Catharine Wood Builds the Next Chapter at Planetwood Studios

 

After spending more than two decades building a successful career in Los Angeles as an engineer, producer, composer, and mastering engineer, Catharine Wood has embarked on a new adventure—one that combines cutting-edge technology, intentional design, and the creative freedom to focus on her own artistic vision.

Nestled on 35 acres in Southern Colorado, the newly completed Planetwood Studios is far more than a relocation. It represents a carefully planned evolution of Catharine’s work, designed from the ground up to support immersive audio, remote collaboration, and the next phase of her career.

For Catharine, the move was both personal and professional.

“As my parents are in their late 70s and early 80s, it was always the plan to come back to Colorado at some point,” she explains. “I’m sixth-generation Colorado, so coming home was always part of the plan.”

After taking advantage of a strong Los Angeles real estate market, Catharine sold her Eagle Rock property and reinvested in creating a custom-built studio inspired in part by the legendary Caribou Ranch Studios in Colorado. Having already spent twenty years developing her career in Los Angeles, she was ready to create a space specifically designed around the way she works today.

One of the most significant additions to the new facility is a dedicated Dolby Atmos mixing environment. While her Los Angeles studio served her well for many years, it simply wasn’t large enough to accommodate a full immersive audio setup.

“The new studio is about four times the size of my old studio,” she says. “A dedicated Atmos station is the biggest addition in the new space.”

Designing for Creativity

Unlike many studio owners who hire architects and consultants, Catharine personally designed both the house and studio, drawing on years of experience building and operating professional recording spaces.

This time around, she wanted a room that encouraged creativity directly inside the control room itself. Her Yamaha U3 piano now sits in the control room rather than a separate isolation booth, making it immediately accessible during writing and production sessions.

The studio features a bright, open aesthetic, intentionally avoiding the dark, cave-like atmosphere often associated with recording studios. Remote-controlled blinds allow natural light to flood the room when desired, while carefully designed acoustic treatments maintain a highly controlled listening environment.

Every aspect of the workflow was considered—from custom machine rooms and climate control systems to extensive underground cable pathways that keep the space visually clean and organized.

“Cables stress me out,” Catharine laughs. “So they’re all underground here.”

Building an Atmos Future

Although immersive audio was unfamiliar territory when planning began, Catharine approached the challenge the same way she approaches her engineering work: by learning from experts and doing the research.

She collaborated with industry veterans including Charles Sprinkle of Kali Audio and Eben Grace of Grace Design to develop an Atmos system tailored to both her room and budget.

The result is a unique 7.2.4 Atmos environment paired with a dedicated stereo mastering station, both powered by a single Mac Studio M2 Ultra system.

Among her favorite additions is the Grace Design M908 monitor controller.

“It sounds unbelievable,” she says. “It’s completely bulletproof and gorgeous.”

The controller’s visual feedback system has become an invaluable tool when evaluating Atmos mixes and analyzing how other engineers are utilizing immersive formats.

A Different Kind of Studio

Unlike her Los Angeles facility, which often functioned as a commercial recording space for outside clients, Planetwood Studios is first and foremost designed for Catharine’s own work.

Today, much of her business is conducted remotely, with clients spread across Los Angeles, New York, Australia, and beyond.

The move has allowed her to create stronger boundaries between work and personal life while providing a peaceful environment that supports intense creative focus.

“The sheer size improvement makes the work experience really relaxed and no-pressure,” she says.

That focus has become increasingly important as her career continues to evolve.

Recently signing with Exploration Group for publishing representation, alongside partnerships with BMG and Universal, Catharine is concentrating heavily on building her own catalog of music for television and sync licensing while continuing her mastering and vocal production work.

Lessons From Building a Studio

Building a world-class studio from scratch comes with challenges, and Catharine is candid about the realities of construction.

As both designer and project manager, she encountered many of the common frustrations studio owners face, including contractor issues and the need to redo critical work.

Still, the experience reinforced the value of understanding the technical side of studio design.

Her advice for anyone considering building a professional studio today?

“Make sure you have a separate sub-panel for electrical and a separate thermostat for climate control.”

Those lessons were learned firsthand through years of operating studios and solving problems in real-world environments.

Looking Ahead

While Planetwood Studios already serves as an exceptional creative workspace, Catharine views it as a launching point for the future.

She plans to continue expanding her work in Dolby Atmos, mastering, vocal production, and sync composition while further establishing herself as a leader in immersive audio.

“I look forward to establishing the new Atmos work and my place as a leading engineer in Atmos,” she says.

Perhaps most importantly, the new studio gives her the space and freedom to focus on what matters most: creating music.

“The space is the best creative space I’ve ever worked in,” Catharine says. “Professionally, it’s a shiny new chapter.”

For an engineer whose credits span thousands of commercials, major television productions, Grammy-nominated projects, and decades of music production, Planetwood Studios isn’t simply a new facility—it’s the realization of a vision years in the making.

 

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