Studio antes up décor to reassure clients
Monday, March 28, 2005
By Doug Trattner
Special to The Plain Dealer
"We wanted people to feel creative the moment they walked through the front door," says Paul Shaia, co-owner and operations director of Ante Up Audio.
Hence the soaring vestibule with its warm wood floors, shocking-red leather couches and meticulously faux-painted walls that seem to shift in color with one's every step.
And to reassure clients that they are in capable hands, a gallery of gold, platinum and multiplatinum records -- as well as a dozen Clios and Emmys -- litter the lobby, each brought to the new company by the crew of eight producers and engineers.
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Whittled out of a barren concrete shell in an ancient brick storehouse, the space is all about sound. Or more accurately, about capturing it.
To that end, an airy "live room" utilizes directional sound panels mounted on the walls to fine-tune sound waves. Walls "float" above the warehouse floor, thereby eliminating stray building vibration.
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The nerve center of Ante Up is the vintage 56-channel soundboard, once belonging to Kenny Rogers. A massive control panel looks like the command center of the Starship Enterprise.
Just 3,000 of the 7,000 square feet has been transformed into studio space. When completed, Ante Up will be one of the largest recording environments between Chicago and New York, said Michael Seifert, co-owner, engineer and producer.
Trattner is a free-lance writer in Cleveland Heights.
© 2005 The Plain Dealer. Used with permission. |
