I Wasn’t Expecting That: Toronto's Magic Place

Studio Tour

We human beings love to learn - about people, music, science, and new cultures. It’s something we aspire to every day. What I learned about 793 Studios is that they’ve fostered a truly unique culture where professionalism, creativity, and enthusiasm go hand in hand.

On my most recent visit to 793 Studios in Toronto, Canada, there was a lot to take in!

Greetings and Meetings

I first met founder and executive producer Paul Irving, along with producer/audio engineer 'Product,' last year in our L&M Pro showroom while they were looking into some studio gear upgrades. A few years back, they acquired an SSL Origin console from us at LM Pro, so I already knew they were serious about audio recording - but I had no idea about the full scope of 793 Studios.

Feeling the Heat

I pulled into the parking lot on a blistering hot, sunny afternoon. From the outside, the building looked pretty unassuming - a standard commercial structure, with a long utility lane along the right side.

But what blew me away was the first sound stage production room Product took me into - or should I say, production hall. It was massive! I had no idea 793 had sound stages or production spaces capable of housing full film sets - and this was just a portion of the facility.

Apparently, a made-for-TV docuseries had just wrapped production. I can’t be sure of the room's exact dimensions, but I’d estimate you could fit two or three basketball courts in there. The ceiling looked at least two or three stories high. Product mentioned that just a week earlier, the space had been filled with multiple sets, actors, producers... buzzing with activity.

Next, we walked over to another sound stage equipped with must have been hundreds of high definition monitors arranged in a convex shape, with a hanging 'cloud' of screens above the central stage - designed for producing immersive or virtual-reality-style visuals.

Up on the second floor, there are also two video colour correction suites, meeting rooms, and a client presentation room.

It was becoming very clear: 793 is much more than just an analogue recording studio.

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Getting Into the Analogue Vibe

When we finally made our way to the recording studio, I was welcomed by the friendliest, group of gentlemen you could hope to meet. First was Junior Carelli - head of audio, followed by Thiago, who was mixing in the Dolby Atmos room. They made me feel instantly at home. There wasn’t a pretentious bone in the place.

The analogue tour started with an audio demo in the Atmos room. Thiago had a very modern, fresh-sounding track loaded up. The Atmos mix on the IK MTM monitors had a ton of kick, great definition and pleasing atmosphere. I really enjoyed Thiago's upbeat mix.

Back in the main mixing room, I was welcomed by the familiar layout of an SSL Origin console - the very same model we have in the LM Pro showroom. It’s a fabulous, flexible workhorse with that unmistakable SSL punch and clarity. Product played a track he was working on for a local female artist. Combined with their ATC SCM45 monitors, it sounded killer. I really liked his spatial mixing decisions and the depth of the vocals - deep beats, creative instrumentation... I told him as much! And I was thrilled to learn the artist was local. Product doing great things - taking local talent worldwide!

Although there’s no large tracking room in the analogue studio for drums (how about tracking a huge sounding John Bonham track on that massive soundstage hall hint hint) or for full live ensembles, there is a very spacious and comfortable vocal booth. It features multiple large TV monitors for dubbing vocals to film, and a window with excellent sight-lines to the producer’s chair for direct visual communication.

As a guitarist, I was personally excited by Paul’s impressive guitar collection on display. If anyone forgets their axe after a late night of networking, don’t worry - they’ll be in good hands here.

A History in Audio, TV, and Film Production

Over the years, the facilities at 793 Pharmacy Ave have been home to many international and Canadian film and television productions. It was once the site of MTV Canada and has hosted performances and recordings by Freddie Mercury, Johnny Cash, and John Candy, as well as films like Stanley & Iris (with Jane Fonda & Robert De Niro) and The Freshman (with Marlon Brando & Matthew Broderick).

There’s serious history in this building.

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Perspectives

As a music creator and artist/producer, I can say that while 793 Studios has all the tools and faculty for producing world class immersive visual production and colour grading capabilities, its heart continues beating to the rhythm of music. They proudly position themselves as a dynamic, creative team capable of producing a great range of original audio for any visual media.

I had a fantastic time talking music with the team. Junior’s musical brilliance really came through when they played me one of his original compositions for an action video sequence.

Services

Beyond music creation, 793 offers:

• IMAX immersive sound design
  
• Dolby Atmos & binaural mixing
  
• Sonic branding
  
• Foley
  
• Voice casting
  
• Sync supervision
  
• Mixing & mastering
  
• Live Atmos recording
  

When you realise that they do all of this under one roof, it’s safe to say: if you’ve watched TV, YouTube, or seen any commercials lately, chances are you’ve already heard their work.

Behind the Sound

Paul Irving – founder, executive producer | advertising strategist | composer | musician. Oversees studio partnerships and creative execution with deep agency insight.

Junior Carelli – co-founder, executive producer | head of audio | composer | immersive mixer | scoring and post LeadFive-time Best Keyboard Player in Latin America. Leads creative and technical direction for Dolby Atmos, film/TV post-production, and branded content.

Product – audio engineer specialist in urban, hip-hop, gospel, and spatial mix strategies.

James Lima – audio engineer | Dolby Atmos certified. Focuses on band, pop, rock, gospel, and Latin productions with a live-session energy. The pilot of the Atmos ship.

Troy – R&B songwriter (Sony). Brings original topline writing and vocal work to the studio’s commercial projects.

Looking to the Future

At the end of the day, I can honestly say that I had a wonderful time with the team at 793. A truly a class act team. From the massive sound stages and high-end video suites to the warm, welcoming analogue studio vibe - there’s everything you need here to take a project from concept to completion, start to finish, production to post, and beyond.

I’m very much looking forward to my next visit at 793 Studios!

Originally posted here.