Virginia Arts Recording

The Issue

After being in business for over 20 years, Virginia Arts Recording in Charlottesville, Virginia suffered damage to their facility and equipment due to a water leak. The silver lining of having to rebuild was that they could finally think about their acoustics and start from the beginning to ensure the sound was perfect for their clients. Using Sonex^® Valueline Acoustic Foam, sound diffusers, and AlphaSorb^® Fabric Wrapped Acoustic Panels, Virginia Recording Arts’ mixing room and vocal booth were finally perfected, pleasing the audio engineers and their clients.

The Challenge

When a leak upstairs damaged equipment at Virginia Arts Recording, it gave the owners an opportunity to rethink the setup and the acoustics. After contacting multiple acoustical suppliers in the area, Sean Dart of VA Arts decided to work with Acoustical Solutions for the studio’s new acoustical treatment.

“Other companies we spoke with were willing to do the job, but Acoustical Solutions was the only one that was willing to physically come out, look around, talk to us, and recommend products that would work well in our specific space,” said Dart. “We wanted materials that would keep the sound full and live in the mixing room, and kind of up-close-and-personal in the vocal booth.”

The Solution

Acoustical Solutions visited Virginia Arts Recording and recommended AlphaSorb^® Fabric-Wrapped Acoustic Panels to line the back and side walls of the mixing room, reducing reverberation and creating a finished, professional look. In addition, birch diffusers were put above and behind the mixing desk, deflecting sound energy at different angles from the ‘sweet spots’. For the vocal booth and equipment closet, Sonex^® Valueline Acoustic Foam was installed. The Sonex^® Valueline Acoustic Foam quieted noisy equipment, keeping the sounds from bleeding into the tracks. In the vocal booth, the foam deadened the room, keeping vocal work clean and clear.

Virginia Arts Recording lined the walls of their vocal booth for perfect sound control.

The Result

The owners and artists at Virginia Arts Recording were impressed with the sound and look of their new acoustical treatment, as well as the customer service they received from their Acoustical Solutions Rep: “It’s crazy to think about where this studio began and where we are now,” said Dart, “…last year, our facility was in shambles.”