The Studio
Just the other day someone asked us whether we were simply a bedroom getup or a professional studio. Bearing in mind the kind of image we’re trying to cultivate, this question kind of unsettled us a bit, and so we asked what had prompted them to inquire. And the simply answer was, “a lack of photos…”
So we have decided to post some pictures of our working environment to allow you to make up your own mind on whether we are a bedroom getup or a pro studio…
Picture 1. Inside the control room at the main console.
Here’s a photo of the main control room. Designed and built by Munro Acoustic back in 2006, this room is an absolute pleasure to mix/listen/record in. All standing nodes/waves and over reverberant qualities have been dampened into a smooth, short-tailed response across the frequency spectrum i.e. an average RT60 of under 0.25 seconds for all frequencies between 20kHz and 20Hz. This basically allows the listener to hear exactly what is happening in the mix without any sonic “colouration” from the room.
The room is also built on a floating floor to isolate any transfer between the Control Room and the Recording Studio.
In addition to all this, and so as to ensure that the perfect “sweet spot” for monitoring could easily be achieved for any listener, we acquired a pair of TS-1 floor monitor stands from TowerSonic. As well as allowing quick and easy adjustment of speaker height and direction, these stands also provide an amazing solution for disruptive resonant coupling i.e. any energy (usually from low/subsonic frequency transmission) that tries to spill over into the floor is drastically minimised by the special dampening units built into the base of these speaker stands. Plus, when the stands are filled with sand, they provide an amazingly stable platform that reduces the effects of backward ‘recoil’ as the speaker coil pushes energy forward, thereby minimising waveform transients so they no longer suffer lag… The result of which is an increase in the sharpness and definition of the resulting waveform that is being reproduced.
Picture 2. View from the Studio/Vocal Booth/Drum Room into the Control Room.
The inside of the Recording Studio… Again acoustically treated in a very similar manner to the Control Room i.e. standing nodes and reverberant qualities have been dampened into a smooth, short-tailed response across the frequency spectrum, with an average RT60 of under 0.20 seconds. This means a very dry sound for vocals and instruments alike can easily be obtained. Why is this a good thing? Basically… If you were to record a sound source in a highly reverberant room, the recording would obviously be tainted with natural reverb from the room. This can pose problems later… For example, when adding effects during the mixing phase, like reverb, chorus, compression, etc…, the recorded reverb can sometimes interfere with overall sound i.e. the reverb tail might upset the threshold at which a compressor might release. OR… If one was to need to add more reverb later, the recorded natural reverb of the room and the reverb effect can sometime interfere with each other. However, if a dry sound source is recorded initially, one will usually be able to add effects later without these or similar issues arising. The colloquialism, “You can always add, but you can’t take away…” perfectly fits the bill here.
From the junction box, coming out of the Recording Studio and going into the Control Room, we have a total of 10 channels, offering both XLR and Instrument line levels, which are divided into the following selection of Mic Pres:
2 x Focusrite ISA 428s (offering 8 channels of crystal clear sound)
The ISA 428 features four classic, transformer-based microphone pre amps with switchable impedance and direct Instrument Inputs, providing one with enhanced control and creativity allowing you to switch between four carefully selected input impedance settings. Basically the original ISA 110 setting is supplemented by three further impedance settings to either perfectly match the pre-amp with any microphone and maximise level, or to use different settings creatively to shape the sound of the microphone being used, giving a great tonal pallet from which to work.
2 x Neve 1081s (providing 2 channels of that classic Neve console sound that defined so many classic records back in the 60s, 70s and 80s).
Launched in 1970, the 1081 is the first choice of leading producers and artists, delivering the unique Neve sound on some of the most famous recordings of the past 40 years. The big, punchy sound of the 1081 complements any musical genre – from rock to pop, hip-hop to rap, thrash to classical. Handcrafted and completely hand-wired by Neve’s dedicated professionals in Burnley, England, the modern-day 1081 is produced to the exact specifications of the original modules. Considerable resources have been devoted to the acquisition of the original components to ensure the sound remains true.
And coupled with a great selection of microphones to work with:
2 x Neumann U87
1 x Neumann M150 Tube
2 x AKG C12
1 x AKG D112
3 x Sennheiser MD421
1 x Sennheiser MKH 416
1 x Sennheiser MKH 40
1 x Sennheiser MKH 30 which can be combine with any of the above Sennheiser mics in a and Rycote shell for MS stereo location recordings.
1 x Neumann KM140 (amazing for close miking instruments)
1 x Neumann KM143 (amazing for ensemble recordings)
3 x Sennheiser e614
2x Shure SM58
2x Shure SM57
2 x Beyerdynamic M201
…most sounds can be captured in hi fidelity and with great ease…
Picture 3. A view from the Recording Studio into the Control Room.
The window between the Recording Studio and the Control Room makes it easy to signal/maintain eye contact with musicians while talking to them via the TalkBack system… Plus, we are also able to distribute up to three separate mixes to 4 different headphone sets, offering tailored monitoring to suit each individual’s/performer’s/musician’s needs.
Outboard gear includes:
1 x TubeTech LCA 2B
2 x Drawmer DS201
2 x Lexicon MPX1
1 x Yamaha O2R96 (offering great selection of 24 Bit, 96kHz on board, built in FX)
1 x Neve 8816 Summing Amp
And various vintage analog synths… Too numerous to mention them all.
All that coupled with a complete selection of UAD2 plug ins, the complete Sonnox set of plug ins, the Waves Studio Classics Collection and Diamond Collections, and you know you’ve got a great comprehensive set of digital effects emulations with which to carve/mould/forge some great sounds from.
Plus with iZotope’s RX we now offer an Audio Restoration Service… So if you have any recordings, samples, or media that needs to be cleaned up, then please don’t hesitate to contact us.
And as if all that wasn’t enough… We acquired some of the best AD and DA converters available on the market today… Namely the Apogee AD16X and DA16X, which are both synced to an Apogee BigBen master clock to ensure a rock solid house sync between all of the digital units in the studio. This minimises jitter, keeps the stereo image as defined as possible and ensures near on perfect audio reproduction quality. Never has sonic digital reproduction sounded so good in a studio… Not even with a Pro Tools rig! And we should know… Because we also have a Pro Tools HD system in our editing/5.1 suite.
Picture 4. Someone's scrawling on the wall...
We also offer some really interesting and innovative sound design skills…
Basically, we use two ‘cutting-edge’ programs, which allow us to manipulate sounds in amazingly diverse and innovative ways i.e. modulating rhythms, tonal spectra or melodic forms, either simply using LFOs or more complex and obscure algorithms, such as fibonacci sequences, polynomial and iterative functions, or even data sets processes… And all in realtime:
1. Max/MSP 5
2. Kyma
Having been working with these programs for over 5 years now on a daily basis, we have become pretty well versed in designing patches to realize any sonic ideas that one might need to express… Whether you need advice on how to experiment in the field of algorithmic music and/or rhythmic flow, or if you simply want to modify and enhance tonal aspects of your sonic recordings to emphasize a particular motif that you have in mind, the only creative limits here are your imagination and sensibilities.
We “hope” that has somewhat set the record straight about where we stand between the modes of “bedroom getup” vs. “professional studio…”
For further information about anything we do and/or the services we provide, please feel free to contact us here.
