Jan Morel shares studio design process: “it's never been my intention to create spaceships”

Jan Morel is one of the world's leading recording studio designers, known for his futuristic designs for the likes of David Guetta, Hardwell, Nicky Romero and Martin Garrix. Here, he shares his unconventional approach to studio design, the strangest studio request he’s had so far, and why he never set out to design “spaceships”.

You had an unconventional route into the world of studio design, going from guitarist, to selling instruments to pro audio when you started your own shop in the ‘80s. Starting your own business is always a risk; what was that time of your life like and how did it set you on the path to studio design?

At that time, I was a young guy starting out selling musical instruments like drums, guitars, and later on, synthesisers – electronic musical instruments were very hot at that moment. Brands like Roland and Yamaha were doing very well and we got samples from Akai, so I made a good business out of it with important clients.

From there, we started selling microphones, studio equipment and better monitoring, and then [acoustic] treatments. In the ‘90s my clients just bought stuff for tons of money, but they only bought equipment, and they never thought about good sound. 

So they would buy expensive consoles and expensive gear, and they would just be sitting in the attic or bedroom with all that expensive stuff. Then they started asking questions about how to get good sound, and from that point, I started to venture slowly into the acoustic world, reading about it and teaching myself what to do.

You’ve said that your studio designs and audio analysis “comes from somewhere in your head” and that you didn't study acoustics. Given what you have gone on to achieve with your renowned studio designs and high profile clients, how did you adapt your technique to become the success you are today in the world of studio builds?

I did study music, so I was busy with learning about sound – you come to understand sound waves, and then when you read the books, there's a picture in your head. I started thinking, ‘How can I do it? How can I improve the room and still make a design of it?’ 

So I go to the room, see the room, and then I see the final picture. So actually, you see what the sound can do. If you can see the waves in your imagination, then it's easier to understand and to make the design. That's the way I work. 

It started with the first experiment; it's like inventing a car or whatever you invent – you start with experiments. If you can learn from this, you can become an educated person yourself, so you educate yourself in the world of acoustics.

Tell me about how you came to work on a studio design for DJ and producer, Hardwell. Is it true you didn’t realise how popular he was when he first called you?

Yeah, that's a funny story. I was sitting on a terrace with some friends having some wine and he called me and said that he’d like a studio. I said, ‘That sounds good, but now I'm drinking wine so you need to call me back or I will call you.’ 

At the end of the day, I went home and my kids were on the sofa and I said, ‘I need to call some guy called Hardwell something.’ They were excited and said, ‘Dad! He’s number six in the world!’ The rest is history. He’s got a major studio, and he gave me a lot of freedom. I think I’ve now done three or four studios for him.

Your studio designs are visually distinctive rooms that are works of art as well as being acoustically treated studios; how important are aesthetics for you when it comes to the design of the room? Are clients thinking more about how it looks over how it sounds?

That's always the question you have – it looks good and people react to it. This is great and they're fantastic, but it's all about the music and sound balance first. I tell them that the looks are for free – it's part of the design. 

It starts with the sound, and we need the best sound possible in a room. But it's nice when it looks beautiful as well! It’s just a bonus about the looks. These producers are in those rooms for over 10 hours at a stretch so it's very important that they feel comfortable because they are in a creative process making music.

Maybe the older engineers are not so used to it, but the new generations love it and they're doing well and making good music. And they sell their music. It's a working space for them. It's not not a pleasure room for gaming or for a hobby. It's a real room to make a living in.

People talk about spaceships, but it's never been my intention to create spaceships. I think people call it a spaceship because they don't understand what they see – it's different. It's like a UFO – they don't know the word for it. But actually the design is pretty simple with some lighting and beautiful panels. It's not a spaceship because it has no wings [laughs].

Is Ummet Ozcan’s studio still one of the top three studio designs you’ve ever done, or do you have a new favourite?

Yeah! Ummet is a very nice guy too, and it was on his bucket list to have a studio that I designed. I had complete freedom to do anything – we discussed the colours, and I was free to do any style. He was flabbergasted by the end. The sound is amazing in his room, it’s really crazy.

What is the strangest studio design request you've ever had, and have you had to turn down any requests that were not possible?

Well, the Ummet Ozcan studio, for instance, people see a picture of this and then they also want a studio that is very unique. 

They’ll say that they want something really special too, and I’ll be listening and before I start drawing I ask them what their budget is, and they say, ‘I have €1500’ – this happens a lot. 

I did have one request from someone who wanted an aquarium in her studio, and inside the aquarium there needed to be a moped. That's pretty strange! But you need those dreams to create something very special.

You use Genelec in many of your projects for the world’s top DJs and producers; when did you first start using their monitors?

I think it was around 15 years ago with the 8030 and 8040s. One day, we needed to build a piano with integrated speakers, so we ordered a lot of 8030s and we found out they sounded pretty good! From that point, we started selling a lot of Genelec. Genelec is improving all the time to produce higher quality products.

What role does Genelec’s GLM calibration software and GRADE report play in your studio design process?

I use this but as a tool, not as a solution, because you need to be trained to use it well. I use the software a lot, especially the new GRADE report which was recently introduced. So when you do measurements, you will have a report within minutes from Genelec and a whole PDF telling you about a room.

But then again, you need to understand what the report means, because it's very complex and the average end user doesn't understand anything about it. So you need to explain what's happening with the frequency response and reverberation times.

If people see the frequency responses moving like a heartbeat, they start getting nervous because everybody thinks it needs to be a straight line. But when you have a straight line with your heart, you are dead – nobody wants to be dead! [laughs]

Even with sound, if the sound is dead, you cannot make a difference no matter what instrument you hear. If you have a triangle or finger snap, it needs to have reflections. It’s a fantastic tool – they did a great job with it. It's fast – you have the report in five minutes. I like it very much!