Founded in 2010 by Maxime Le Guil and studio partner Victor Lévy-Lasne, the Mix with the Masters (MwtM) community partners with artists, producers and engineers to offer educational content on the art of recording music. Looking to open a new complex in Paris as a destination studio and also serve as a central production hub for content creation, Lévy-Lasne and Le Guil called on WSDG (Walters-Storyk Design Group) to create what is now Rue Boyer, MwtM’s first purpose-built recording studio.
Choosing a charming two-storey building in a residential area within Paris’ ‘inner-ring’, Le Guil and Lévy-Lasne wanted to maximise the studio’s flexibility by making the rooms as multi-purpose as possible. In addition to complete technological, ergonomic and acoustic excellence they gave WSDG a unique design challenge: ‘disappearing’ a vintage 48-channel SSL 4000 E-Series console to enable the Studio A Control Room to also be used as a live room and classroom.’
WSDG founding partner John Storyk, Partner, Romina Larregina and European Division Chief, Dirk Noy explored numerous options with Le Guil and Lévy-Lasne. Their solution was to excavate a 6ft deep ‘vault’ directly beneath the studio and install a motorised platform. The SSL can now be lowered into a waterproof/ventilated space at the push of a button, freeing the control room to host live music recording sessions and/or up to 20 engineering students.
‘Rue Boyer presents a striking example of the application of Niro – Non-Cuboid Iterative Room Optimizer – software developed by REDIAcoustics,’ says company co-founding partner Dr Peter D’Antonio. ‘Niro’s analysis combines wave-based and geometrical methods to evaluate the entire frequency spectrum. It was instrumental in precisely modelling the room’s acoustic performance, providing accurately predicted optimal frequency response, low-frequency damping, reverberation time and Reflection-Free Zone (RFZ) that agreed with experimental measurements.’
In addition to Studio A, which is fitted with custom dampening curtains to provide ‘variable acoustic’ options, and is equipped with a Dolby Atmos loudspeaker installation and video projection, Rue Boyer’s Studio B has three iso booths and a drum room. Areas of the top floor are dedicated to production suites and offices, a lounge featuring a glass ceiling and windows that preserve the aesthetics and enhance the ambiance with a calm, outdoor vibe.
‘We’ve been extremely pleased with the way WSDG seamlessly integrated our ideas into our new studio,’ Lévy-Lasne reports. ‘The work moved swiftly, and our experience with WSDG has been positive from day one. We’re confident that our new facility and MwtM’s educational format will introduce many opportunities to exchange world-class production concepts and encourage collaborative experience sharing.
‘We’ve been particularly pleased with the reactions of early clients like producer/engineer Eddie Kramer and producer Jack Antonoff. Their comments were extremely helpful and greatly encouraging, and further convinced us that we were on the right track to creating an important and innovative new studio. One that would serve as a true destination to many global artists and producers.
‘Initial guests prior to our formal opening include Taylor Swift, Melody Gardod, Justice, The Bleachers, Wolf Alice, Diplo and Florence & The Machine.’
Confirming Lévy-Lasne’s optimism after recording multiple sessions at Rue Boyer, Antonoff says: ‘Got the honour to work at Rue Boyer just as it was opening. Wrote and recorded some of my favourite things of all time looking out that big window among all the wood and light. It’s a dream studio in what has become my favourite part of Paris.’
‘One of John Storyk’s biggest kicks after working with us for well over a year was helping to pick Rue Boyer,’as the most appropriate name for our studio,’ says co-owner Maxime LeGuil. ‘We all agreed it was obvious to name it after the street where it will live for many productive years. After all, that idea worked out pretty well for Abbey Road.’
