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So what do you do with that unused Airstream trailer in the parking lot? Make a studio out of it!
At least that’s what the
of New York did.
LESCG supporters Dave and Lyn Pentecost owned the c. 1958 trailer and they had well-known studio designer John Storyk of Walters Storyk Design Group work some of his magic.
Not only is the trailer now a functioning recording facility but it is actually inside the girls club on the second floor. The club uses it as part of an audio lab to teach audio production skills and to provide content for the club’s WGRL Internet radio station. It has a control room and a live room for radio, vocals and instruments.
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The 5.1 surround sound-capable control room is equipped with an Avid C/24 mixing console, Genelec speakers, an API 500V Lunchbox-style modular processor rack with modules from API and Rupert Neve Design, Empirical Labs Distressor compressors, an Avalon preamp/processor and mics from Neumann, Royer, Shure and Sennheiser and more.
Storyk said, “We’ve built recording studios in a basement (Electric Lady), and a duplex penthouse overlooking N.Y.’s Highline (Jungle City), but this is the first time we’ve had the chance to ply our trade in an Airstream Trailer.”
Reflecting on the “challenge,” Storyk added, “Dave Pentecost brought WSDG a compelling challenge, ‘was it possible to create a viable recording studio within the confines of a 140 sq, ft, Airstream Trailer?’ The obvious answer is yes, although the geometry, the equipment selection and the acoustic considerations did present us with significant design restrictions. If an opportunity to design a studio for a submarine ever comes up, we might take a pass.”
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Hopefully the effort will be worth it. Storyk said, “In my teaching experience I have seen an increasing number of young women seeking roles in pro audio production … The LESGC Studio will serve as a valuable introduction to the field of audio recording and mixing. It will be very interesting to watch (and hear) the skills they develop, and to see them transfer these skills to the real world.”
The Lower East Side Girls Club definitely gets bonus points for thinking outside the box. Photos courtesy of
.
