A.R. Rahmans A.M. Studio
A.R. Rahmans A.M. Studio
A. R. Rahman a Grammy and Academy award winning musician, singer-songwriter, music producer, multi-instrumentalist and philanthropist is one of India’s foremost film composer and musical film directors, who has been coined with the nickname of “The Mozart of Madras”.
Rahman opened a 3,000 square-foot recording studio in Chennai, India, renamed A.M. Studios. The facility, formerly known as Panchathan Record Inn, took nearly three years to complete.
Acoustic design and architectural plans for the studios were conceived by Studio 440 Architecture and Acoustics in Hollywood, California. Sound Wizard Audio Design and Consultancy of Auroville, Tamil Nadu, India, provided project management and acoustical consulting. Equipment for the studios was specified and supplied by Daxco Digital of Singapore. A local architectural and construction firm in Chennai did the construction work. A.M. Studios’ two main spaces are a 380-square-foot control room and the 1,300-square-foot recording studio/mixing stage. The recording studio offers flexibility for music recording and film mixing, thanks to variable acoustics. The control room features a large bay window offering full view of the big screen in the mix stage. The recording area, which doubles as a mix stage, can accommodate up to 30 musicians for large recordings.
There are also two additional isolation booths with large glass sliding doors. The bass system in the recording studio/mixing stage is comprised of four self-powered Bag End Infrasub-18 Pro subwoofer systems, specified by Daxco Digital. The Infrasub-18 Pro offers enhanced control abilities for professional surround applications.
It is powered by Bag End’s Infra internal 400-watt amplifier and controlled by the company’s exclusive dual integrator which is also internal. Rahman, along with the Finnish folk music band Vartina, composed the score for the $27 million musical adaption of J.R.R. Tolkien’s acclaimed trilogy, Lord of the Rings.