Grand Opening Of Europe’s New Scoring Stage: Synchron Stage Vienna

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Hollywood composers and members of Austrian’s government celebrated the opening of the new state-of-the-art Synchron Stage Vienna

 Composer and Orchestrator Conrad Pope premiered his new piece “Synchronicity” that was written specifically for the opening ceremony

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Vienna is once again living up to its title of “The City of Music”. With the re-opening of the historic Synchron Stage Vienna, the venue delivers a state-of-the-art facility with cutting-edge technology, making it a unique and one-of-a-kind recording studio.

Earlier this year, Remote Control Productions chose Synchron Stage Vienna to record music for the upcoming Ron Howard directed feature “Inferno” (score by Hans Zimmer) and for the new Netflix series “The Crown” (score by Hans Zimmer and Rupert Gregson-Williams), created by Peter Morgan (“The Queen”). Hans Zimmer also recorded the music for the latest two Volvo Commercials in Vienna and an enthusiastic crowd watched the sleek advertising videos and listened to the crisp and unique sound of the Swedish car commercial during the opening gala.

Members of the Austrian government and parliament, such as Minister of Justice, Wolfgang Brandstetter and the President of the Constitutional Court Gerhart Holzinger enjoyed the sound and experience of the scoring stage. The Austrian Film Industry was represented at the Grand Opening by German Film Award (aka Lola Award) Winner Andreas Prochaska and CEO of Austrian Radio Broadcasting (ORF), Alexander Wrabetz. Together they welcomed Hollywood composers Joe Kraemer (“Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”), Grammy winner and seven-time Emmy nominee Nan Schwartz, Synchron Stage Vienna concert master Dimitrie Leivici and composer/arranger Conrad Pope, who debuted a piece called “Synchronicity” specifically for this opening ceremony. The music performance was enjoyed by an illustrious group of guests, including composers Matthias Weber (German Film Award for “The Dark Valley”), composer Christian Kolonovits (Composer “North Face”) and Hollywood in Vienna Founder Sandra Tomek. Actor Karl Markovics (“Counterfeiters”, “Grand Budapest Hotel”) emceed the entertaining night.

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One of the world’s leading virtual instrument and sample library companies, Vienna Symphonic Library, took the initiative to renovate the landmark and upgraded the interior, providing a world class recording facility. Located in the Austrian capital, the complex offers state-of-the-art recording technology, superior acoustics, and a unique integration of VSL’s award-winning software applications such as Vienna MIR PRO. The musicians were hand-selected from Vienna’s outstanding pool of talent. Clients have the possibility to record with a small chamber orchestra to full symphony and also augment with virtual instruments.

Herb Tucmandl, CEO and Founder of Vienna Symphonic Library, identified the need for a hybrid studio some years ago – one that would provide uncompromising orchestral recording facilities, yet was flexible enough to accommodate all modern production approaches. Tucmandl eventually purchased the original 1940s stage that had been neglected for some time.

The studio features a substantial, original, room-in-room construction with a three meter gap all the way around the central 540 square meter Stage A, which can accommodate orchestras up to 130 musicians. “It sounds really open,” notes Bernd Mazagg, Technical Director & Chief Audio Engineer at Synchron Stage Vienna. “I think it’s one of the best rooms in the world.”

Additional studio and office facilities surround that central stage, including the 80 square meter ‘B’ live room, Control Rooms A and B, production lounges and facilities, and offices. A DANTE network connects every room to every other room so that every audio channel is available anywhere in the facility.

There is also a temperature-controlled basement instrument storage area with direct elevator access to the main stage. The air quality and temperature is the same in the studios as it is in the instrument storage spaces (for pianos and percussion), so that all the instruments are in perfect condition at all times and can be selected for recording immediately. On top of this, the ventilation is absolutely noise-free, therefore recordings are not affected by its operation. The pianos available are a Steinway D-274, a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial with CEUS reproducing system, and a Yamaha DCFX Disklavier will be available in November 2016.

Initial recordings at the facility were undertaken with a full orchestra conducted by famed orchestrator, Conrad Pope and mixed by the legendary scoring engineer Dennis Sands. Additional influential film music personalities have visited the stage and experienced its splendor including James Newton Howard, Robert Townsend of Varèse Sarabande Records, and Richard Bellis.  In a recent interview Dennis Sands said: “It’s incredible… The sound translates so well into this space. It’s very smooth and open… And it sounds good no matter where you are… Truly a world class facility… Certainly one of the best rooms in the world, there’s no question.”

 

 


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