Windows in the Control Room

[foley]

I want to know what ya'll think about having a window to the outside (not the band space - the OUTside) in a control room. I have been bouncing around some of the build-a-studio sites, and there seems to be few, if any, outside windows in the control room. Is this smart, stupid, wha?

I just want to let the sun shine in.

[rfbutter]

I'm with you about letting in the wonderful sunlight. I've been helping some friends refurb a studio that has the windows covered, and it really sucks when you show up in the afternoon, work all day, then walk out into darkness, wondering where the day went. Plus the option of letting in a little fresh air now and then in kinda nice.

[record]

I have windows on three walls in my control room. There's a bit of a standing wave happening - some flutter echoes out where the "clients" sit, but my mix position is out of the path against a soft wall with soundproofing above and a bass trap hanging in the wall/ceiling corner.

It's WORTH IT! having windows, I mean. (It also helps that I'm lucky enough to have a beautiful view.)

As I see it, the human body (brain included) works best when exposed to daylight for good periods of time. And certainly my psyche appreciates seeing the world around me when I'm working, not just four walls.

I say go for it!

[loudmusic]

Having worked in wonderfully sunlit rooms, and black dungeons, I ALWAYS prefer the sunlight. With a bit of planning and decent execution you can minimize any acoustical effects the windows might cause. It's worth it, your subconcious mind will thank you.

MB

[wing]

Emily Lazar of The Lodge mastering has an awesome window view in NYC:

[lsn110]

Our control room is dark and cozy (with one small window).
But in our tracking room we have natural light coming in via glass block "windows". Can't see what's happening outside, but the light is great. Also...the neighbors can't look in.

[cgarges]

Emily Lazar of The Lodge mastering has an awesome window view in NYC:

Yeah, it's of the two parking decks across the street.

Actually, the Lodge is a really beautiful facility with a really nice staff. Perhaps one day, I will work on something with the budget to go there.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[chsept]

A big "AMEN!" to the windows. All the rooms I worked in as a freelancer were vitamin D deprived caves. All the rooms _I've_ built have had windows. You can make the acoustics work. It's worth the work.

Craig

[trodden]

Our control room is dark and cozy (with one small window).
But in our tracking room we have natural light coming in via glass block "windows". Can't see what's happening outside, but the light is great. Also...the neighbors can't look in.

DId a lot of work in a studio that had a "glass block" window in the control room. I prefered it much more than the caves i've worked in. The glass block window diffuse the light in a pleasant way. helps light up the room in a non harsh manner. Even on cloudy over cast days, the window provided a pleasant "glow" to the control room.

[foley]

does anyone have experience with the *kind* of windows I could use? I've been doing some research on how to build it, but I can't find much on which windows are best for listening. I was thinking maybe a bay window? what do you think?

[Toddf]

I worked for 10 years with no windows in the contol room or performance areas. I have been now working in rooms with windows and it is a little strange. No one ever complained about there not being windows and it really allowed you to close yourself off from the outside world and focus on the task at hand. I would be happy without but maybe would like some in the lounge or office areas. Todd F.

[joelpatterson]

My studio is on the third floor of a barn I built in '95. You look out the windows and see vast vistas of mountains and sky. I got "sliding door replacement" windows, whatever they're called. They're about 6 feet tall and three feet wide, and I just sliced openings in the walls to fit.

The feeling of sitting on top of the world lends a subtle but distinct air of... whatever it is, freedom? Possibility? And then people can walk up the stairs out to a deck on the roof, with a 360 view of all of creation.

I take it for granted, but people who aren't used to it seem lifted and inspired. I know what you mean about the dungeon/warehouse style studio, you always seem to be creating "in spite" of the environment, not with it.

Gee, maybe one day I'll get to go to the Lodge and look out on all the cars and urban blight, now that sounds like heaven.

[Professor]

Just be careful that the windows don't let in sound with the light. I am fortunate that while sitting in the middle of an 18,000 student campus, I don't have extraneous noise entering the control room. Windows would be nice as I usually only see sunlight during the 15 minute drive in to work each day, but I would be really careful with the sound leakage. Maybe you could use standard vinyl windows but actually stack two of them into the window frame so that when they are closed you have a dead-air space between them to control the sound transmition.
-Jeremy

[Cellotron]

Emily Lazar of The Lodge mastering has an awesome window view in NYC:

Yeah, it's of the two parking decks across the street.

Actually, the Lodge is a really beautiful facility with a really nice staff. Perhaps one day, I will work on something with the budget to go there.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

Last I checked when shopping for a mastering studio for a project I mixed - the attended rate at the Lodge was $400/hour but they were willing to come way down to around $1600 for a complete 60 minute CD project as an unattended package rate - but I ended up going to Soundbyte Productions and using Paul Zinman (who was one of Emily's teachers at NYU) for the same rate - except that it we could attend! - which was the critical part for us - and the stuff was a string quartet and Paul is a specialist in that area.

I think Emily does some great work - but I also think there are less expensive places that can do just as a great job. I also remain a traditionalist as I think windows should not be used for a mastering studio design.

Best regards,
Steve Berson

[Marc Alan Goodman]

My bassist works at the Lodge and I got to swing by the new recording facility they're building downtown the other day. Another situation with huge windows. However, even in construction it looked and sounded beautiful.