While many studios have behaved cautiously during the shaky economy, NYC’s Sound Lounge is expanding its facility and services, hoping to become more of a full-service audio post house and further grow its long-form business.
Four years ago Sound Lounge, which had mainly focused on audio for commercials, branched into long-form audio post. That expansion continued recently, as the studio added an additional 5,000+ square feet of space, which adds 10 rooms that can be flexibly configured for editorial or other needs, and also includes the addition of a dedicated ADR stage.
“Sound Lounge has always been about conservative expansion,” says partner/sound designer Marshall Grupp. “We have strategically, over the years, built new divisions, and the final piece, I thought, would be entertainment — film and television.”
Sound Lounge brought in lead mixer Tony Volante and executive producer Travis Call to drive the long-form business. Both were formerly with Soundtrack. “I had met up with Tony, who I had worked with on some movies, and asked him if he was interested in coming over here, and he was. That’s how we started this division,” recalls Grupp. “We felt to be a complete facility, we had to offer everything and be involved in multi platforms. We wanted to be a full-service audio post facility.”
Grupp says rounding out the studio’s services was an important part of being competitive, and a dedicated ADR suite would help solidify the studio as a serious player.
“There are several reasons that you need a dedicated room for ADR,” notes Call. “It’s a projection screen and feels more like you are in a film environment. Secondly, the room has to be a certain size just to accommodate the space between the performer and the microphone.”
Call says the long-form division will cater to both film and TV. The studio has seen success with the indie film Frozen River, and is currently working on Blue Valentine.
“My idea was to make it a home for independent filmmakers,” says Call. “It’s a market that no one else is actively going after. ADR was the last piece of the puzzle.”