Equipment: Big Range of Valve & Class A outboard
Preamps, External EQ's & Compressors. Alongside the mics, these are the most important part of the recording chain.
Where others studios 'make do' during big sessions, we have enough channels of high-quality outboard to insure that even the 'least significant' elements of a recording are treated with the same respect a lead vocal would be.
Think of a preamp, as doing for sound, what the lens on a camera does for light. Home recording setups use the equivalent of instant disposable camera lenses. We're using what the paparazzi use for their long range shots:)
We have a mountain of high-end units from Focusrite, TLaudio, Drawmer, Digitech & others. These things give your mic signals that all important clarity, punch & warmth, before they hit our apogee A/D converters. Without all this stuff, digital can sound too sterile.
Full Equipment List
Desk:
32 flying fader Digidesign Procontrol Desk, controlling Digidesign 192 track Pro Tools HD4 rig, with 32 channels of simultaneous Apogee AD/DA Conversion, running on a Mac Dual 2.5ghz G5, & capable of 10 independent Cue/headphone mixes.
Software:
Pro Tools 7.4 HD, Reason 2.5, Live7, Logic8, Cubase SX 3.1, Peak, Toast.
Plug-ins: Sony Oxford, Cranesong, Focusrite, Bomb factory, Altiverb, Autotune, Waves, Drawmer, TC Electronic, Digidesign, Massey, Line6 + others.
Monitoring:
JBL 4208s powered by Quad 303 amp. ADAM active. Laney Wedge monitors x3. Multiple headphones
Outboard:
- Drawmer 1960, 2 Channel Valve Preamp/Compressor x2
- TL Audio EQ1 , 2 Channel Valve Mic Pre/4-band EQ x3
- TL Audio EQ2 , 2 Channel Valve Mic Pre/Mastering 4-band EQ
- TL Audio 5051 Mono Valve Channel Strip x6
- Focusrite Green Focus EQ Preamp/EQ x4
- Focusrite Green Voicebox (pre/eq/comp) x2
- Digitech VTP1 2 Channel Valve Preamp/EQ
- TL Audio 5001 4 Channel Valve Preamp
- Aphex 2 channel Aural Exciter
- Scintillator 2 Channel Aural Exciter x2
- Digitech 2 Channel, programmable Analog Graphic EQ
- Peavey 2 Channel Graphic EQ
- Lexicon PCM90 Reverb Unit
- TC Electronic Finalizer Mastering Processor x2
- Sampson 5 channel headphone amps x6 + DI Boxes, Power Soaks etc
- Moveable Auralex Foam Wedges
Mics:
Neumann U87x2 , Neumann TLM 103 x3 , AKG C3000 , SM57x5 , Beta 57 , SM58 x2
Audio Technica ATM25 x5 (Tom Mics) , AKG D112 Kick Mic , AKG C451(CK1 Capsule) , AKG C1000 , Pure1 x2 (Neuman copy) plus various other assorted mics inc 2x PZM Boundry Mics.
Mastering:
TC Electronics Finalizer + High End Valve Eq + Waves Plugins Suite.
Tascam DA30 Dat Machine, Internal CD & DVD burners.
Instruments/Amps:
Fender/Charvel/Fernandes/Yamaha/Kramer Guitars, Various Valve Amps (Vox, Marshall, Sovtek, ADA), Korg MS20 Analog Monosynth, Oxygen8 Midi Controller Keyboard.
Rooms:
2 Dedicated Live Areas, Large Control Room, TV/Kitchen Area, Annex, all connected by multicore
