I even have some very exciting news from us here at Whitelab. We are making friends...very, very good friends. Our amazing pals down at Harbeth are hopefully giving us a pair of Compact 7ES3's....for all you tech junkies out there, treat yourself to the reviews from others...mouth watering stuff eh!

We will keep you posted on further developments so check back in a few days and the studio may have started to resemble..... well, a studio.

Many thanks

The Whitelab Team

5th Oct 2010

Well it's taking shape now. We are having slight delays with regards to some of the cabling so we are just waiting for that to be installed and then we can get the rest of the plasterboard and rubber linings up - the builders think this will only take a few days. Whilst that is going on the ventilation specialist will come in and install our super-quiet fans and the acoustic specialist will also install the plenum chambers. For those of you who don't know a plenum chamber is a very clever system of retaining airflow whilst removing the sound within. Essentially, it's a box with many internal 'walls' or chambers. As the air passes through, the sound bounces of these mini walls, dissipating the sound levels as it goes. So by the time the air passes out the other side, the sound has been reflected so many times it has reduced to nothing...the system works just like a muffler on a car, for all you boy-racers out there.

So what next?

Well, after the plenum chambers and ventilation have been installed we are nearing the fun bit. The builders will need a day or two to finalise the plasterboard linings and then we invite our acoustic specialist to install all the acoustic treatment on the walls. Step 1 was stopping the sound from leaking out or in an step 2 is to make the internal sound as perfect and 'true' as possible....this means no bass trapped in areas such as corners, standing waves or unwanted noise or other little niggly problems you encounter when recording sound.

No doubt I will upload the photos of these next stages in a few days, so keep an eye out.

It won't be long until we are immersed in musical perfection.

Kind regards

The Whitelab Team

13th Oct 2010

Ok, so we are a little behind the schedule now, but I keep promising myself... IT WILL BE WORTH IT......and by the Power of Grayskull, it will be!

The final layers of plasterboard are going up now and then I'm waiting for a phone call from our acoustic engineer with a time/date to come and install all the treatment. It's the final straight now....then we put the kit in.....get lost in cables for a bit.....cope with inevitable frustration....bit of a spit and polish...and we're done.

Hopefully we're not far off the launch, which we will be sending out invites for so keep an eye on the post.

Regards

The Whitelab Team

10th Nov 2010

Is that a light at the end of the tunnel I see before me......or another ruddy builder....I can't tell. Either way, delays can't (or won't) stop us now. The plasterer has been and gone and the walls are dry. We've chosen a luxury carpet for the live room......only the best for our clients, decided on paint colours and feature walls and chosen the material colour for our acoustic lining and bass traps. We have also chosen a fancy bamboo wooden floor. So, what's left? Well, the decorator arrives on Thursday, so we have allowed for a couple of days for that to be completed...fingers crossed it will be finished by the weekend. If all goes well, we order the bamboo flooring today for it to arrive on Fri...meaning my weekend is being spent on all fours....now, now.

So, when the floor is in, the paint's on the walls and the carpet is down, we ask our acoustic specialist to come back to install the treatment. Then I guess we're almost there. I can tell you one thing though, I am not looking forward to sorting the cable run! ....Looks like they need a good clean!

Just as a side note. Whitelab has started a regular Tuesday night session, here at Soundskills, from 5-7pm each week. We are inviting anybody between the ages of 14-18 to attend the session, with the aim of either learning a new skill, developing an existing one or merely meeting like minded, fellow musicians. We will help each other write, record and hopefully perform brand new, or remixed music. Along side this we are producing a manual for all musicians...'A Beginners Guide to the Music Industry'. Here we will cover all the fundamentals needed to be successful in an ever-changing industry. We will cover copyright, promotion, publishing, licensing and POS, or point of sale. Everything you need to take your material from inception to release! So, if you're free on a Tue, between 5-7pm, want to learn an instrument or currently play one, then come along and see how to get involved. The more the merrier. If you have any enquiries about the project, or simply need directions, please email me jamie@whitelabrecords.com.

Cheers

The Whitelab Team

1st Dec 2010

'Tis the season to....wait for more delays apparently. The acoustic treatment arrives next week and we should be ready for launching in the new year. The floor is down. the walls have been painted and we still need to do the installation of the equipment that, whilst a little heady, it should be done quite quickly.

So, we hope to see you in the new year where we can all raise a glass to the start of our new journey. Let's hope we look back fondly on these days as the first steps to success.

Peace

The Whitelab Team

4th Jan 2011

So, despite sacrificing all my spare time over the xmas period we couldn't quite get the studio finished as we had previously hoped. It's surprising that there wasn't a single builder or tradesman who was prepared to give up his family time in the name of Whitelab..... completely understood, we hope Father Christmas brought them the desire to finish this ruddy studio.

Anyway, there have been some marked improvements and short of installing a couple of acoustic panels and a touch up of paint here and there.....oh and the door handles, then we, or certainly I, have done all I can.

Anyway, here are a few pics to wet your whistle.......more to follow at the end of the week when I get chance to do my remaining bits.

Happy New Year

The Whitelab Team

10th Jan 2011

As promised here are a few more pics of the studio, now complete with ALL acoustic panels, All painting done and a general clean and tidy. I have spoken to the audio engineer who is coming to sort out the headache that is wiring the rooms and kit together and he promises me he can start the week beginning 24th Jan. 3 days of wiring and soldering and we should be in. We are still waiting for delivery of our most exciting item..... the wonderful Harbeth Compact 7 ES3's..... oh how my ears wait to hear your dulcet tones.

So, fingers, toes, whatever you can find....cross them because we really cannot be long off now. If all goes well we will open at the end of the month and host our launch sometime near the end of Feb or early March (a little later than planned but hey!).

We can't wait.

Cheers

The Whitelab Team

21st Feb 2011

So, finally. After 8 months of arduous and stressful development I think it's safe to say we are here. Below are some, more recent, pictures of the studio as it stands today.

We will upload a proper page to showcase the studio and hopefully it will contain a detailed, interactive, 3D diagram for you to have a closer look at some of the kit we use. Take a closer look at the Harbeth beauties...... just wait until you hear them!

We aim to launch during March 2011 so keep your eyes peeled for an invite, come and join us for a drink, do some networking, book some time...... maybe even join the Whitelab Family.

See you in the near future.

The Whitelab Team