Building a Professional Custom Color Grading Suite from Scratch

June 6, 2025

What do you need to build a professional color grading suite from scratch? Post Professional Sam Lowe shares his in-depth design secrets.

Tutorials  /  Anatomy of a Grading Suite  /  Building a Professional Custom Color Grading Suite from Scratch
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How do you build a professional color grading suite? Sam Lowe shares his secrets…

Sam Lowe is a multi-talented man. Sound engineer, film score mixer, re-recording mixer, dialogue editor, and touring live sound engineer. He can do it all.

He also has a tremendous depth of experience building recording studios and professional-grade post-production suites from scratch.

In conversation with me (Kali Bateman) and Mixing Light CEO Patrick Inhofer, Sam shares his unique process of designing and setting up a color grading suite from start to finish.

Building a Color Grading Suite from Scratch

Professional color grading suites
Kali’s old color grading suite layout.

At the end of 2024, I needed to move my grading suite to a new facility, and it felt like the perfect time to rethink the entire setup.

I asked my husband, Sam Lowe, to help design, build, and set up my new suite. We talked at length about what worked in my previous suite and what didn’t.

Crucial details like:

  • Desk height
  • Desk depth
  • Cable management
  • Lighting
  • Client seating location
  • Light pollution from windows
  • Networking
  • System read/write speeds

Sam has many years of experience building recording studios and suites, wiring facilities, treating room acoustics, bespoke upholstery, building custom desks and mixing console furniture, creative lighting, designing, and fabricating custom parts with CAD and CAM software.

He has a mind for this stuff, plus 20 years of experience as a sound engineer to draw upon.

If you’re considering building your own suite, you’ll definitely come away with some solid ideas to apply to your environment.

Key takeaways from this Insight

By the end of this Insight, you should understand how to:

  • Consider the layout of a suite
  • The pros and cons of the different room configurations
  • Ergonomics of a desk and ease of access
  • The importance of managing lighting and controlling light pollution
  • Cable management and under-desk cable pathways to make access easier
  • The benefit of using a professional networking solution

Kali’s Studio Kit List

professional color grading suite design
Kali’s new custom grading suite design.

Kali’s new suite design.

The setup is designed to hot-swap between DaVinci Resolve and Baselight systems multiple times per day, with modular components that can be easily moved and reconfigured in other locations.

Video/Monitoring Equipment

Computing/Storage

Networking

Lighting

  • D65 bulb in adjustable lamp – for reference lighting
  • Smart switches – controllable via phone app

Physical Infrastructure

  • Custom-built modular desk with French cleat system
  • Cable management shelf integrated into the back of the desk
  • Acoustic panels (10mm thick) – mounted on the back wall
  • Raised platform/plinth with integrated cable channels
  • Fiber optic connections to the machine room

Software

Chapters

  • 00:00 – Introduction to the Color Grading Suite
  • 01:18 – Room Limitations and Layout Planning
  • 02:32 – CAD Design and Preparation Process
  • 03:23 – Building Experience and Ergonomic Considerations
  • 04:15 – Custom Desk Design and Modular Construction
  • 05:00 – French Cleat System and Cable Management
  • 06:23 – Modular Design for Easy Moving
  • 07:06 – Video I/O Setup and Blackmagic Equipment
  • 08:34 – Networking Infrastructure and Ubiquiti Setup
  • 10:35 – Server Setup and Ten Gigabit Networking
  • 11:14 – Hot Swapping Between DaVinci Resolve and Baselight
  • 13:13 – Control Surface Management and HDMI Routing
  • 16:03 – Existing Infrastructure and Cable Management
  • 17:09 – Platform Setup and Room Layout
  • 18:11 – Acoustic Treatment and Light Control
  • 19:07 – Bias Lighting and Reference Environment Setup
  • 20:31 – Client Lighting Solutions
  • 21:44 – Wrap-up and Resources

Questions or comments? Leave a comment!

Is this Insight useful to you? Let us know! Mixing Light is all about community discussions, and we’re curious if you found this helpful, if you have something to add, or if you have more questions you need answered?

– Kali

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Prev
Kali Bateman CSI
Insight # ML 1393
Type Video
Duration 22:29
Skill Level Beginner
Skills DaVinci Resolve FilmLight Baselight Hardware & Gear
Categories Behind The Scenes Breakdown FilmLight Baselight Hardware Review & Approval Suite Design
Series Anatomy of a Grading Suite

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