No doubt, you have seen or, at least seen pictures of the unique and historic Capitol Recrods Tower in Los Angeles.
It’s not just the building that is unique, it’s what is underneath. There is a series of eight, different shaped echo chambers built 30 feet underground that were designed by our hero, Les Paul. Les used them, Buck Owens, Frank Sinatra, Brian Wilson, they have played a part in many, many great records. There are no others like them. Now, according to the L.A. Times, the echo chambers may be in danger.
A Marina del Rey developer hopes to construct 93 condominiums, 13,442 square feet of commercial and office space and a 242-space underground parking lot next to the landmark, 13-floor, record-shaped building.
But Capitol executives are trying to stop the multimillion-dollar project because of fears that pile-driving and excavation for the three-level underground garage will damage one-of-a-kind, below-ground echo chambers that are used for high-end recordings.
The developer has denied that the project would harm the reverberation equipment and has pledged to try to limit noise and vibration during construction.
The chambers are 18 feet from the proposed garage.
Dale Goldsmith, representing the construction company says…
“We’re confident there won’t be any long-term damage,” he said. “We’re prepared to indemnify them. They have a right to be concerned, but their concerns are exaggerated.”
Steps will be taken to limit vibration and noise, he said. “There are a series of mitigation measures to be taken during construction. Muffling devices, dewatering techniques, taking noise-generating equipment as far away as possible from Capitol,” Goldsmith said.
That sounds a little weak to me; no “long term damage”. I don’t know how you could do short term damage to these great echo chambers.
The developer, David Jordan has had a study done.
An acoustical study done for Jordan by an Oakland firm acknowledged that “without the mitigation . . . ground-borne noise from construction activities may temporarily impact operation of the echo chambers.”
But it suggested that “digital signal processing and other digital audio recording techniques can simulate almost every echo chamber effect.”
Screw the 50+ year old work of acoustic art, you can get a ProTools plug-in.
Morons.
Mindless yobs.
Regular contributor and problem solver, Patrick Darnell, offers this solution.
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