The original One Big Room: set up for modern production and post-production, and just as happy with an old-school acoustic session.

RME and Black Lion Audio converters capture a wide collection of new and vintage microphones and preamps, through analogue channels by Focusrite, ART, Black Lion Audio and Aphex — a blend of modern and vintage sound. A 56-input Yamaha 02R96 digital mixer routes every signal, so there’s no latency and the monitoring can carry live effects.

Audio records into Cakewalk Sonar, Harrison Mixbus, Cubase or Pro Tools at 24, 32 or 64-bit and 44.1 to 96 kHz. Logic and Nuendo projects come across via OMF or WAV / AIFF.

The same interfaces go on the road. Our mobile rig has recorded eTV’s Standard Bank Joy of Jazz Unplugged series — Fourplay, Oumou Sangaré, Sadao Watanabe and Blk Sonshine among them — as well as Agape Worshippers, Stephan R, M-Net’s Rockspaaider and many live concerts for CD and DVD.

Spec sheet

Signal chain

Converters

  • RME UFX 28 Channel Preamp and AD/DA Converter
  • RME Fireface 800 26 Channel AD/DA Converter
  • Black Lion Audio 8 Channel Pre-amp and AD/DA Converter (Custom-built in Chicago)
  • Fostex AC2496 16 Channel Professional AD Converter

Preamps

  • Focusrite ISA430 Producer Pack
  • Studer 169 8 channel mixer with direct out modification
  • Black Lion Audio Auteur Stereo Preamp (API style transformerless design)
  • Aphex 107 Stereo Preamp
  • Presonus M80 (1990's USA model with Jensen Transformers)
  • Focusrite VoiceMaster Pro Vocal Strip
  • ART PRO Channel Valve Channel Strip
  • ART PRO MPA Stereo Valve Preamp
  • ART SGX Nightbass Studio Edition Tube Bass Processor
  • Behringer T1953 Valve Preamp
  • Behringer Ultragain Stereo Valve Preamp (modified)
  • Yamaha i88X 18 Channel I/O Units (x 2)
  • PreSonus Digimax LT 8-Channel Preamp

Outboard

  • TC Electronic Finalizer Pro (hardware mastering unit)
  • Tech21 Sansamp Guitar Preamp
  • Behringer V-Amp PRO Studio (rack)
  • Marshall DRP-1 Preamp (x2)
  • Various Boss, Ibanez, Dunlop etc bass and guitar effects pedals (Eq, Chorus, Compressor, Wah, Overdrive, etc)
  • Symetrix Mono Analogue Compressor/Gate
  • Radial ProDI/Re-Amper

Monitoring

  • KRK V8 (Version 1 - Made in the USA)
  • Yamaha HS80M + HS10 Sub
  • QUAD L2
  • Alesis Monitor One
  • Kenwood Mini-HiFi Speakers
  • Amplification by RS Electronics, Pioneer and Yamaha
  • OzAudio Q-Mix 6×6 Headphone matrix amp
  • Samson S-Amp
  • Rosendahl MIF LTC Clock
  • AKG, Fostex, Vic Firth, Sennheiser, Prodipe Headphones x 10

Mastering

  • Ozone 9 Advanced
  • iZotope plugins
  • Sony Sound Forge 14
  • TC Electronic Finalizer Pro
  • Monitoring: KRK, Yamaha, Quad

Microphones

Modern

  • CAD GXL 3000 Large Condenser
  • CAD GXL 1200 Pencil Condenser
  • Alliance Audio (Prototype) Omni Mics x 3 (equivalent to Earthworks / DPA)
  • Alliance Audio (Prototype Version III) Omni Mics x 2
  • Rode K2 Valve Microphone (Condenser)
  • Rode NT1-A (Condenser x 4)
  • Rode NT1 (Condenser)
  • Rode NT4 (Stereo Condenser)
  • Rode S1 x 2 (Condenser)
  • AKG C1000 x 2 (Condenser)
  • AKG C418 x 4 (clip-on Condenser)
  • AKG D112 kickdrum mic
  • Audix D6 kickdrum mic
  • Audix F6 kickdrum mic
  • Audix F5 Snare mic
  • Audix F9 Condenser (x2)
  • Audix F2 Tom mic (x3)
  • Yamaha NS10 “Sub-kick”
  • Shure SM93 Micro-Condenser
  • Peavey PVM 520i

Classic & vintage

  • Neumann U87 (x2)
  • AKG D12
  • AKG C451 (Condenser)
  • AKG D190
  • AKG D1200
  • AKG D202
  • Beyerdynamic Ribbon M160
  • Beyerdynamic Ribbon M260

Workhorses

  • Sennheiser 845
  • Shure SM58 x 2
  • AKG D770
  • Samson C01 & C02 (Condensers)

Many other classic mics can be obtained at nominal rental fees from various of the studio’s affiliates.

In the box

Recording software

  • Cakewalk Sonar by Bandlab
  • Harrison Mixbus
  • Reaper
  • Soundforge
  • Audacity

Plugins

  • Plugin Alliance
  • NI Komplete Ultimate
  • Waves Platinum
  • Steven Slate Virtual Console Collection
  • Melodyne Studio
  • Nomad Factory Producer Pack 3
  • Guitar Rig
  • Overloud TH3
  • iZotope Nectar 2 Production Suite
  • iZotope Ozone 9 Advanced
  • RX9 Standard
  • iZotope Trash 2
  • iZotope Alloy 2
  • Sony Restoration
  • Lexicon
  • TC Electronic
  • SonitusFX

Over 2,000 plugins and growing.

Software synths

  • Over 200 virtual synths
  • NI Komplete Ultimate
  • Steven Slate Trigger Platinum
  • HALion SE
  • iZotope Iris
  • RapturePro
  • UVI
  • Xpand!2
  • Digital Sound Factory Vol 1–13 sample library
  • Digital Sound Factory EMU Proteus and MoPhatt sets
  • Computer Music VST Collection (150 synths)
  • Z3TA+
  • Cakewalk Studio Instruments
  • Dreamstation2 DXi
  • Triangle2 DXi
  • Pentagon 1
  • PSYN 2
  • Cakewalk TTS-1
  • Roland
  • Edirol VSC

Plus thousands of drum, bass, keyboard, string and world-music samples, loaded and ready.

Drum programming

  • Addictive Drums 1 & 2
  • Steven Slate Drums
  • FXpansion
  • Battery
  • Cakewalk Session Drummer 3
  • Groove Agent

Sound modules

  • Roland SC8820 and U220
  • Roland SPD8
  • Various toy keyboards incl Casio 1981 mini-keyboard
  • Yamaha V50 Vintage Synth

Instruments

Keyboards & controllers

  • Yamaha P45 88 key Fully-weighted Stage Piano
  • Novation Launchkey 49 MKII Controller
  • Roland 49 Key Midi Keyboard
  • Roland SPD8 Drum Pad

We have a growing collection of weird and wonderful toy keyboards and novelty noisemaking machines.

Drums · Sonor

  • Original 1975 Sonor Phonic 100 Year Anniversary Edition (Birch)
  • Original Anniversary Snare
  • 24″ Kick
  • Four toms – 13″, 14″, 16″ 18″
  • Made in Germany, 40 years old, Mint condition
  • Remo Skins

Drums · TAMA

  • Four toms – 10″, 12″, 13″, 16″ with floating-tom system
  • DW5000 single pedal
  • Original TAMA heavy-duty hardware
  • Evans EQ3 bassdrum skins
  • Remo Emperor Coated tom velums
  • Evans and Attack snare velums
  • Tama Tension Watch Tuning System

Snares

  • Sonor 1975 Anniversary Snare
  • Original Tama wood snare
  • Yamaha “Anton Fig” custom maple snare with wooden hoops
  • Pearl “Chad Smith” signature snare
  • Mapex Chromium 7″

Rides

  • Zildjian K-Series 20″
  • Zildjian Custom 20″
  • Planet Z 20″

Crashes

  • Zildjian 18″ Avedis A Custom
  • Zildjian 18″ Dark Thin Crash
  • Zildjian 16″ Avedis A Custom Crash
  • Zildjian 15″ Dark Thin Crash
  • Zildjian 14″ K Crash
  • Wuhan 16″ Rock Crash

Splashes

  • Sabian 12″
  • Zildjian 10″ Avedis
  • Zildjian 8″ K (x2)

Hi-hats

  • Zildjian 14″ K Hats
  • Paiste 14″ Alpha Hats
  • Sabian 14″ Hats

Percussion

  • Full 4 piece LP Percussion set (2 x Bongos, 2 x Congas)
  • 3 x Tambourines
  • Cabasa, African Rainstick
  • Several small African / World instruments such as Marimbas, Mbira, Shakers, Bells
  • Pre-1950’s Vintage American-made Washboard (with washing instructions :O)

Basses

  • Ibanez Blazer 4-string bass with DiMarzio pickups, HipShot D-Tuner and Maple neck, Ash body
  • Fender Squier Standard PJ Bass. Alder body, HipShot D-Tuner
  • Custom 4-string Fretless Bass with Polyester resin fretboard, HipShot D-Tuner
  • Ibanez circa-1976 short-scale “SG” bass. Lots of fun!
  • Cort T35 Active 5-string
  • Cort C4 Fretless

Guitars

  • Fender “1965 Kingman Reissue” Acoustic
  • Takamine G-Series 12 String
  • 1981 Yamaha “Country Jumbo” Acoustic
  • Oscar Teller 1967 Hand Crafted Classical Guitar
  • 1998 Mexican Squier Telecaster (EMG T-bar passives)
  • Fender Squier Bullet Stratocaster
  • Washburn J5 TS Hollow-body Electric
  • SX Acoustic Steel (made by Fender)
  • Morris Mandolin
  • Aria Ukulele

Harmonicas

  • Hohner Blues Harp Set
  • Hohner Larry Adler Chromatic Harmonica
  • 1937 Hohner vintage Harp (Original)

Amps & cabinets

  • Hartke 500W tube/solidstate head
  • Ashdown MAG 300 EVO II Head with Subharmonic Generator
  • Trace-Elliot 4×10 300 Watt bass cabinet
  • Trace Elliot 1 x 10 Bass Extender Cabinet
  • Marshall Valvestate 8080 Guitar amp (original British model) – best sounding Valvestate ever made!

Tape & digital decks

  • Cassette Decks: Yamaha, Akai and Tascam
  • DAT Decks: TASCAM, SONY
  • MiniDisc: SONY