Show Off Your Studio – Part Five

Show us what your studio looks like via Facebook and we’ll show it to our massive audience. Thousands have – here are just three!

Arclite Productions

The Trident is easily the best thing at Arclite, although they have a wealth of other gear at the factory

Interviewee: Alan Bleay
Contact: ableay@arcliteproductions.com

Home or away?
It’s custom built and attached to my house. Travel consists of walking out the back door and into the studio.

Kit list?
The desk is a Trident Series 75 console, with four SSL 4000 E preamps; two SSL 500 series channel strips, a Heritage Audio 1073 and a Focusrite RED 7. We have loads of vintage and new outboard including a Roland Space Echo, WEM Copicat, two 1176 compressors, SSL Buss compressor clone, DBX compressors and gates and a Roland DEP 5. Various keyboards include a Philips Philicorda, Yamaha DX100, two Roland MKS7s, Roland JV-1080, Novation Bass Station, Arturia Mini- and MicroBrute, Yamaha A300, and a Korg MS20-mini. Monitors are KRK V8s, Dynaudio Acoustic BM 5As, Auratone 5Cs and AR18s.

We have a lot of pro backline: Marshall JMP 80, Fender Vibro Champ, Ampeg AV rig, MarkBass rig, various Yamaha drum kits, vintage Rogers kit, various vintage snares, and a large guitar collection. Mics include a Urei U87, sE 4400s, sE4s, Sennheiser MD 421s, Shure SM58s/SM57s and an AKG D12. And finally, a set of Orion Antelope Converters.

Which DAW do you use and why?
Logic Audio 9 – great for MIDI and editing. I write and record on this and normally mix on Pro Tools HD 9.

Favourite gear and why?
Our Trident Series 75 console – so warm with so much character.

How often do you use the studio?
Over 70 hours a week.

What do you use your studio for?
Recording, songwriting, producing bands, and writing and composing production music.

Any good stories?
One you can actually print was when I recorded audio for a theatre production. It turned out to be Felicity Kendal and Simon Callow and it was very weird hearing their voices coming out of our monitors and seeing them staring at me through the glass. They were lovely, by the way.

Perfect or room for improvement?
Apart from a massive live room to put all our backline in, I could always do with more kit. I have a list of 500 items I really want, and a set of high-end ribbon mics.

What is next on your shopping list?
Probably an sE Z5600a II tube mic. I have heard great things about it and could do with another vocal mic as an alternative to the U 87.

What is your dream piece of gear?
The GML 8200 Parametric EQ. It sounds so sweet on the top, is great to mix through, and very expensive.

Any advice?
Buy a high-end mic (like a U87) and a high-end preamp (Neve 1073). All your audio, especially vocals, will sound great. So don’t compromise on the audio path.

Movin’ Music Academy

Movin’ Music Academy has a production area…

Interviewee: Jonny Delaney
Contact: theboytheycalljonny@gmail.com

What are the key components?
A Mac running Ableton, Logic, Reason and Massive; Focusrite LE card; Yamaha mixer and S03 synth; Mackie RM8 monitors; Novation Launchkey, MiniNova synth; Jen SX-1000 synth; NI Maschine and Maschine Kontrol; Dave Smith Mopho synth; Roland RD-300d digital piano and a bass guitar. DJ gear includes Pioneer CDJ-2000, DJM 800 mixers; iPads with Traktor, Kaoss Pad, Kaossilator, Technics DJ turntables and Kontrol X1.

Which DAW do you use and why?
Ableton because of its flexibility and ability to handle anything I throw at it. It is also a great program to teach music production with, even though it’s one of the most advanced DAWs on the market.

… and a DJ area as well

Perfect yet?
The main thing I intend to do is to make sure that all hardware can be reached and used from the DAW. Unfortunately it’s tricky to use some of the synths comfortably because of a lack of space in the studio

Dream piece of gear and why?
An RMI harmonic synth – really unique sound. It also looks incredible!

Any advice?
Take your time and only buy what you need to get started. Learn how to use it before buying more otherwise you’ll waste a lot of time and money.

The 77TM Project

Send us as high a resolution shot as you can people!

Interviewee: Christian Gjelstrup
Contact: gjelstrup78@gmail.com – www.facebook.com/77tm.music

Home or away
Being partners in crime, love and music we have our studio at home (taking up half of our apartment).

Main components?
Roland JP-4, SH-5, SH-09, TR-808, TR-606, MKS-50 and SRV-2000; Polivox; ARP Odyssey; Korg Microkorg, VC-10, MS-20, SQ-10, SDD-3000 and KP3; Ensoniq ESQ-M and DP4; Oberheim Matrix 6; Moog Source; Yamaha CS-10 and DX200; Simmons SDS 8; Vermona DRM1; MFB 503; Tama Techstar TS-305; Pearl Drum-X; JoMoX AirBase-99; and Adam A5s and sub.

Which DAW?
Ableton because of its flexibility and how it invites playfulness. We have been happy Logic users in the past.

Favourite gear?
The Jupiter 4 has a special place – just the most amazing character and the best LFO ever. I’m a big fan of the vintage feel of the VC-10 and crazy sound of the Polivox.

Tell us about the Polyvox?
We saved it from a bar in Poland where it was used as decoration. Then it failed on us just before a gig in an old Berlin factory!

What is your dream piece of gear?
CS-80, 4-Voice, Maxi-Korg 800DV and Syntex. They have so much soul.

Any advice?
Pay attention to the weakest link. Get knowledge with experience rather that watching YouTube. Don’t think your music will be better if you just had this or that piece of gear.