CHICAGO - Vagabond Audio (www.vagabondaudio.com ) has opened in a new 2,000-square-foot space overlooking the Chicago River. Owned by engineer/sound designer Drew Weir and producer Risa Sanders, the audio house specializes in sound design, recording and mixing for television commercials.
Vagabond's location is central to the Chicago agency community. The facility offers plenty of natural lighting, yet also boasts an acoustically-sound environment designed by architect John Storyk of the Walters-Storyk Design Group.
The production space is based around Digidesign's Pro Tools|HD2 Accel system, which enables sound designer Weir to interface seamlessly with Avid workstations and other NLE systems. Studio software operates on a 2GB, dual processor Mac G5 with digital picture lock via Avid Xpress. A Digidesign Pro Control is used for mixing and Dynaudio speakers are used for monitoring, along with a 42-inch plasma display. An SNS Fiber Drive is home to thousands of effects and samples, all of which can be instantly accessed.In addition to the control room, the studio includes a 10-by-12-foot live room that is suitable for voiceover, Foley and ADR sessions.
Weir began his career at Chiat/Day in NY and later moved to Nu World Editorial and Red Car Chicago. He's contributed to national campaigns for McDonald's, Anheuser-Bush, Coors, Champion, DiGiorno, Disney, Tombstone, and Toyota.
Sanders is a veteran producer whose credits include documentary work for A&E, The History Channel, The Learning Channel and MSNBC.
Weir and designer Storyk have somewhat of a history of working together. After graduating from Full Sail, Weir served as an intern at the Walters-Storyk Design Group (www.wsdg.com).
"I've known Drew since the beginning of his career," says designer Storyk. "He's extremely talented and technically savvy, and we had a great time collaborating on his dream studio."