Firehouse 12live performance space and recording venue with ADAM S3A Speakers

Firehouse 12, brings a unique combination of live performance space and professional recording studio to New Haven’s thriving Ninth Square. A long-time goal of musician/ producer/engineer Nick Lloyd, this intimate venue/studio represents a meaningful option for performers and recording artists.

With a little help from John Storyk

“I’ve known this building since my days as an undergraduate at Yale,” Lloyd says. “It has all the prerequisites for a successful venue, and developing its live recording potential dramatically increases our prospects. Architect/acoustician John Storyk’s world-class reputation immediately establishes a high level of credibility for our recording capabilities. He’s developed some terrific design ideas, including an extraordinarily effective warped three-dimensional plywood membrane absorber for the live room ceiling. The custom-designed glass doors he recommended double as oversized windows, providing perfect sightlines in every direction between the two large iso booths, and the live and control rooms.
“John also worked really well with Gray Organschi Architecture, the local firm that worked with us on the building restoration, studio and residential quarters upstairs. We’re very optimistic about the impact we can have on the local and and regional recording scene, as well as the international community of improvising musicians.”

An alternative to sampling and desktop recording trends

Built for contemporary music audiences of all genres, with a focus on jazz, improvised and indie rock, Firehouse 12 plans to establish itself as the performance space in New Haven for adventurous music. The intimate 1200 sq. ft. Live Room is designed to envelop 80 + audience members within Connecticut’s only six-channel surround sound environment. The venue has also been outfitted with a complete professional recording studio.
“With 18 ft. high ceilings and solid construction dating back to 1904, this building has earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places,” John Storyk said. “We immediately recognized its terrific inherent acoustics. The idea of helping Nick Lloyd create a club with a Knitting Factory or 930 Club (also acoustically fine-tuned by WSDG) level of influence was an interesting challenge.”
“The music industry may be poised for a resurgence of live recording, and this club is positioned as a real alternative to the sampling, and desktop recording trends that have impacted so dramatically on the studio scene in recent years,” Storyk adds. “Nick Lloyd’s Firehouse 12 provides a lively and extremely cost-effective opportunity for recording artists to draw inspiration from their audience. It will be very interesting to hear the music that develops here.”