In an interview with Pro Sound News Europe in 2001, founder and general manager Cristiano Solari explained the decision behind the ambitious setup: «As we wanted Marinastudios to be a cutting-edge facility, multichannel audio was chosen and this type of service with certified quality is synonymous with THX. When we began work on the project, THX’s new certification for small rooms – pm3 – was just starting and we were among the first in Europe to enter the music field. Although there are numerous DVD facilities with this type of certification, we’re pioneers as far as music is concerned and in fact have two types of playback system: one for 5.1 cinema and one for 5.1 music.»

Designed as a multifunctional, high-tech complex, Marinastudios featured five different recording rooms, ranging in size from 28 to 100 sqm and distinguished by their own acoustic signature, with the largest providing an ideal environment for live recordings with a public audience and tour rehearsals. The recording rooms were interconnected with the main control room, which was characterised by the highest possible standards in terms of acoustic performance, structural isolation, working area layout, audio monitoring systems and technical equipment.

In an effort to explore new solutions, the entire studio was built using original Soundblox masonry units. Initially adopted for highway noise barriers in the US, these structural concrete blocks have sound-absorbing properties thanks to their particular cavity-slot resonator construction. The initial idea was to integrate sound insulation and interior acoustics within a single solution. Three types of these blocks were available, each with different acoustic characteristics, and a specific assembly pattern was followed during the design process to combine them. The result in the control room is an environment that is highly absorbent and completely linear, with a reverberation time of approximately 0.3 seconds and a target insulation between rooms of 65 dB — a very high standard for this type of structure.