OK…all gear decisions are made and equipment has either arrived or is en route!  This is very exciting.

Here’s the news on the console selection.  We wanted to do something different from other studios.  But what to do?  Well…how about 2 consoles?!?

We’ve decided to keep the old analog ways alive, but also embrace the future, arms wide open.  The best way we can think to get the best of both worlds is to literally get the best of both worlds.  So ICON…meet API.  API…meet ICON!

 

API 1608 is where we’ve gone on the analog side of things.  It melds the classic API sound with modern, compact convenience.  Based on the classic API 1604 and loaded with all discrete 212L preamps (with 2520 op amps), 550A, 550B and 560 EQ’s it sounds amazing.

It has 8 buses, flexible routing possibilities, full centre section control, and we’ve added 8 more 3rd party preamps for different flavor.  It really is the ultimate front end for any digital recording medium.

 

Now back to the future.

As a compliment to the great analog front end, we’ve decided on AVID D-Control.  This is almost the best of both worlds by itself when it comes to the mix stage.  Here’s why…

 

These days many people are mixing in the box for convenience.  How about all the conveniences, like instant recall, that it provides, along with being able to spread your session out on actual faders while inserting real HARDWARE outboard on your channels from within the software?  That’s what the D-Control can do for you.

It’s like mixing in the Pro Tools world, where you never have to leave the sweet spot, but you still have the ability to get classic analog sounds and use classic analog gear.  If you decide you’d rather use a plugin on a certain channel, the parameters of the plugin spread themselves out on the console in front of you, giving you the tactile feel of real knobs and the ergonomics of working on a full format analog console.

So there it is.  Literally the best of both worlds.  This work flow covers everything for everyone and should appeal to the old school AND the new school engineers and mixers out there.

We’ll cover the 2 consoles, as well as other featured equipment of the studio, in more depth in upcoming entries.