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[Justice C. Bigler]

I've been thinking a lot about my future and where to go from here. One the one hand I enjoy working on big complex shows and making good money, which touring provides. On the other I don't like being way from home for months at a time.


One of the things that I have really gotten interested in since working on BMG is the whole immersive audio thing. I'd like to do more of it.


But it's expensive and difficult to get into and not appropriate for a lot of different uses.


I've been thinking about trying to combine my interest in live production, recording work, and my interest in immersive audio into a single venture. I'm thinking about the possibility of establishing some sort of immersive audio development/pre-production laboratory. Basically a studio type facility that would have rooms dedicated to the three primary live sound immersive audio systems, and a nice well equipped Dolby Atmos room for music and film/TV production.


My idea would be to make the facility available for those people prepping and doing production work or training for immersive audio system installs, tours, festivals etc...Where they can come and prep and program their shows in which ever immersive system they are going to use in a smaller room without having to deploy a full sized arena, theatre or festival sized system. This would hopefully help them move faster during tech once they get on site because most of their show would be pre programmed and they would have a better idea of how they want it to sound and move. And then they could also come back to this facility after their tours, shows, festivals/whatever and do post production work if need be.


We would also do training sessions for those who want to learn those systems. (I know from talking to some other people that do Atmos work that this would probably sell easily as every studio they have built has been booked before it's even finished).


Am I totally off my rocker here? Would this be a total failure from the get go? Would anyone even bother to book time in such a facility? Should I just give up and go to truck driving school?

[Keith Broughton]

I can't comment on the viability of such an interesting project but I can offer one tidbit of advice.
Don't do it with your own money! Find investors and protect you financial future.
On the other hand, there are always trucks to drive

[Bob Faulkner]

Sounds like it would be for a niche market.  Would this be in your home town?  Any competition near you?

This may sound miserably academic, but have you conducted a SWOT analysis on your vision?  The analysis may bring up things you had not considered.

Depending on how much "seed" money it would take for you to start your venture, it may require the use your own money.  Finding investors for all your initial finances may be extremely difficult, which would include the legal "overhead" needed for contracts/agreements with your investors.  From a personal perspective, 100% of whom tried to start a business using investors, never got started.  However, those who used their own money about 70% succeeded.  If your initial investment is that great, look at the SBA for borrowing.
 
The demand for truckers is now!

[Steve-White]

SynAudCon / Rational Acoustics service this industry albeit in a different way.

Walt Disney was turned down 300+ times for financing his original Disneyland concept.

Apple corporation was started in a garage in Los Altos, California.

There will probably be plenty of naysayers, talk of enterprising always brings them out.

I can remember back in the 90's phone calls between me in Texas and my favorite uncle in California - yelling at him to "do it" and disregard the idiots that said "it wouldn't work - don't do it - you'll never get your investment back".  He was into drag boats, got me my first (high school) job in a boat manufacturing shop in Fresno, Ca where I grew up.  I was heavily into nitromethane 2-stroke powered RC hydroplanes throughout the 70's.  He had a dream to improve on the design of the drag hydroplanes running at the time and would seek consultation from time to time on the design concept.  I convinced him that an outrigger style boat was the way to go.  Boats running at that point were 50's & 60's designs when a blown fuel engine was around 2000 HP.  As the horsepower advanced past 5000, headed to today's 11,000 HP beasts the hulls just couldn't handle the power.

He took 13 years to get to the point of putting the first prototype Bullet Outrigger hydroplane in the water - the Hot Licks Bullet.  Within 3 years, a guy named Eddie Knox purchased a Bullet Drag Hydro and built the "Problem Child" and lay waste to existing quarter mile speed and E.T. and mile per hour records.  Later came David Kirkland Racing with The Spirit of Texas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kOJ7irJxZk  I was there to witness that run.

I think it's a great idea and solid concept - beware the naysayers, never empower another to define your boundaries - they generally set the bar low or rip off your ideas.

[Scott Helmke]

To me the first research is basically to find out if anybody else is already doing it.  Doubtless the biggest content companies (Disney and such) either have such a lab or they have access to one.

[Dave Pluke]

To me the first research is basically to find out if anybody else is already doing it.  Doubtless the biggest content companies (Disney and such) either have such a lab or they have access to one.

And, once those providers are located, determine what advantages you (@Justin) might bring to the equation. Will you do it cheaper, better, quicker, more enjoyably, etc.?

Anecdotally, the majority of people I know who have successfully started their own enterprises had a client (or group of clients) that would keep them productive for, say, 60% of their time for the first year or two. Those clients kept the lights on while other clients could be added to the roster.

The "If you build it, they will come" approach may work in fantasy baseball, but a new business really needs to have some work sold in advance to succeed.

Dave

[Tim McCulloch]

There are multiple applications for spatial and object-oriented mixing, and other applications for "immersive" audio.

Having a studio setting where audio can be mixed and evaluated (see Blackbird Nashville) is a great resource.  I'm not sure if geographic location is help/hindrance, but you're 3-ish hours from 3 other metro areas and I'm unaware of such a facility in any of them.

[Justice C. Bigler]

At present, most of these types of facilities are operated by their specific manufacturers as demo rooms. They are built to show off the specific capabilities and work flow of their systems.

I'd like to have a more manufacturer agnostic facility that can accommodate the major systems on the market for those engineers and producers who are getting ready to tech a tour or a show or install, etc... Give them a place they can come to do that pre production work before getting on site and in which they can experiment with different configurations and techniques. This place would use smaller near field type speakers or smaller point source speakers rather than full line arrays. But one of the major selling points to all of these systems is that they are supposed to be able to scale from a smaller mix/mastering studio sized room up to a full theatre or arena sized PA. I've seen two of these facilities personally that are operated by their specific manufacturers. But they aren't easily accessible to anyone who isn't thinking of buying into a full $million PA system.

The other thing that I don't want to do is to get into actually renting and providing these systems for tours or festivals, etc.... There are production companies and PA providers that already have access to these systems and speakers. But very often those companies don't have the space to set up a demo or pre-production room for this kind of work.

I'm not sure if geographic location is help/hindrance, but you're 3-ish hours from 3 other metro areas and I'm unaware of such a facility in any of them.

I know for a fact that there is not a single fully outfitted Dolby Atmos post production studio in Oklahoma. I've been looking over the last few months as I wanted to get into one for a day just to experiment and work through the Atmos system with some of my own projects. I have to believe that it would be a valuable resource with Oklahoma's burgeoning film and TV industry to have a full Atmos post facility available locally.

As crazy as it sounds, I'm actually looking into installing a 7.1.4 system using Neumann KH120 and KH80 speakers in my mobile recording truck. That would be the most well outfitted Atmos system in the state.   

[Luke Geis]

You are looking more to be a consultant or system designer. I think you can do that if you have the knowledge of the different systems and a very clever way to market the need for such a service.

[Steve-White]

You are looking more to be a consultant or system designer. I think you can do that if you have the knowledge of the different systems and a very clever way to market the need for such a service.

Of course he can.  I've never really been welcomed into any market by competitors.  Had to elbow my way up the bar more than once.  A landscape maintenance and two DJ businesses, 2 x for lights and sound.  I started my first sound venture in a recession and under capitalized - not recommended for wimps - had to hustle - survived throughout the 80's self-employed and went to college to boot.

Either you're made to be in business or you're not.  There's always an endless list of things that can make a business fail - conversely, there's always the opportunity to succeed.

You have to have a product and you have to have the ability to sell yourself.

[Justice C. Bigler]

You are looking more to be a consultant or system designer. I think you can do that if you have the knowledge of the different systems and a very clever way to market the need for such a service.

No, I’m not. I mean I already do some of that. But this isn’t that.


Think of this more like a rehearsal room for immersive audio.

[Luke Geis]

So are you selling an experience? Are you selling the system? Or are you presenting options to potential buyers? Or are you trying to be the guy that Pink Floyd goes to in order to try out the next crazy audio experience they want to employ on their next tour?

[Tim McCulloch]

So are you selling an experience? Are you selling the system? Or are you presenting options to potential buyers? Or are you trying to be the guy that Pink Floyd goes to in order to try out the next crazy audio experience they want to employ on their next tour?

There are very specific system requirements for each of several surround, immersive, spatial, and object-oriented mixing systems.  I think Justice's proposal is having a facility that meets one or more of those standards as they become the target of audio for motion picture and video programming.

The future of audio ain't 5.1 or L/R/S/F whether motion picture/TV sound or live concerts.  Trust me.

[Justice C. Bigler]

So are you selling an experience? Are you selling the system? Or are you presenting options to potential buyers? Or are you trying to be the guy that Pink Floyd goes to in order to try out the next crazy audio experience they want to employ on their next tour?

Closer to the last one. But for groups that don't have the budget of A level bands or shows. Or maybe some that do, but want to work in a smaller room without having to set up their whole touring or festival PA system.


It's a rehearsal studio for immersive audio, to do pre production work, and then also post production for after the tour/show/festival, etc... The idea for the pre production work is to get a show teched and programmed faster in a smaller, less expensive room than sitting with the full system set up.

[Justice C. Bigler]

There are very specific system requirements for each of several surround, immersive, spatial, and object-oriented mixing systems.  I think Justice's proposal is having a facility that meets one or more of those standards as they become the target of audio for motion picture and video programming.

The future of audio ain't 5.1 or L/R/S/F whether motion picture/TV sound or live concerts.  Trust me.

I want to be able to offer all of the main immersive systems for live sound: L-ISA, Space Map, and Sound Scape, as well as the big one for film/TV/music which is Atmos. And probably whatever else comes out in the future.

I guess I'm not explaining this clearly enough, or I really am being stupid and there's no market for it.

[Tim McCulloch]

I want to be able to offer all of the main immersive systems for live sound: L-ISA, Space Map, and Sound Scape, as well as the big one for film/TV/music which is Atmos. And probably whatever else comes out in the future.

I guess I'm not explaining this clearly enough, or I really am being stupid and there's no market for it.

My only question is if Tulsa is commercially viable to host something this specialized.  I have no doubt there is a market; it's location, location, location.

[Justice C. Bigler]

My only question is if Tulsa is commercially viable to host something this specialized.  I have no doubt there is a market; it's location, location, location.

Probably not. Like you said we're between three major metro areas. But at some point, we have to get away from the NYC/LA/Nashville trifecta of production hubs.


But, there's lots of cheap real estate still in flyover country.

[ProSoundWeb Community]