The Record Co. with STA Design
You never know where you are going to meet an awesome new client – for us, a chance encounter at a fundraiser concert was just that place - screaming over a loud Jason Derulo set, we met our future client with The Record Co. (TRC), and learned of the great work that TRC does – providing affordable state of the art music recording spaces for the local music community. But TRC’s vision, mission, and values go way beyond just providing the spaces to make music. Their mission is perhaps the strongest we’ve seen:
Vision: “A city where everyone can make and enjoy music.”
Mission: To remove the technical and social barriers between music makers and their creative visions through affordable music workspace and professional development opportunities”
Values: “Every music maker deserves to learn, grow, and progress in a supportive community. Building that community requires inclusivity, integrity, and radical hospitality”
When STA was invited to design the new and expanded TRC, we were beyond excited. Our love of music, the music industry, community spaces and non-profits, coupled with an overarching mission of equity, accessibility and inclusivity led to a wonderful synergy and partnership between us.
An inclusive Design Process
Creating a space that is for everyone requires an inclusive process. TRC was committed to opening the design process to all voices in the community, not just the core TRC staff. They invited musicians, producers, managers, engineers – everyone who would be touching this new space – to the design discussion. We were fortunate to start this process pre-pandemic, hosting group meetings to gather people’s thoughts on everything from equipment needs to vibe. The sticky notes (and the laughs) were plentiful, and the ideas and direction were priceless.
“Vibey” and State of the Art
Touring TRC’s existing studio, we knew that this was not your typical recording studio. One of the first “vibe” directions was “a 70’s men’s gold velour jumpsuit”! Images of retro spaces filled the precedent boards, but what evolved during the design process was a space unlike anything we had seen or designed before. The space truly represented the myriad of voices that had been included in the process. It was becoming a space for everybody, a space where everyone would feel comfortable, felt like they belonged. Although design continued during the pandemic, The STA and TRC teams worked collaboratively, making the most of digital collaborative tools including shared finish and furniture boards for each recording studio and rehearsal room (no two are alike). The boards included acoustic materials, flooring, wall panels, new and existing rugs, and new and existing furniture. The collaboration continued once we were back in person, with virtual reality shared at fundraising and awareness events, and an interactive video of the space where we could collect feedback from the audience at a concert.
Getting the vibe right was important, but getting the acoustics and sound right was equally important. Just because the spaces are low cost to rent shouldn’t mean that the performance should be compromised. The STA team worked closely with acoustical consultants, engineers and the TRC technical team to make sure the acoustics were state of the art.
TRC Today
Since TRC opened it has been at capacity with musicians creating fabulous music night and day. The end result was a space that looks like I never could have imagined, and yet exactly what I imagined! Time and time again we hear from musicians that they love the space, that it feels like home, and that they feel like they belong. The key was inclusion. Everyone was heard - the space is about them and created with them.
We were so excited TRC won best recording studio at the Boston Music Awards, and this was especially meaningful because it was from the music community. We are so grateful for the opportunity to work with such an incredible group of people - mission driven, forward thinking and creative, with the best for the community at the heart of everything they do!
Click to listen to Designer Monologues - The Podcast on Spotify!
