Right Place, Right Time

[SteveL]

Funny story about being in the right place at the right time....

I took a trip down to Melbourne the other day to visit a gent who had stripped the acoustic fittings out of an ABC Studio in Melbourne more than 10 years ago. He's been storing the stuff in his basement for over a decade and now wants the room back.

I'd gone down to pick up 3 acoustic doors (hardwood 2.5 inches thick with acoustic glass inserts, magnetic seals, self closing hinges) complete with the 13-inch deep hardwood frames for each door (I've got to say I've never lifted a heavier door in my life, in fact 2 of use could barely lift each one), same with the frames.

Anyway, I thought the door/frame sets were an absolute bargain at $170 for each set, when the owner asks if I have a control room window. Well no, but I am planning on a building a small detached studio on my property I said (which is why I'd gone down for the doors)

He took me to a corner of the garage where he had the main control room window taken from the studio - a huge thing 2.75m long by 1.1m high, nearly half a meter thick with massively thick glass panes (one vertical, one angled), complete with Emergency Alert/Evacuate red and yellow flashing lights (no-one on the other side of that window in a studio would hear the end of the world, let alone a fire alarm). "You can have it for $160".

I looked at my 7 x 5 box trailer, then back at the window, then back at the trailer, thought 'thank god I put new wheel bearings on the trailer 3 weeks ago', and said "yes please".

Oh, he says, I also have all the framed acoustic panel inserts and infills from the studio round the back here, take what you want, and leads me to another dark corner of the basement where there is a pile of wooden acoustic panels/insulation and baffles of various sizes taken out of the studio walls and ceilings piled up 2m high, 2 m deep and about 4m long. I look again at my 7x 5 trailer and try not to cry. My wife says "you need a bigger trailer".

Lol, I should have taken a photo of my dual cab ute and 7x5 trailer loaded up with that control room window hanging out, 3 acoustic doors and 3 giant hardwood frames, plus dozens of acoustic panels shoved in wherever they could fit for the 700km drive home.

All the remaining acoustic panels and infills are coming up in a removal truck in the next few weeks.

Now I need a bigger shed...
Steve

[Senad]

Arghhh, it hurts to hear someone drove interstate to pick up bargains like that in front of your nose
BTW, does anyone in Melbourne know who tore down the Ripponlea studios (If that's happened already), or has it all been disposed of in the "normal", skip manner.

[mylesgm]

I too, am on the hunt at the moment so would love to hear about studios being torn down (though I hate to hear about it at the same time)...