logic X Pro (main DAW configuration)
  • Ableton Live 11 Suite
  • Izotope RX7 audio cleanup, restoration and editing software
  • Harpex-X and DearVR plugin 
  • Cuckos Reaper
  • Final Cut Pro X
  • Adobe Creative Cloud (including Adobe Audition)
  • DaVinci Resolve

Additional gear available for recording sessions:

  • Audio Technica AT4033 LDC (1)
  • Audio Technica AT4050 multipattern LDC
  • Oktava MK012-01 Matched Multicapsule set (includes 2 X microphone bodies, 2 X matched cardioid LDC capsules, 2 X matched SDC super cardioid capsules, 2 X matched SDC cardioid capsules, 2 X matched SDC omni capsules and 2 X -10dB pad inserts)
  • Controller: Mackie MCU Pro Controller (with Motorized faders) 
  • Controller: Nektar Panorama P6 MIDI/USB keyboard controller for tight integration with recording and music creation software.
  • Zoom F4 Digital Field Recorder
  • Zoom F5 Handheld Digital Audio Recorder 
  • Sony AKG Wired Lav (Battery Powered) 
  • Audio Technica AT-8531 Wired Lav (Battery Powered) 
  • Audio Technica AT4050 multipattern LDC (1)
  • Shure SM58 dynamic cardioid mics (2) 
  • Shure SM57 dynamic cardioid mics (2)
  • ElectroVoice 635A dynamic omni Mic (1)

Request a Booking

Recording studio bookings are available to Extended Access members only. If you’re a member, please let us know your desired block booking time and provide us with information about your project so that we can assist you in the best possible way. 

 

For any general inquiries, please don’t hesitate to email us at tech@digitalartsresourcecentre.ca.

COVID-19 Booking Protocol

Due to the ongoing health risks associated with COVID 19, visitors must abide by our COVID-19 booking protocol. Learn about our policy before booking,

Cancellations/no shows

Cancellations must be made 48 hours in advance. Members will be billed the total rental price if less than 48 hours notice is given. In addition, if a member does not show up for their booking, a no-show penalty fee of $30 will be charged.