The Studio Layout

The Layout offers the Control room three main studio spaces with smaller amp rooms adjoined all designed for the best acoustics and separation, ideal for nearly every tracking scenario.   

Control Room
The Heliport Control Room houses the SSL Duality and the entire studio Outboard and it also houses all the routing and connections to the other rooms. It has been acoustically treated to enable perfect playback and tracking.  Keyboards and Guitars can be tracked in here with Amps placed in any of the other rooms. Talkback is also available to the rest of the facility through the Headphone sends and through the amazing Aviom A-1611 hearback system.  The Control Room is cooled by Panasonic Silent Remote air-conditioning.

Live Room
The Heliport Live Room is our largest space and sits on a floating solid timber surface and no part of this room touches a solid surface – it all sits on acoustic rubber and has 7-layer walls.  It is acoustically treated with 24 different reflective surfaces so that there are no standing waves or flutter verbs and it has a wonderful natural reverb that is perfect on drums and other percussive instruments. The Live Room is large enough that a full band can record playing 'live' all together. The studio is designed so that if desired Amps can be placed in the other rooms and can be heard through Headphones so that ‘sound spill' from the Amps doesn't get recorded through the drum mics. Heliport has a state of the art Aviom headphone monitoring system which enables each player to create their own 16 channel headphone mix complete with panning and level which means you will always have the perfect mix to record to.

Medium Room
The Medium room is acoustically carpeted and is large enough to accommodate 2 musicians guitarist or 2 remote amps with the players being in the control room or Live room.  This is valuable as the guitar sound can be heard through the Monitor speakers so that you are hearing the 'recorded' sound. Also the Amp can be run at a loud volume to achieve good tone without damaging anyone’s hearing.  It also contains a reversible  stand-up GOBO to either separate players or to alter the room sound by increasing or reducing the amount of live sound.

Vocal Booth
The Vocal Booth is an acoustically 'dead' space that is ideal for capturing lead and backing vocals. It is large enough and dead enough not to have 'small room disease'  and can take up to 4 singers can fit to record group vocals.

Acoustics/Instruments  Room
This room is at the entry to the Main Live Room but is also a smaller Live Room which is perfect for tracking Acoustic Guitars, Snare Drums, Hand Percussion and any other sound that you want to be bright and live. It is a tiled room with no parallel surfaces so is extremely vibrant and 'Live'  and there are no standing waves to muddy the sound. 

Tube Room
The Tube Room is specifically designed as a small space to place Guitar or Bass Amps. It contains a network of reflective pipes and absorbers to maximise the ‘live’ amp sound.  The player can be in one of the other rooms with his amp in the 'Tube Room' to help achieve separation. The band can play together on headphones in the Live Room with drums etc., and with his Amp in the Tube Room the recording will not get the Amp sound through the Drum Mics or other 'open' mics.  You can also play in any of the rooms with your Amp in the Tube room so that you can hear the 'miked sound of the Amp through the Monitor speakers or the Aviom.  TheTube Room also has a reversible GOBO for the separation of 2 Amps or for the creation of a second ‘live’ vocal booth.