I didnt think that Colombian quip was meant to insult you Armando ... t'was just a funny ... a little quip



Dont be shy with photos people ... this is GEARslutz , it's all good if it works for you!

Holy **** - this is what I want my future studio to look like...in 30 years that is...

Truly a ****in´ great place !

Cheers,
Bill

Holy Jesus Juice Batman!!!! Beautiful studio! I can only dream of someday owning half the gear you do.

Riad, I sent you a PM.


Joel

No! I don t use them as nearfields just to listen something loud for the A&R People, Im tryng to listen at low levels now, normally I used to mix with Genelec 1031, then I bought a pair of ADAM S3 but for some projects Im still using the old Yamahas because I know them very well.

Thanks for your kind words.

Armando Avila.

Hi TruffleKing, I arrange my gear in function order, I put all preamps and eqs on one section, all the FX processor on another, the Dynamics like 160, distressors, 1176, LA3a, LA2a, ADR, etc, on another rack and all the synths are together, the divices that don{t belong to their sections are there because they came recently and I can{t move all the racks.

Look since this is my personal studio and I use it just for my projects I know very well where is everything, I play Drums, bass, guitar, keyboards, record and mix all my projects, some times I call some drummers or a string section to play my arrangements but most of the time I do everything, I like to have control of my work, I don t rent my studio, its just for me, I have 2 assistants (Mr. Poste Antonio and Mr. Michkin Boyzo) and with them and my gear I can work easy.
I told you all this because this is why I don t have some things most big studios have.

Best.


Armando Avila.

How do you manage to keep focus ?? Or not take years to finish a project ? I ask this because it's always nice to have a second or third opinion to assure yourself you are not just liking somenthing because you made it. If that makes sense..

I developed my working system after doing it for so long, I know is better to have a second opinion, that is why I always show my work to my friends (producers,musicians and my beloved girlfriend!!!) and I always consider the artist and A&R opinion and since Im always in the middle of 3 or 4 projects at the same time, some times is good to disconect from one project, to do another one, and when you came back you hear things diferent and you can fix what you don t like.

I Co produce with some friends too, sometimes I get work from close friends just to mix their productions, and since I enjoy so much the mixing process, I can make it just for them. Right now Im mixing a 5.1 project for a Mexican artist called Aleks Syntek, he made a concert in Mexico City (Auditorio Nacional) and he ask me to do it, he is a good friend of mine and a very important act in Mexico.

Best regards.

He is a huge act in all latin america. I always catch him on MTV. I'm in Bolivia by the way. I really liked that song He did with the spanish girl ? Toroja ? from mecano right ? that song is very good. And it sounds great. I assume you produced that as well right ?

I asked you in a previous post, if you had the chance to work with Cerati ? I should take this to PM, but I wan't the other guys to know that you are one of the big guys in the continent : ) And it's not about coca leafs : )

true slut for sure. in one of the pictures you can see your powerbook is at the gearslutz.com/board/ page. glad to see im not the only one who uses a powerbook in the studio to surf gearslutz heh

Hi guys, I'm Aleks Syntek , I'm the artist who worked with Armando in some of my albums including my last producion "Mundo Lite" who won 2 Billboard & 1 MTV Awards & recently nominated for next upcoming Latin Grammy Awards.
I want to tell you that I know Armando since 1988, when I lend him a 16 channels Mackie Mixer for his first midi stock. he is the best friend and a wonderfull human beign. I saw him buy gear instead a car or a cell phone or paid the rent or go to the movies, I saw him even with no food in the refrigerator just because he bougth a new toy for the studio, definitively he is the freakest gearslut that I ever seen, but the amazing part is that armando used almost all the stuff that he own in every production and he knows how to get the best from each toy, guys like him deserve that control & live room and more. He have ALL my respect and devotion in the latin scene.
I don't touch any of my own gear before ask him first and trust me! is good to have a friend like him as a technical support hahaha, be jealous,be very jealous.

WOW!!!!!!!

I think you need to install one of those ladders on tracks that slide up and down the length of the book shelves like they have in libraries. Then you could mount an extra monitor on top of it for tweaking. heh

Awesome studio!

Hi Aleks and welcome! It's a pleasure to have you here.

Hi Armando,

Thanks for sharing the great pics!

I really like the idea of having a room behind the gear that is cooled seperately. That is a great plan and would make fantastic access!

Too bad you are not an open facility, we would come and record there :-)


Cheers!

That is utterly obscene!! Will u be my friend? lol.

Armando's father (r.i.p.) was a romantic bolero composer & superstar in the 70's, he and his band "Los Babys" used to be the original owners of the studio's building until the mid 80's when they had some terrible personal and profesional troubles,awful accidents and economic depress. The Studio was hardly successful while managed by the different owners, until one day the last owner decided to dismantle it and sell the whole place as a werehouse. Today all the big recording studios that once existed in Mexico have closed and disappeared because the music Industry has had the worst crisis ever thanks to the illegal sale of piracy & black market cd's. 10 to 1, 10 illegals for each original CD.
Armando has made the most awesome effort to invert his money from in to save this place and remodel it,and he finished it just a few months ago, and let me tell you something important ,the first time that I visited his new place was like the happy ending of an unbelievable story about gear, music, love and courage.
Dear friend Armando: you won't belive how many Mexican musicians are grateful to
you for saving the last place that testifies to a golden mexican era of music production because every huge artist in the 70's and 80's worked there. A music museum, a temple.
One last thing guys, if you give Armando a small portable mixer,a cheap compress
and an insignificant effects procesor he will find the way to make a beautiful mix too, because he has the most priceless gear of all ... HE HAS HUGE TALENT.
THE END.

THANKS JOSE. I found the forum just by accident and I love it. It's awesome how many big talents; engineers, producers and legends visit Gearslutz and share their knowlegde with no fear as the real and true artist's who seek the universal harmony do. That's the reason I decide to share my feelings about Armando,because he's a real anonimous music superheroe, and he never looks for recognition, he just works for pasion and delivery with the addition of success.
For the latins who live in very poor countries, to seek a way to have success in the avantguard,contemporary and hi-tech music scene it's a major problem because of our obviously limited situations, not just because of the small oportunities but also because We dont have music stores in every corner and also that 70% of the latin stars like to work on their albums in american or european studios, with foreign producers just for bluff. Armando never had an economically strong background, as he is not a Jr. or yuppie, but he has a case of workoholicness combined with the compulsive disorder of the gear collector maniac. (by the way he's also a freaky Beatles fan too)
So each time that I take a step in his beautiful "Cosmos Studio" I can't stop thinking that I have the fortune to be a miracle witness, and I enjoy each corner of that place, not just because of the gear but what the place represents for me in so many ways.
Theres only one thing that I don't like so much about that studio... the coffe,ouch!
Thanks dude.
I invite you to checkout my gear & home studio at www.alekssyntek.com.mx
a very nice place,but the bathroom is the best.

Heheheh...

Well I guess if he was spending all his money on gourmet coffee he wouldn`t have been able to save for all that gear !


Great stories Aleks and thanks for sharing them with us.

Gives me hope that I can put together something like that one day. (Or even half that would be cool.)

You....you....you.... are sick .... man! Real sick.
you need to see the doctor right now thumbsup





What a beautiful rack I've ever seen in my life

Well, while certainly not as impressive in number, the vintages of all of these, save but two of the Fenders, are pretty extraordinary. Have a handful of nice acoustics, too (not picured). But damn, I'm still salivating over that live room.

Yowza!!

Looking at that rack reminds me of when I was in High school and saw my first musicians friend catalog. I stared at it for days and days. I wouldn't get much of whats in MF now, but I'll take everything in that rack

i just bought a chandler and was pretty excited about that. now, i am going to go home and think about my ant status on gearslutz.....

Armando, what a beautiful studio and well chosen gear, obviously a lot of skill goes into it but also a labor of love. It is clear from how you set it up that you have a good work flow.

With all that great gear I feel a bit silly asking this question, but what are those power distribution units at the top of each rack?

Armando,
Wow... impressive room, to be understated. But I'm more impressed by your story of perseverence as told by Aleks Syntek. Well done, and welcome both of you to this community!

Do tell! I like a good vintage story...

this says it all. Im also a believer that these legendary places have a vibe that cant be accomplished with any studio, no matter how much gear you put in, the vibe created by the walls in places like these, and a great engineer who makes you feel at home is all you really need to make a great record. It saddens me when I hear some of the big studios in NY or LA are closing. If abbey road would ever close, a big dream of mine would close to.

Speaking of mexican legends, I had the pleasure of meeting Armando Manzanero in Miami some time ago, at his sons Juan Pablo small studio. Im sure you know them. What a great man he is. So funny, one of the few true artists that we latin americans still have around. These people are the backbone of latin music, like Im sure cosmos father was, and to hear that his son now revived a legendary studio, and filled it with more sluttiness makes me very proud. These are great storys, thanks for sharing Aleks! Ill check your web page now.

Wow......just came back from holiday, and the first thing I see is this... It's just.......beautiful!

Thanks for sharing. I'm gonna cry a bit now, and then get back to work

Stein Tore

NICE work!!!!


if you ever need an intern...

Armando, that place is awesome. Looks very much like the layout of Hans Zimmer's old room. I feel a G.A.S. attack coming on. . . . .

Astounding! Two thumbs up! thumbsup thumbsup

I think I might plan my vacation (honeymoon) around visiting your room - would you mind if I camp out in your control room for a few nights, just to look at all the pretty lights? BTW, I make a killer cuppa coffee...

all the best with your gearsluttiness, and productions!

(wimpers and heads back to his meager, and rather empty looking racks...)