Room combinations and operational considerations 231 they needed a good live room and a vocal room which would not colour the sound. The second control room was not intended to be used for serious mix- ing purposes, but it should be neutral enough to make a good editing room and to be able to function as a control room for overdubs or dialogue replace- ment. In Figure 8.5, it can be seen that Control Room Two has an adjoining Studio Two, which is only large enough for one musician and instrument at a time, or perhaps a trio of backing vocalists, but this room also had to serve as a third recording space for Control Room One. The problem was that Studio Two would best serve Control Room Two if it were a room which was as dead as the ones shown in Figure 5.19, but Control Room One already had such a room adjacent to it, so doubling up on such rooms would seem to serve little purpose. It was eventually decided to make Studio Two a bi-directional room, which could serve as a relatively dead room when being used with Control Room Two, but would have more life when used with Studio One. It was presumed that when being used as an extension to Studio One, the musicians would be facing Control Room One, and when working with Control Room Two, the musicians could face the opposite direction without losing visual contact with Control Room Two. Figure 8.6 shows the idea in more detail. The main problem with this option was how to make a small room with the required brightness, but without the boxiness which usually accompanies such designs. 8.3 Isolation considerations: doors and windows