Analogue vs Digital

[IDTA]

If you'd be in the position to design a hi-tech studio stuffed with top gear. What would you do.

The digital option with top Protools rig or other system? Digital console like Neve DFC or SSL. Or just a controller like Icon. Why need a big console without total recall and all its functions today. Patchcables are history.

The analogue option.. vintage stuff. Neve VR, Ssl 4k, tubes all over the place. 2 ich Studers, EMTs etc.. You ar not able to make sound on digital consoles..

It has to be freelance friendly, and for mixing and recording a big liveroom

What would you do..

[CherryFive]

Analog. Actually, 60s/70s analog. I'll tell you why: Dark Side of the Moon

[heathen]

Digital and analog, use both.

Heath

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by IDTA

If you'd be in the position to design a hi-tech studio stuffed with top gear. What would you do.

I would concentrate on the stuff that you can't buy but ultimately makes or breaks a studio: Great sounding rooms, good atmosphere, knowledgable and musical engineering, easy workflow with good headphones, etc , a 'sonic signature' that will give people a reason to record at your place instead of every other place in town with the same 'great' gear authorized by the gear community/police.

The last thing a customer cares about is whether your patchcables are history or not. Though I doubt that they'll be very impressed when you're lying flat on your back behind the rack trying to re-patch a compressor.

[Drumsound]

If I was opening a commercial room to attract freelancers besides, the big room, and lots of instruments and amps, I'd have a totally hybrid and sync-able. PT with tons of I/O, a 2" deck, I big console, probably an SSL if I was really trying to get a lot of mix work. A Neve 80 series or API if the focus was more for tracking. A huge mic collection and lots of outboard. Now if the room was more of a semi private production facility I'd just get whatever I wanted to use and worked with my budget, which is what I did.

[IDTA]

Anyone tried new Neve DFC's? They say it sounds analogue, super hi samplerate processing, remote pre's etc..
Could you work on one of those, or would you go for the oldschool SSL, Neve or API...

[XSergeantD]

Depends on your business plan, who your clientelle will be, location, size, budget, ... This was what we wnt thru while planning this studio. We know our clientelle and have worked with them for many many years
you can check the studio link below and check others links for their studios to see what people are doing.
As for our studio
SSL 9K, Neve VSP, HD5s (7 if requested), plugins, outboard, A827s, EMT140, ...
You can get the full spec from the site's pdf link, but it's ultimately up to you to come up with you own business plan and how to make yourself a small fortune in the recording industry (the easiest way is to start out with a large fortune)

[IDTA]

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

Depends on your business plan, who your clientelle will be, location, size, budget, ... This was what we wnt thru while planning this studio. We know our clientelle and have worked with them for many many years
you can check the studio link below and check others links for their studios to see what people are doing.
As for our studio
SSL 9K, Neve VSP, HD5s (7 if requested), plugins, outboard, A827s, EMT140, ...
You can get the full spec from the site's pdf link, but it's ultimately up to you to come up with you own business plan and how to make yourself a small fortune in the recording industry (the easiest way is to start out with a large fortune)

Amazing place.. looks really good. What was the motivation to go for 2 9K's instead of one digi console?

[XSergeantD]

Just 1 9K and 1 VSP.
Unfortunately the console purchases were made before Zoe and myself came onsite or we would have done 2 9Ks. The clients we worked with since the 90's and/or earlier at The Hit Factory and Avatar were who our target audience and we know what gear they look for and what service they want . I put in an Axiom in Studio 4 at Hit and replace it less than 6 months later. Meanwhile studio 5 was converted from mastering suite 5 to studio 5 and had a Sony Ox3rd installed, then later I stuck a Euphonix System 5 in there. Digital consoles just weren't a hit for our clients at the time. Maybe nowadays more engineers may look differently at the workflow thru them, but we've never had an engineer complain about NOT having a dig console.

[wwittman]

I recently did spec out a room...

for a truly world class studio I'd put a big discrete Neve or API in a tracking room with a live room and lots of iso booths.
2 24 track 2" A800's AND PT HD

for a mix room I'd probably reluctantly put in an SSL 9k, again with both 48 tracks of analogue and the ProTools with lots of D-A outputs to the desk.

and of course lots of outboard and mics and great monitoring (which to me , means either Augspurger or Hidley)

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by XSergeantD

Maybe nowadays more engineers may look differently at the workflow thru them, but we've never had an engineer complain about NOT having a dig console.

Nope that hasn't changed a bit.

Just the learning curve on a digital console alone will set you back hours.

That was always an issue with the digital Neve over at Right Track.

It was cheaper to book the room but no one really new the console that well.

[IDTA]

Anyone experience on a Neve 88D?

[u b k]

big helios with aeron, studer a800, usual suspects of pre-80's compressors and neumanns, 2 x mono 140's, 2 x lex 42.

modern nearfields (probably atc's), ns10's, soffit-mounted urei's to make sure it's grooving like it should.

ashtrays. i'm not a smoker but i can't imagine making a record without an occasional cigarette, sip of wine, toke on the bong, whatever strikes the mood in that moment. ime, an elastic consciousness makes great music.


gregoire
del
ubk
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