Activision Transforms Editing Bays with Sunset Audio Solutions

Activision transforms editing bays with Sunset Audio Solutions…

The upgraded facilities now feature high-end audio technology for superior sound production, acoustic excellence and enhanced functionality.

LOS ANGELES, CA - March 2025 - Sunset Audio Solutions has completed a comprehensive acoustic and visual transformation of the audio production studios at Activision’s new headquarters in Santa Monica, addressing significant acoustic challenges while creating spaces that reflect the iconic gaming company’s creative culture.

Following Activision HQ’s recent relocation from Los Angeles, the audio team faced serious obstacles in their newly installed prefabricated rooms. Despite appearing adequate on paper as 11-foot cubes with acoustic treatments, the spaces suffered from critical flaws: excessive high-frequency absorption, problematic cubic dimensions creating boxy sound and severe sound leakage between rooms.

“When I returned to the office after the pandemic, I found the rooms we were assigned in our new office to be unworkable for audio post-production,” explained Trevor Bresaw, Audio Engineer at Activision. “The rooms were square, standard grey corporate spaces, and to make matters worse, when I did a sound test, it knocked the picture frames off my neighbor’s walls! The sound transmission issues were exceptionally bad.”

Activision turned to the experts at Sunset Audio Solutions to undertake a comprehensive overhaul of the spaces to better meet their needs and high standards.

Sunset Audio Solutions stripped the existing structures to the studs, paving the way for a complete reimagining of the spaces. Lead acoustician Carl Yanchar devised sophisticated solutions to rectify the flawed acoustics without the excessive use of space, focusing on targeted adjustments to room geometry and surface materials.

The technical modifications included strategic removal of excessive soft surfaces, addition of bass trapping and doubling the wall mass to enhance sound isolation. High-quality reflective EQ panels and advanced insulation techniques were employed to fine-tune the audio clarity and resolve low-frequency issues. Mora Woodcraft’s master craftsmen executed the studio build and custom millwork with precision and attention to detail, ensuring that the technical solutions were implemented flawlessly. 

Complementing these technical upgrades, the design team partnered with Indio Design to redefine the visual theme of the studios. Drawing inspiration from Activision's storied brand legacy, the design features elements that celebrate both retro and futuristic aesthetics, ensuring the studios not only sound exceptional, but also accurately reflect Activision's innovative ethos.

The upgraded audio equipment in the rooms includes Grace M908 multichannel monitor controllers, Focal and PMC professional studio monitors, Rupert Neve preamps and Black Lion power conditioning units. Sunset Audio Solutions also employed Triad precision and custom mounting hardware for seamless equipment installation, professional patch panels for flexible signal routing and comprehensive lighting solutions - each carefully selected to match the studios' enhanced acoustic environment, ensuring pristine audio quality and reliability.

“Our design philosophy is centered on maximizing usable space while simultaneously resolving the inherent acoustic challenges of small, cubic room geometry,” explained Rich Avrach from Sunset Audio Solutions. “By applying targeted engineering solutions rather than conventional space-consuming methods, we delivered studios that sound exceptional without sacrificing precious square footage.”

"The transformation of these editing bays has not only solved our initial sound transmission issues but has significantly uplifted our overall audio production quality," said Bresaw. “The Sunset Audio Solutions team quickly understood the complexity of the issues related to the space and its location within the building, and developed a great plan to create the amazing workspaces we now have.”

By turning these challenges into opportunities for creative and technical advancement, Sunset Audio Solutions continues to set the standard for audio environment transformations.

"Working in these newly optimized spaces is a game-changer. The attention to detail and the customized solutions provided by Sunset Audio Solutions have made a tangible difference," concluded Bresaw. “I am incredibly thankful to Rich and the team for creating my first professionally built rooms. They sound and look amazing.”

For more information about Sunset Audio Solutions, visit sunsetaudiosolutions.com