Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio Mixing & Mastering
We make your Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio and Sony 360RA mix/master for Apple Music, Audible, Tidal, Amazon, BluRay, etc. Our mixing environment has been calibrated by Dolby Professional and is listed as an approved Dolby Atmos Music Studio on their site.
New delivery formats have always influenced the music we make. From the gramophone to radio to records, changing technology has led to changing production methods which produced new music. Listening in cars influenced the dynamics and arrangements of pop music, boom boxes and turntables rap and hip hop and headphones nearly everything we listen to today. Early music recordings were delivered on a single (mono) channel and were considered a marvel at the time. Stereo came along and changed broadcast and records forever. The latest technological breakthrough to come down the pipe is Immersive (Spatial) Music. Listening via speakers, soundbars or headphones, we perceive a 360-degree field of sound enveloping us in a virtual world created by the artist and production team. Embraced by Apple Music, Tidal, Amazon and soon Spotify, it is fast becoming a must have delivery format for new and re-releases from both major labels and independent artists. Like all new successful release formats, the music is changing to accommodate. Innovative methods are leading to productions that point toward an immersive 3D future for music.
Jeff Wolpert – Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio and Sony 360RA Mixer and Mastering Engineer
For more than 35 years Jeff Wolpert of Desert Fish Studios has been mixing and producing multi-channel immersive music. From channel based (Surround Sound for movie soundtracks and DVD Audio) through scene based (Ambisonics for Video Games) and now object oriented (Dolby Atmos and Sony 360 for Spatial Music) they have been and continue to be at the forefront of the adaptation of artistic technology. Finding that space where new technology enhances your artistic expression has been their continual quest.
Desert Fish Studios – Dolby Professional Calibrated Immersive Music and Podcast Production Facility
Located in the historical Urbanspace building at 401 Richmond St West in the heart of the Entertainment District in downtown Toronto, Desert Fish Studios is equipped with the very latest immersive music technology from Dolby, PMC Speakers and Digital Audio Denmark. Our custom designed and Dolby calibrated 9.1.4 control room also has an SSL 24 input console, 24 track analog tape machine and a myriad of vintage and modern analog gear from manufacturers such as Sontec, dBx, Oram, Crookwood, Focusrite, Avalon and others.
Credits – Dolby Atmos/Spatial Audio/Sony 360RA
Loreena McKennitt “The Visit”
Tim & The Glory Boys “Sleigh Ride”
Tyler Shaw “A Tyler Shaw Christmas”
Tedy “Manic Party”
Loreena McKennitt “A Midwinter Night’s Dream”
Anne Murray “Anne Murray’s Christmas Album”
Debbie Danbrook & David Darling “Light from the Super Earth””
Art of Time Ensemble “Ain’t Got Long”
Manteca “The Twelfth of Never”
Lara Solnicki “The One The Other”
Lydia Ainsworth “Sparkles & Debris Reimagined”
Tomson Highway “Cree Country”
Half Moon Run “Half Moon Run”
Voiceover/ADR/Podcast Recording & Production
SAG-AFTRA Covid-19 safety approved, we are experts in recording & editing VO for ADR, Animations, Video Games, Audiobooks, Podcasts and any other use case scenarios according to your need, in a Toronto based recording studio.
Desert Fish Studios’ fully acoustic treated recording booths and configurable sound baffle system make it the perfect space for recording the cleanest voice possible.
Our voiceover microphone selection includes large diaphragm condenser mics such as Neumann U87, AKG C12, shotgun mics such as Sennheiser MKH416 and AKG CK69 ULS/C480, and LAV mics such as Sanken COS-11D and AKG CK 97 (see full list here), and in case we don’t have what you need, we’re able to rent any specific models on your behalf.
With fully updated remote connection technologies, we have helped numerous non-local clients record talent that are here in Toronto. We’re able to accommodate your preferred software for streaming high-resolution audio (Source Connect, Audiomovers, Cleanfeed etc.), zero-latency video streaming for ADR (Source Live) as well as live camera feeds from the recording booths (Zoom etc.).
Credits – VO/ADR/Audiobook/Podcast
Audiobook_Simu Liu “We Were Dreamers”
Vocal Recording_Netflix “Ginny and Georgia” Season 2
Audiobook_Geddy Lee “My Effin’ Life”
ADR_FX Network “Atlanta”
ADR_Apple TV “Pachinko”
Video Game VO_Secret Location “Waking Wonderland””
Audiobook_Fides Krucker “Reclaiming Calliope”
ADR_Netflix “The Magician’s Elephant”
VO Audition_Ken Burns “The American Buffalo”
Audiobook_Les Stroud “Survive”
Video Game VO_Secret Location “NERF”
Audiobook_Humble the Poet “Unlearn – 101 Simple Truths for A Better Life”
ADR_”Pursuit”
Audiobook_Christine Timms “Transitioning Clients and the Retirement Exit Decision”
ADR_”Safehaven”
Music Recording, Mixing & Mastering
In-Studio Recording
Our Toronto recording studios consist of 4 isolated, acoustically-treated recording spaces, with 32 top quality inputs (configurable to more channels on demand). Whether you have a solo voice or a big band ensemble, we are able to accommodate.
Can’t be on site to produce? Don’t worry, Desert Fish Studios are fully capable of streaming hi-res audio and connecting remotely with you using your preferred software (Source Connect, Audiomovers, Zoom, Cleanfeed etc.).
Location/Live Recording
Location/Live recording requires an experienced, steady hand. After all, there is only one shot at getting it right! We have been all over the world recording sessions and live shows in places like Beijing, Jakarta, Rio de Janeiro, Beirut, Budapest, Moscow and Athens to name a few. Our portable system is road tested and flight ready. Other credits in this category include live TV award shows and Hollywood musicals.
We can also accommodate recording of large ensembles such as orchestra and choir. We have had good experiences recording at several large venues throughout Toronto and can facilitate the sessions. Get in touch for more information.
Mixing
3-time winner and 8-time nominee for the Juno Awards Engineer of the Year, Jeff Wolpert knows what it takes to make your music shine. In his 35+ years career he’s mixed a vast variety of music from all over the world, bringing both the creativity and sensitivity needed to maximize his client’s musical vision.
Our comfy control room in downtown Toronto always welcomes you to be on site during the mixing/review sessions. When you do have trouble coming in, we can stream high-res audio and connect remotely using your preferred software (Source Connect, Audiomovers, Cleanfeed, Zoom etc.).
Mastering
Mastering has evolved significantly in the era of streaming. Multiple formats may be required for different platforms. We are experienced in successfully delivering the approved mastered formats (incl. Apple Digital Master and Dolby Atmos) for any streaming platforms you need as well as for CD and vinyl.
Credits – Music Recording, Mixing & Mastering
Loreena McKennitt “The Visit”
Holly Cole “Romantically Helpless”
Roberto Occhipinti “The Next Step”
Anne Murray “Friends and Legends”
Blues Brothers 2000 Soundtrack
Loreena McKennitt “Book of Secrets”
Sarah Slean “Land & Sea”
Michelle Willis “Just One Voice Live”
Lydia Ainsworth “Darling of the Afterglow”
Holly Cole “Shade”
Joel Quarrington “The Music of Don Thmopson”
Debbie Danbrook “Ambient World”
Kiran Ahluwalia “Aam Zameen: Common Ground”
Christos Hatzis “Constantinople”
Manteca “The Twelfth of Never”
Jimmy Webb “Ten Easy Pieces”
Brandi Disterheft “Debut”
Great Big Sea “Hard and Easy”
Loreena McKennitt “The Mask and Mirror”
Kris Kristofferson “The Austin Sessions”
Cowboy Junkies “One Soul Now”
David Clayton-Thomas “Soul Ballads”
Dafnis Prieto Sextet “Triangles and Circles”
Lara Solnicki “The One The Other”
Tomson Highway “Cree Country”
The Canadian Tenors
Art of Time Ensemble “Ain’t Got Long”
Debbie Danbrook & David Darling “Light from the Super Earth””
Film Score Recording & Mixing
Our chief engineer Jeff Wolpert offers top level expertise from 35+ years of experience of mixing 200+ film/tv scores.
With utmost attention to detail and vast experience, film score mixer Jeff Wolpert makes sure the Composer’s and Director’s musical vision are accurately reflected on the screen. His experience also ensures the delivery of mixes appropriately formatted to meet post production technical deliverable specifications.
Our comfy control room in downtown Toronto always welcomes you to be on site during the mixing/review sessions. When you do have trouble coming in, we can stream high-res audio and video and connect remotely using your preferred software (Source Connect, Audiomovers, Cleanfeed, Zoom etc.).
Credits – Film Score Recording & Mixing
Manchester by the Sea
American Psycho
Blues Brothers 2000
Brotherhood
Dreamland
Friday the 13th Part VIII Jason Takes Manhattan
Iron Road
Monk
Road to Avonlea
The Night I Shot Marilyn
Unless
Zimbelism
Between
Burn Your Maps
Forsaken
L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables Fire Dew
Pure
Sharkwater
The Night I Shot Marilyn
The Poet Of Hanvana
Who The Fuck is Arthur Fogel
All My Puny Sorrows
The Porter
Messiah/Complex
Other Studio Services
Video Shooting Venue/Production
Desert Fish Studios, located in downtown Toronto, Canada, have a warm and inviting aesthetic that fits right in with recording studio scenes in video and film. Check out our studios here.
If you’re here for a recording/mixing session and would like to shoot videos for documentary/promotion/audition purposes, we are fully open to such requests, and can provide tech support.
We do advanced video editing and partner with pro videographers to meet your more refined video needs (e.g. Music Video).
Recording Studio/Space Rental
If you’d like to use our space to work on your projects by yourself, we are open to short-term space rental requests and will provide onsite technical support during the rental period. Our 9.2.4 control room equipped by PMC speakers is Dolby calibrated and is one of the best sounding Atmos rooms in Canada. It is also configurable to 5.1, 7.1 and similar surround formats and works perfectly as a film/TV music writing/mixing/reviewing room.
Video Venue/Production Samples: