international sounddesign

In 1982, Stephan Konken met filmmaker and film professor Rüdiger Neumann, who introduced him to the world of

film. He then began taking on paid film sound projects. In 1984, the first film he worked on

premiered at the Berlinale. From 1985 to 1989, Konken studied visual communication at the University of Fine Arts.

During this period, he set up a precursor to the current studio, where various sound editing and small-scale

mixing projects were carried out. In 1988, KONKEN STUDIOS opened in new premises in the western part of

Hamburg. The studio quickly became a hub for national and international productions.

In 1992, Stephan Konken and Rüdiger Neumann pioneered the design of sound control rooms. A cinema-grade space was

created to ensure precise sound evaluation, leading to the construction of a large mixing stage that remains the

foundation for high-quality sound work today. This setup allowed for accurate control over the eventual cinematic sound during

the sound design process. Other studios followed suit years later by offering similarly large control rooms. In the

same year, the Dolby Digital sound format emerged and was promptly integrated into the studio. In the following

years, numerous films were worked on at the studio, earning recognition both in Germany and internationally. In 1998,

another part of the building was converted into a mixing stage, the voice-over studio was modernized, and a

dedicated Foley studio was added. Traditional analog editing rooms were replaced with digital Avid and Pro Tools workstations.

In 1999, the large studio was equipped with a digital mixing console (DFC by AMS), making KONKEN STUDIOS

the first in Germany to offer the Dolby Digital EX sound format. This was first used in the

production of "Käpt’n Blaubär," making it the second production in Europe and the first in Germany to utilize

this groundbreaking format. In addition to film productions, the studio also handled TV shows, commercials, documentaries, and DVD

projects. This led to the establishment of another studio optimized for these areas. In 2001, the studio had

its first collaboration with Sergei Bodrov, an Oscar-nominated Russian filmmaker. Since then, KONKEN STUDIOS has regularly worked on

Bodrov's films, solidifying its reputation for excellent sound editing in a collaborative, creative environment internationally. Over the years,

films from a wide range of countries have been worked on at the studio, including Sweden, Portugal, Korea,

Serbia, Denmark, Poland, Switzerland, Peru, Russia, Austria, Norway, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Ethiopia, and more.

In 2007, the studio worked on the sound design for "Mongol," a project comparable in scale to Hollywood

productions. The process involved hundreds of individual audio tracks, a year of work, countless premixes, and collaborations with

exceptional talents. This effort earned KONKEN STUDIOS the Nika Award and Golden Eagle Award for Best Sound Design

in Moscow in 2008. International productions value the studio for its high-quality sound design, the team's extensive experience,

creative dedication, and decades of expertise in solving the unique challenges of the film industry. For the film

"Upperdog," Stephan Konken received a nomination for Best Sound Design at the 2010 Amanda Awards, Norway’s national film

awards. In 2012, the short film "Raju," which received its sound design at KONKEN STUDIOS, was nominated for

an Oscar for Short Film (Live Action).

The studio’s jewel – the large mixing stage – is unparalleled globally. The studio's success lies not only

in its technical equipment but also in the meticulous acoustic design. The planning and construction, led by Rüdiger

Neumann and Stephan Konken in collaboration with THX, ensured exceptional sound quality through precise choices in wall distances,

soundproofing materials, and achieving short reverberation times.