The Missing Lynx project recording studio operated by Angel Fernández has seen an udgrade based around an SSL X-Desk.
‘The main goal in switching my console for the X-Desk was to enhance the sound in the final product. Before the X-Desk, I’d bounce the mixes within my Pro Tools|HD system. The combination of being able to take advantage of the full capability of the DAW I/O together with the SuperAnalogue summing in the X-Desk has resulted in much clearer mixes.’
Away from touring and performing, Fernández can be found in his studio in Queens, NYC. ‘Missing Lynx has become like a little haven for me,’ he says. ‘I don’t have to travel long distances anymore to find a place to record, plus I get to say, “Welcome to my place!” Visiting producers and musicians enjoy the relaxed atmosphere because they’re simply friends stopping by to do a recording session.
No stranger to the international recording scene, Angel knew what he expected from SSL: ‘I worked with Steve Lillywhite quite a few times,’ he explains. ‘He always used SSL to mix, and – on the sessions I was involved in – to track as well. I heard a definite sound, which was explained to me in part by producer Nick Launay (who engineered some projects for Lillywhite) when he demonstrated the SSL compressor for sidechaining. He played me a drum track, which he used as the trigger for the horn section sidechain, and said, “Do you recognise the sound? It’s what Earth, Wind And Fire use to get that tight groove going”.
This mixing clarity came to a head on Fernández’s latest Latino production: ‘The LD & Johni project has tons of tracks, and we’d been racking our brains trying to mix it to no avail – panning to the max to achieve separation, using frequency analyser software to cut unnecessary frequencies wherever possible. But once we went with the new set-up based around the X-Desk, we instantly heard the wider spectrum, pop, and clarity in the mixes that we’d been striving for – without any tweaking at all we’d hit the warm SSL sound.’
The arranger, composer, musical director, and producer is best known for touring and performing as long-time Musical Director for Grammy winning Latin American artist Marc Anthony. Most recently, he worked with Anthony and Jennifer Lopez on the high-profile Q’Viva! The Chosen televised show in Las Vegas. ‘When working with Marc Anthony’s orchestra I often feel like the music is coming from thin air – perfectly playing as one entity, For me, nothing compares to the instant gratification I get when I’m onstage performing after all the rehearsals and soundchecking is done.’
More: www.solidstatelogic.com
