Global Radio has updated its London audio postproduction facilities with two new studios and vocal booths.

Global Radio owns numerous radio stations including Heart, Capital, Capital XTRA, Classic FM, Smooth, LBC, Xfm and Gold, broadcasting to 23 million listeners each week. Located at its headquarters in Leicester Square, the new audio studios provide facilities for Global Creative, the company’s in-house radio advertising specialists. The design of the new facilities was handled by studio design consultancy, White Mark Ltd.

‘Global’s old facilities were installed during the 1990s and needed updating,’ says White Mark MD, David Bell. ‘They have now been moved to a self-contained space on the fourth floor of the building where there was room to install two new studios with voice booths.

‘As Global Creative is based in Leicester Square, its team competes directly with the best audio production facilities in Soho, so it needed studio facilities to match,’ he adds. ‘White Mark was chosen for this project because we have designed so many studios in Soho and therefore we were the natural choice.’

The project was challenging because space was tight and ceiling heights were low, but careful design ensured a very spacious feel to both studios. The main studio has a large control room, projection for voice-to-picture work, 5.1 surround monitoring and a comfortable client seating area. The smaller studio is stereo and is designed for single user operation and a single voice in the booth.

White Mark was engaged on a design-only basis and worked closely with Global Radio and its regular construction contractor, Transmation.

The new facilities are equipped with Pro Tools 11 HD with an Avid S6 control surface, Avalon Design mic preamps and Neumann microphones. The existing Dynaudio Air6 5.1 monitoring system was relocated from the old studio and now has the benefit of being in acoustically accurate room.

Bell adds that the technical install and integration was handled by Global Radio’s Technology team and wireman Chris Finney. Global also employed Nichola Mcann, of Cann Creative, to design the interior finishes. ‘Her ideas, combined with our experience of what works in an acoustic space, has produced a great looking finish that truly does compete with the best that Soho has to offer,’ Bell says.

More: www.whitemark.com