“What is this place?”
That is word-for-word the most common phrase we hear from first time visitors :)
Situated on the 40 acre property of a 200 year old former strawberry farm, we have spent many years here creating an environment where we can live and pursue our creative work, free of distractions. Surrounded by forest and bordering on a large tidal lake, visitors inevitably remark that it seems almost magical and impossible that a place like this exists — we’ll take that as a compliment!
In 2017 we finished construction of the first (and currently only) Northward Acoustics FTB mastering suite in Canada. And in 2019 we created Owl & Otter and The Boathouse, to share a bit of what we have here as a destination for retreats and special events. Since then we have hosted hundreds of guests from all over the world.
All the while we’ve been running daily mastering sessions, listening sessions for visiting audio professionals, and hosting working stays from visiting mixing engineers. At some point it became clear that what many of our visitors were actually yearning for was the vacation / retreat experience of The Boathouse, combined with time in the studio, and the idea for Working Vacations was born.
So that is what we are offering here — a 4 day stay for mixing engineers and producers to settle in, relax in a unique waterfront space, and work on their own projects in a room at the avant-garde of studio design.
How to get here
Remote yet globally connected, we regularly host visitors from all over the world. Located on the Atlantic coast of Canada, we’re just a 30 minute ride from Halifax Stanfield International Airport, with daily flights to and from all major centres in Europe and North America.
What’s included?
4 days in our studio and 4 nights in The Boathouse.
Who is it for?
Mixing engineers and producers with a desire to work on their own projects in a Northward Acoustics FTB control room.
Where do I stay?
You’ll stay on-site in The Boathouse, our waterfront eco-cabin located on the edge of Lawrencetown Lake, a salt water tidal estuary connected to the ocean at Lawrencetown Beach. Suitable for 1-2 guests, it is a one minute walk from our mastering studio.
Since opening, The Boathouse has hosted musicians and producers, film and television professionals, writers, visual artists, surfers, and travellers from all over the world.
This 260 sq foot space has been designed to be as water smart as possible. The shower receives its water from a 750L storage tank filled from a naturally spring fed well. The water is heated with a propane on-demand system. The sink has a marine hand water pump that pumps its fresh water from an under counter tank, and used water is emptied, filtered and used for the garden. The final piece of the puzzle is the modern Swedish composting toilet that requires no water at all. So while the average human uses up to 300L of water a day, at The Boathouse we aim for a daily average of 40-50L per person.
The house sleeps two, with a queen bed in the main living space. The cozy loft has lights and pillows for reading and relaxing.
The kitchen features a mini fridge, hot plate, electric kettle, toaster/convection/air fryer oven. The kitchen is equipped with everything you'll need for light food prep, and a broad variety of food is available for delivery if you prefer not to cook.
The house has a small electric heater located in the bathroom, however its main source of heat is the high efficiency wood stove. We provide all the firewood you need. There is also a small, modern fire pit located on the lake edge for outdoor lounging.
No air conditioning is required for those hot summer days, just open the sliding patio doors or crack a window for beautiful salty breezes off the lake.
You’ll have private access to the entire building, deck, dock and surrounding lawn. You also have access to our 40 acre property with shared walking trails, pond, mini waterfall, lakeside meditation deck and more. Trail maps are found inside The Boathouse.
Nearby attractions
Winter surfing at nearby Lawrencetown Beach (rentals and lessons available). Hike our 40 acres of private forest and waterfront trails, with eagles, otters, deer and other abundant wildlife. Visit Halifax and the historic waterfront. Or just relax by the woodstove and enjoy the calm at The Boathouse.
“Unbelievable.”
“The stereo image, the definition of the sound spectrum, the richness of the harmonics, the depth of the image, the phantom center, the clarity and depth of the low frequencies—everything was breathtaking. I was immersed in the music. I felt the depth of field in the music like never before. It was perfect. Simply perfect.
Honestly, by far the most satisfying listening experience of my life. I was in shock.
I know I have a good control room with good listening skills. I’ve also worked in several good control rooms in my life.
But honestly, this one surpasses them all, and it’s nothing subtle.”
Luc Boivin, Studio Red Tube
FAQ
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It is expected that visiting engineers will be working ITB (in-the-box), and bringing their own computer system. Most bring laptops, but tower or rack units work too. You’ll patch into our system via a digital audio output or network connection from your computer. We can accommodate almost anything and we’ll discuss the technical details during the booking process. Once you arrive we'll help you get setup, and we’ll be on call 24/7 should any technical questions arise.
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Yes, just send us a message via the form below and we can discuss the options.
Let’s talk!
We’d love to hear from you before you book to answer any questions and make sure it’s the right fit for you. Send us a message via the form below, or email emily.dempsey@archivemastering.com.