A Professional Audio Suite. Installed in 10 Days.
How Rodeo FX Brought World-Class Sound to the Heart of Their Creative Floor
Film & VFX Production
Montréal, QC
Executive Summary
The Bottom Line
Rodeo FX, one of North America’s most awarded VFX studios, needed a professional-grade audio environment, fast, with zero tolerance for construction disruption or long-term lease complications. MECART delivered a full audio suite (studio and control room) within a 32′ x 12′ x 8′ footprint, operational in 10 days. No dust. No downtime. No permanent modifications. A result that traditional construction simply could not have matched.
From delivery to operational
32′ x 12′ studio + control room
Professional-grade acoustics
Client Context
Who Is Rodeo FX?
Rodeo FX is a world-class VFX studio with credits on Dune, Game of Thrones, and The Rings of Power. Their Montréal studio is home to hundreds of artists and technical professionals working on some of the most demanding productions in the industry.
As their audio production needs evolved, the team set out to relocate and expand their audio suite, bringing it closer to the creative floor where collaboration between sound and visual teams could happen in real time.
The Challenge
Built for Speed. Bound by Constraints.
The new audio suite would live inside an open-plan creative space within a heritage building in Montréal’s Old Port, an environment that posed three distinct challenges:
- Irregular architecture from an older building made remote planning nearly impossible without disrupting active operations.
- Traditional construction was ruled out. Weeks of work, multiple trades on-site, dust, and noise would have paralyzed the surrounding creative teams.
- Minimizing downtime between the old and new location was critical. Every day offline meant production delays.
And because the space is leased, permanent structural modifications were simply not an option.
The Solution
Rethinking What Studio Construction Can Be
MECART approached this project the same way it approaches every build: by designing the solution around the client’s operational reality, not around what’s easiest to build.
3D LiDAR Scanning: Planning Without Disruption
To account for the existing building geometry, MECART conducted 3D LiDAR scans of the space. This allowed the entire suite to be designed remotely, with precision, without anyone needing to be on-site and without interrupting ongoing production.
Modular Prefabrication: Built Offsite, Installed Fast
All walls, ceilings, and floors were prefabricated at MECART’s facility, using a proprietary assembly system that integrates damping and insulating components for high-performance acoustic isolation. What arrives on-site is essentially ready to install.
Classified as Equipment, Not a Tenant Improvement
Because the system is modular, it is classified as equipment rather than a permanent tenant improvement. This has direct implications for lease flexibility, asset management, and long-term optionality. Rodeo FX retains full mobility.
“The studio and control room were installed and operational within 10 days, a timeline that would have been simply unachievable with traditional construction.”
Ready to Build Yours?
Your studio. Built in days, not months. No construction, no downtime, no permanent modifications.
Execution
Delivered With Precision. No Surprises.
MECART managed each critical phase of the project on a tight schedule, with limited contingency windows. The project required careful coordination across design, fabrication, logistics, and on-site installation, all while Rodeo FX’s surrounding teams remained fully operational.
- 3D LiDAR scanning completed remotely, preserving day-to-day production continuity.
- All prefabrication completed offsite, eliminating the noise, dust, and trade congestion of conventional construction.
- On-site installation completed in 10 days, with the suite fully operational at handoff.
- Zero permanent structural modifications to the leased space.
Results & Impact
A Studio That Performs on Every Dimension
The completed audio suite gives Rodeo FX a professional, high-performance sound production environment positioned directly within their creative floor. The results go beyond acoustics:
- Operational continuity: Production teams experienced no meaningful disruption throughout the build.
- Speed to value: The suite went from delivery to fully operational in 10 days.
- Collaboration: Physical proximity to the VFX teams enables real-time creative alignment between audio and visual production.
- Acoustic performance: High-performance sound isolation allows the studio and open-plan floor to coexist without compromise.
- Future-proof and relocatable: The modular system can be disassembled, relocated, or expanded as business needs evolve.
- Sustainability: Built from up to 90% recyclable materials, aligned with Rodeo FX’s environmental commitments.
Why It Matters
The Takeaway for Similar Organizations
For creative studios and media organizations operating in leased, open-plan, or historically sensitive environments, the Rodeo FX project demonstrates a proven alternative to conventional construction.
When speed, acoustics, operational continuity, and lease flexibility are all non-negotiable, modular is not a compromise. It is the solution.
This approach is directly applicable to any organization building or relocating audio, broadcast, or creative production spaces within an active work environment.
Key Differentiators
Why MECART and Not Someone Else
Operational by Design
Every decision in this project was made around keeping Rodeo FX running, not around construction convenience.
LiDAR-Enabled Precision
Remote 3D scanning allowed accurate, customized design without a single site intrusion during active production.
Proprietary Assembly System
MECART’s wall, ceiling, and floor systems integrate acoustic damping and insulation as a built-in standard, not an afterthought.
10-Day Installation
No general contractor could have matched this timeline. MECART’s prefab model exists specifically to compress on-site time.
Equipment Classification
The modular approach gives clients financial and operational flexibility that permanent construction can never offer.
Sustainability by Default
Up to 90% recyclable materials, with a system designed to be relocated rather than demolished.
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MECART | North America’s Modular Studio & Acoustic Enclosure Specialists | mecart.com
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