Synchron Stage Vienna, a brand-new scoring stage and post-production facility, reopened in the City of Music merging the historic building with cutting-edge technology, making it a unique and one-of-a-kind recording studio.
Early March, Remote Control Productions chose Synchron Stage Vienna to record music for the upcoming Ron Howard directed feature Inferno (score by Hans Zimmer) and for the new Netflix series The Crown (score by Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson- Williams), created by Peter Morgan. The Synchron Stage Orchestra was conducted by Johannes Vogel.
One of the world's leading virtual instrument and sample library companies, Vienna Symphonic Library, took the initiative to renovate the landmark and upgraded the interior, providing a world class recording facility. Located in the Austrian capital, the complex offers state-of-the-art recording technology, superior acoustics, and a unique integration of VSL's award-winning software applications such as Vienna MIR PRO. The musicians were hand-selected from Vienna's outstanding pool of talent. Clients have the possibility to record with a small chamber orchestra to full symphony and also augment with virtual instruments.
Herb Tucmandl, CEO and Founder of Vienna Symphonic Library, identified the need for a hybrid studio some years ago – one that would provide uncompromising orchestral recording facilities, yet was flexible enough to accommodate all modern production approaches. Tucmandl eventually purchased the original 1940s stage that had been neglected for some time. "We could not have built a building this size from scratch," comments Tucmandl. "We were lucky that it became available at the same time we were looking."
The studio features a substantial, original, room-in-room construction with a three meter gap all the way around the central 540 square meter Stage A, which can accommodate orchestras up to 130 musicians. "It sounds really open," notes Bernd Mazagg, Technical Director & Chief Audio Engineer at Synchron Stage Vienna. "I think it's one of the best rooms in the world."
Additional studio and office facilities surround that central stage, including the 80 square meter 'B' live room, Control Rooms A and B, production lounges and facilities, and offices. A DANTE network connects every room to every other room so that every audio channel is available anywhere in the facility. There is also a temperature-controlled basement instrument storage area with direct elevator access to the main stage. The air quality and temperature is the same in the studios as it is in the instrument storage spaces (for pianos and percussion), so that all the instruments are in perfect condition at all times and can be selected for recording immediately. On top of this, the ventilation is absolutely noise-free, therefore recordings are not affected by its operation. The pianos available are a Steinway D-274, a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial with CEUS reproducing system, and a Yamaha DCFX Disklavier will be available in November 2016.
Initial recordings at the facility were undertaken with a full orchestra conducted by famed orchestrator, Conrad Pope and mixed by the legendary scoring engineer Dennis Sands. Additional influential film music personalities have visited the stage and experienced its splendor including James Newton Howard, Robert Townsend of Varèse Sarabande Records, and Richard Bellis. In a recent interview Dennis Sands said: "It's incredible... The sound translates so well into this space. It's very smooth and open... And it sounds good no matter where you are... Truly a world class facility... Certainly one of the best rooms in the world, there's no question."