Backbone

While it’s been the goal of the studio to create a hybrid facility with a myriad of outboard processors to give mixers and producers a very wide variety of colors, and artists to enjoy the use of some of the world’s best microphones, the backbone of any studio of this kind is the console, the monitors, and the converters.

(We do consider that the Hokey Pokey may be what it’s all about…)

Neve 8424 Analog Console with Motorized Faders

The AMS-Neve 8424 brings the classic Neve 80-series sound to the hybrid format, sans eq and dynamics which are supplied by 44 world-class outboard processors. With 48 channels of input and an additional 16 channels by way of the Rupert Neve Designs 5059 summing mixer with full recall, the console is clean with that subtle touch of goodness supplied by the famous Neve Marinair transformers.

The sound of this console is rich and full-bodied with an assertive midrange presence, impossible to duplicate with plugins alone.

For those who prefer the classic SSL sound, the transformers can be bypassed by way of the patchbay, directly through the converters, and treated with the outboard SSL processors in our arsenal.

Dutch & Dutch 8c Studio Monitors

The flagship mastering-grade 8c monitors in the control room are unlike any other speakers on the planet. Praised by critics and users for their exceptional neutrality, precision, and innovative room-matching technology, they offer a flat frequency response, pin-sharp stereo imagery, and highly detailed sound reproduction which translates remarkably well outside the studio.

Along with internal room-matching DSP, the vents on each side of the Dutch & Dutch cabinet output out-of-phase mid frequencies from the front-firing 8″ mid-woofer to form a cardioid midrange, drastically reducing harmful reflections from sound that is splayed off the walls. The 1″ tweeter is embedded in a large Minimum Diffraction Waveguide that ensures the high frequencies have the exact same timing as the mids, giving a constant directivity above 100 Hz. This is combined with their unique Boundary Coupled Bass. The twin 8″ subwoofers on the back  couple with the wall, to improve bass precision and minimize time-smearing.

The 8c monitors create a deep, tight, and impactful low end combined with smooth, relaxed, and highly detailed mids and highs, exceptional imaging, and a rich three-dimensional soundstage.

Lynx Aurora(n) Audio Converters

The Lynx Aurora(n) A/D/A mastering-grade converters are known for their exceptional, uncolored, and pristinely transparent sound quality.

With a total of 56 channels of conversion available (plus 8 ADAT), these units provide a totally  transparent and clean sound, adding no coloration to the source material.

What we want is to allow the color and character of the recorded tracks and virtual instruments, the console, and the outboard processors to be voiced with no inherent flavor from the converters.

The Lynx units also have a less than 3ms roundtrip latency, making them ideal for in- or out-of-the-box recording and mixing.