Our facilities

Industry-standard campus facilities at a historic location, including 30+ recording and production studios for music, film and visual effects.

Your technological playground

In the creative media metropolis of Berlin, eight minutes on a tram from Ostkreuz past an industrial landscape of concrete factories and power stations, the iconic and historic Funkhaus complex looms into view.

Our riverside campus at Funkhaus is part of the historic building that was once home to the GDR’s broadcasting station and was one of the world’s largest multi-studio complexes during the Soviet era.

Our industry-standard facilities are built with one thing in mind: maximising ‘hands-on’ access to doing what you love. Think of it as your very own technological playground.

Here’s a quick summary of the highlights:

  • 35 recording and production studios for music, sound, film and visual media
  • Five computer labs, each one with 16 Mac workstations
  • Electronic music performance space with stage and spatial sound
  • 15 visual effects PC workstations
  • Film studio with green screen
  • Cinema (under construction)
  • Theatre
  • A radio broadcast space, home to our student-run radio station Etikett Radio
  • Over 3000 bookable items of tech equipment for music, sound, film and visual media production
  • Kitchen with free coffee and tea
  • Riverside location

That said… Although our spaces are fully equipped with the latest technology, we believe that creativity is king. The latest technology is just another tool. What matters is how you build and develop your creative muscle as you learn to use those tools.

Music & Sound facilities

Studios & production spaces

29 studios and production spaces for music and sound, including:

  • 3 full recording studios with control room & production suites from GDR era
  • a mastering studio from GDR era
  • a large electronic music mixing studio from GDR era
  • a Dolby Atmos suite (under construction) from GDR era
  • a multi-channel suite from GDR era
  • 8 large production suites from GDR era
  • 12 compact production suites
  • an electronic music performance space with stage and spatial sound
  • a radio broadcast space for our student-run radio station Etikett Radio

Scroll through some of our favourite studios below:

Mixing consoles

Our mixing consoles include an SSL Origin and a Trident 88 Classic 24-channel analogue desk, with numerous control surfaces for mixing with DAW.

SSL Origin in our K4 studio at Catalyst.

DAW & controllers

Multiple digital audio Mac workstations with main DAW softwares including Pro Tools, Logic, Ableton Live, Push 2, NI Traktor, NI Maschine and other MIDI controllers.

Instruments

Choose from acoustic and electric guitars and basses, amplifiers, drum kits, and an upright Yamaha or Steinway piano.

Synthesisers

We have a huge selection of hardware synthesisers covering both east and west coast synthesis. These include keyboards, euro-rack systems, mono synths, poly synths and Serge modular systems.

Drum machines & sequencers

Our vast range of drum machines and sequencers from brands such as Elektron, Korg, Doepfer, Arturia, and Roland offer you limitless possibilities for performance and recording.

Producer and performer Charlie Baldwin aka Cocktail Party Effect

Effects pedals

Aside from the hardware signal processing in our studios, we have a vast array of effects units, guitar pedals, and signal processors so you can find exactly the delay, reverb, flanger, ring modulator, or overdrive that you like.

Microphones

More than 85 microphones from brands such as AKG, Aston Origin, Audio Technica, Audix, Avantone, Beyerdynamic, Bluebird, Coles, Electro-Voice, Heil, Mojave, Neumann, Oktava, Peluso, Rode, Sennheiser and Shure.

Audio software and plug-ins

Our software, effects and audio manipulation tools include Max MSP, Sonnox, Izotope Music Production Bundle, Native Instruments Reaktor, VCV Rack, Pure Data and Softube.

Film, Visual Media & Acting facilities

Film studio

Black box film studio with two-sided infinity wall green screen and overhead lighting rigging, used by our film and visual effects students.

Acting studio

Although you’ll find our actors filming all over Funkhaus and across Berlin, this is the space they call home. It's used for movement work, acting and camera workshops and rehearsing.

Post-production suites

Six bookable post-production suites for all your editing needs.

Visual effects workstations

15 visual effects PCs, drawing tablets and a suite of industry-standard software, with dedicated editing, sound, and visual effects post-production suites.

3D asset class in the LightRoom as part of the Visual Effects degree programme.

Film & Visual Media tech shop

Borrow everything you need to shoot films, including camera, lights, stands, grip and accessories. For all your visual effects needs, we have graphic tablets, motion capture equipment, high definition projectors and VR headsets.

Vocal studios

Mix suites for voiceover and dubbing work.

Over 1400 bookable items

Aside from the tech shop goodies listed above, we have fog machines, gimbals, dollies, gels, flags, stands, grip gear, cabling and expendables, props and costumes, an extensive DVD library and free access to streaming platforms.

Location, location, location

Shoot and rehearse at our huge range of atmospheric, industrial and historic locations in and around Funkhaus, from original mid-20th-century to minimalist concrete.

Community spaces

When you're not busy working hard on your latest production, you are going to need somewhere to take a breather. We've got you covered with both indoor and outdoor solutions, depending on the weather.

Funkhaus facilities

The Funkhaus complex also houses a range of creative industry spaces and practitioners including two world-class recording halls, large-scale live venues, clubs, recording studios, visual artists, immersive music experience MONOM, regular TV and film location shooting, music festivals and our own internationally unique learning institute. 

Recent acts to perform at Funkhaus include Nils Frahm, Aphex Twin, alt-J, Depeche Mode, Kendrick Lamar, Bon Iver, LCD Soundsystem and the fabulous People Festival.

Catalyst Berlin Music Tech Valerio Massucci

Technical services

Everything you need to know about our Music & Sound and Film & Visual Media tech teams and how they can help you.