Our recording studio is based around an Apple Macintosh Mac Pro 12 core, running at 3.46 Ghz, fitted with 128Gb of RAM and 20+ Tb of hard disc recording. For easy editing we use 2 cinema displays and we’ve added two UAD Octo PCIe cards, seeing as we love using their plug-ins so much!

A Magma Digidesign EB7 PCIe expansion chassis adds 7 extra PCIe cards – beefing our Pro Tools rig up to HD6. There’s a full complement of UAD plug-ins, an essential selection from companies such as SSL Native, Antares, Waves, D16, SoundToys, Slate etc, as well as a vast and esoteric collection of weird and wonderful quirky stuff such as granular and glitch plug-ins for our more experimental clients.

We use the industry’s highest spec DAWs (‘Digital Audio Workstations’) – Pro Tools and Digital Performer, but we also offer Logic Pro. Mixdown is a hybrid of ‘in the box’ (where all audio remains in the computer) and juicy analog summing by Neve, courtesy of our 8816 summing mixer paired with the 8804 fader pack. This adds depth, character, clarity and pure meatiness to your project (but without harming any animals). Pure class!

Summing is the perfect scenario for recording studios in the 2020s, as clients are used to total recall in the studio and expect it. For returning clients, working this way means a fast-loading and precise recall of your last session – whether it’s from last week or 3 years ago – crucially allowing all time spent to be on improvements and changes to your music, rather than spending hours getting back to where you left off (still quite common in recording studios with large consoles – even the ones with automation).

Our recording chain is comprised of high-end vintage analog and state-of-the-art mastering level digital converters, bringing character and world-class quality to your recordings.

Our Neve 8801 is based on the classic 88R desk and brings a beautiful fat warmth to vocals, bass and acoustic guitars. For punchy, brighter sounding voices, drums etc we use the classic Neve 1073 DPX (stereo version). The 1073 is perfect for electric guitars and paired with a classic Royer 121 ribbon microphone, and/or a Shure SM57, brings fullness and an edge to your recordings – as aggressive as you like! What? Stop shouting! Our TL Audio Ivory 5051 mic pre gives a more modern approach for recording voices and instruments, but it’s 9 valve stages still add warmth and class. For pure retro lushness try our Siemens/Telefunken V72 mic pre, which paired with our Neumann M149 tube microphone is unbeatable for that unmistakably rich, full valve-tastic pro-studio sound.

The Neve 8801 and TL Audio have their own built in compression, gate and EQ, but the Neve 1073 uses an insert for outboard, allowing us to use external EQ and compression like the Tube-Tech PE 1C and ME 1A valve EQs, the famous SSL FX G384, classic Urei 1176 compressor or Drawmer LX20 to control the dynamics.

All audio is brought in and out of the digital domain through the Lynx Aurora 16 AD/DA converter via the Lynx AES 16e PCIe card – as used in mastering houses around the world. For those interested in digital clocking (and let’s be honest, who WOULDN’T be), all digital hardware in the recording chain is master-clocked from the Lynx, due to it’s superior specifications.

To print to DAW, we often send the Neve 8816‘s mix out into the GML 8200 equaliser, then into the SSL mix compressor and finally back into the computer via the Lynx ready for mastering.

Midi control is via a variety of keyboards,  including the Nord Stage 2 EX88, Roland A800 pro (control surface) and Kurzweil K2500X (with its unique ribbon controller). We also have a full complement of vintage analog, digital and FM synths, each with unique characteristics, all of which can be played into the DAW where they can be tweaked into oblivion!

To add classic and acoustic sounding keys to your recordings, why not use our original Fender Rhodes 88 ‘suitcase’ electric piano, or our Weber upright acoustic piano.

Click here to find out more about our complete range of keyboards and virtual instruments.