Chicago's Soundscape Recording Widens Sonic Vision with Carl Tatz Design PhantomFocus™ System

— Savvy studio owner/engineer Michael Kolar chooses Carl Tatz Design's (CTD) acclaimed PhantomFocus™ System monitor tuning protocol above all other possible control room upgrades —

Nashville, TN: "When you can mix from instinct and taste as opposed to compensating for playback anomalies, the sky is the limit," contends Michael Kolar, owner/engineer of one of Chicago's leading recording facilities, Soundscape Recording, describing his Phantom Focus™ System (PFS) experience.

"At the start of Spring I was looking at ways I could invest in myself to take my mixes to the next level." notes studio owner/engineer Michael Kolar. At first, I was thinking about getting a variety of high-end stereo bus compressors and EQ's to strap across my entire mix to give it a more polished sound. Then I was thinking about getting a small-format Rupert Neve Design or Tonelux console. While all these items undoubtedly would help my mixes, it would not fix the problem of having to make three or four mix revisions to get a sound that translated well from iPod to car to nightclub. That's when it dawned on me that if I get the best possible playback system, the gear I already have will work way better as I won't have to second guess myself.

He continues: "This is when I reached out to Carl. From the jump, I was impressed by all the questions he asked. He approached my control room like I approach a mix - we both wanted no surprises. Not only did Carl determine that the room acoustics need improving, but he also improved the feng shui of my control room. I think I have the only mix room with a 55-inch LED on a hydraulic lift!

All I can say is that it is a true joy working in my new control room. When it's right on the Phantom Focus™ System, it's right everywhere."

Here is Michael Kolar's description of Soundscape's other recent upgrades:

"In addition to implementing Carl's suggestions for modifying the acoustic treatment of the control room featuring a custom version of his CTD Acoustic Lens™ Modules, we also installed LED wall sconces for no heat
lighting/minimal electrical lighting, French wall paper, cedar wood trim and red velvet acoustic fabric, and a 55 inch LED on a hydraulic lift
with 8 and16 bit Nintendo game consoles.

Gear-wise, we installed the new Mac Pro tower with an Avid HDX card running ProTools 10 HD. We also upgraded the I/O to the brand new AVID
16 in/out convertors feeding a SPL MixDream Class A summing amp. We also added a Dramastic Audio Obsidian bus compressor and an Inward Connections "The Brute" optical limiter."

About Carl Tatz Design
Carl Tatz Design (CTD) is an award winning studio design firm offering design and consulting services to homeowners and entertainment industry professionals in areas of: Recording Studios, Monitor Systems, Home Screening Rooms, Dedicated Listening Rooms, Acoustic Analysis, Tuning, and Sound Isolation. Carl Tatz is also the inventor of the industry acclaimed proprietary PhantomFocus™ System (PFS) monitor tuning protocol. CTD’s many resources combine knowledge, experience and expertise in sound, picture and design to serve its clients worldwide. For more information, visit http://www.carltatzdesign.com.

About the PhantomFocus™ System
Once the basic acoustic treatment has been accomplished, Carl Tatz Design’s proprietary PhantomFocus™ Monitor System offers clients a unique opportunity to have a truly world-class monitoring experience in their room, no matter how modest they may perceive it to be. The PhantomFocus System allows their monitors of choice to perform accurately at a full 20Hz-to-20KHz frequency response with pinpoint imaging in an almost holographic sweet spot — this enables their mixes to travel anywhere with a new level of sonic accuracy. There are approximately fifty steps in the proprietary PhantomFocus System implementation protocol, some of which may include phase and laser alignment, damping, isolation mounts, careful assessment of engineer/speaker placement relative to their room’s primary axial modes, proprietary speaker distance and angle, crossover points for pass filtering, and finally parametric equalization. Hardware can include monitor stands, concrete, sorbothane and other isolation materials, custom floating plenum mounts, subwoofer system, custom crossover, parametric equalizers and the monitors themselves (passive or active). The evaluation and implementation is a full two-day process and can be applied to near-fields, mid-fields, and large soffit mounted monitors, regardless of manufacturer. Carl Tatz Design can install the PhantomFocus System in existing control rooms or in studios that are designed and built from the ground up by CTD. The result is like the aural equivalent of HD TV. Once you experience a PhantomFocus System, you can’t go back.

Pictured L-R: Carl Tatz and Soundscape owner - engineer/producer Mike Kolar in Studio A in front of the PhantomFocus™ System 3

 

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