Studio Focus: Moonspoon Studio
27 October 2015
With a background in industrial design, building a custom studio was always on Jim Moynihan’s bucket list. So when the ideal piece of land presented itself, he seized the opportunity.
Nestled in the hills of St Andrews, Victoria, MoonSpoon Studio currently features a 3.5m x 4.5m control room which Jim says is the best sounding room he’s worked in. Primarily functioning as a creative kitchen for his own music, the space was designed from scratch with his needs and great audio in mind. Vertical standing waves are eliminated by a convex-shaped ceiling. The 13 trapezoidal 800mm x 1200mm bass traps fit snugly into the room corners, an extra five 600mm x 800mm traps are placed around the room, and a large bass trap built into the back wall. He used Tontine Acoustisorb 3 material to get good broadband absorption and because it beats working with rockwool.
Touring internationally under the Spoonbill moniker meant Jim was in and out during the construction process, which took about 14-16 months all up — though he estimates it was about five months worth of full-time work. Getting a house up was also a must, but the studio sat higher on the priority list so he could get stuck into work. In the meantime, Jim lived in a tram onsite for 18 months with his wife and newborn baby. That’s dedication to the craft, and an accommodating partner.
His gear rack has some new acquisitions like the A-Design Hammer EQ and TK Audio BC1-S compressor — little studio-warming gifts to himself. While the live tracking space at the rear of the control room is a work in progress, the studio has still seen a frenzy of activity since its completion with albums mastered for SunMonx, Austereo, Griff, Adham Shaikh, Miso, Cheshire and Swarm Theory. A few other production and sound design jobs are also in the works. In July, Jim released Spoonbill’s latest album Tinkerbox featuring a collection of downtempo, cinematic electronica tracks.
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