It took two years to build and required the kind of structural engineering ingenuity normally seen in Channel 4’s Grand Designs, but Soho’s Goldcrest Post Production has successfully opened what it considers to be the biggest audio dubbing suite in central London.
The Dolby Atmos Premier-licensed Theatre 1 is located in the basement of Goldcrest’s Dean Street facility and is 14 x 8.5 x 6m. Although not as long as Warner Bros De Lane Lea’s Studio 1, which is 17 x 9m, it is 6m high, giving it a total volume of 714 sq m.
The theatre includes an AMS Neve DFC3D Gemini Digital mixing console and a 32-fader Avid S6 M40, plus 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos monitoring, a green room and two cutting rooms. It replaces an existing suite and was built for feature film work.
“The old studio didn’t have the height, particularly for Atmos,” said Goldcrest commercial director Martin Poultney. “This one has been designed with US-based freelance sound mixers in mind as they are used to larger Hollywood theatres.”
To create the height, builders had to dig 3m below the existing basement. In order to get the desired width, the concrete pillars holding up the building had to be removed. A bespoke steel box was then constructed to hold the weight of the building while digging took place. Builders ‘piled’ 15m below the surface with concrete and steel to create the foundations.
The project took two years to complete, with the first 12 months spent getting planning consent and negotiating with neighbours.
Medialease provided asset finance for the kit, while Level Acoustic Design completed the acoustic design. Goldcrest engineers Rob Weatherall and Simon Ray came up with the technical design and oversaw the installation.
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