Notes from the studio.
A running journal on residential audio-video, lighting, automation — and the craft of making technology disappear into a home.
Written by Michael Van Marel, founder, Matrix Digital Systems
Crestron, Savant, or Josh.ai? How to choose.
Three names show up on almost every plan we review in Orange County. A balanced comparison and a decision framework by project type — including why voice is usually a layer, not a replacement.
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Invisible speakers, honestly considered.
They used to be the compromise you accepted when the designer refused a grille. In the rooms where they belong, they are now the best speakers we install.
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When a touch panel actually makes sense.
A touch panel is the most powerful control surface in a smart home — and the most over-specified piece of hardware on almost every plan we review.
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The right moment to bring in the integrator.
The difference between a house that hides its technology and a house that apologizes for it is almost always decided before drywall.
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The quiet return of distributed video.
For a few years it looked like streaming apps would make matrix video obsolete. Instead, they made it essential again.
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Why whole-home audio still beats Bluetooth.
A portable speaker is convenient. A real distributed-audio system is something else entirely — and the difference is not subtle.
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Designing a cinema that disappears.
The best home theater is not the one with the most equipment. It is the one where you forget the equipment exists.
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Platform shades vs. the specialists.
Lutron and Crestron make excellent motorized shades. So do Hunter Douglas, QMotion, and Hartmann & Forbes. Which belongs on which window?
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