by Tommy Jamin, Director of Studio & Production
It’s the beginning of a new era here at TrueFire. As many of you already know, we moved into a new office and studio facility last July and have been serenaded over the last few months by the sounds of carpentry and moving trucks. We’ve recently transitioned the shooting space from our old building (which has since been further decked out for order fulfillment and extra storage) to our studio in the new building.
It has definitely been exciting, has quickly become home, and I wanted to share a bit of it quickly with you all. Click here to jump straight to the full gallery >>
The Office
The new digs: A two-story historic building only a few blocks away from the old 290 offices, with upgrades like a rooftop deck for entertaining guests, a luxurious kitchen suite (Jacqui’s favorite), and an overall modern industrial soho-loft-like vibe. We reworked the entire first floor to build the new studio soundstage, as well as additional office spaces, and a coffee bar that would make any (humble) barista proud. Coffee!
The Studio
As I look around this spacious new control room, and out through the glass into our new studio, I realize we’ve really stepped it up a notch! We now have over one thousand square feet in total to work with for shoots. There are three spaces for sets, curved walls for corner-less camera angles, a vibey interview set, and a really comfy couch in the control room for those lazy afternoon naps we all occasionally need.
Tie lines in the walls now move audio and video from room to room and we’ve installed insul-quilts on the ceilings, which dampen the reverberations with very little intrusion on our shots. Data storage has moved to a Data Robotics SAN, making working with and backing up our precious cargo much more efficient and secure.
Our new robotic cameras and digital video switcher facilitate high-definition and we’ve started exploring new lighting techniques to bathe our educators and their instruments in brilliant clarity on the screen. Despite what it might sound like, we’ve actually gone quite minimalist, and the greatest thing that this new studio provides us with: the versatility to try out new looks and lighting, new shooting and recording techniques, and plenty of inspiration for all involved.
It’s not only us studio cats getting all the cool gear either; we also have new toys that I know some of you will enjoy and use on your next visit too. There’s an Avid Eleven rack unit (thanks Corey), a Line6 HD500 Pedal Board (thanks to Jeff and Chris), new upgraded pre-amps in the control room, and a killer amp wall in the hall that’s loaded with some of the tastiest tones a guitarist could ask for.
The Full Gallery
It’s really an exciting time here, and things have never looked and sounded so good. It’s all for you and well, us too. We can’t wait to have you all here for some more good times, and to show you around the new TrueFire facilities soon!
Take care and be musical,
Tommy