Another new US studio to join the big-room recording revival is Sound Temple Studios, located in North Carolina. Part of Robert George’s production group, the facility was completed in 2010 and has recently added a Solid State Logic Matrix console and Alpha-Link audio converters to its recording set-up.

The studio’s main monitors are soffit-mounted Dynaudio Acoustics M3As (bi-amped with Hafler 9505 amps and Bryston crossovers), with Mackie HR-824 for close-field listening and a Hearback system for headphone monitoring. Computer duties are handled by an eight-core 3GHz Mac Pro with a UAD-2 Duo card, running Pro Tools 9, Cubase and Nuendo DAWs, and Peak Pro for additional processing.

The complement of high-end mic preamplifiers and mics is both long and impressive, but it is the Matrix that George considers to be the key attraction to the studio’s growing client list. ‘For one thing, I needed a draw to the studio,’ he explains. ‘The first question people ask is “what sort of console or workstation do you have?”, so having a console that people are going to want to work on was on the top of my list for Sound Temple. Having an SSL was the obvious choice and Matrix has the right price point, it has the right features, it’s an amazing controller and it’s just flawless – it really is bulletproof.’

‘I haven’t exhausted all of the features yet but it has integrated great in the studio and does exactly what I want it to do,’ he continues. ‘One feature I use all of the time is the zero-latency monitoring, which is very cool, but I guess the best feature really is the sound. Hearing a mix through the Matrix, mixing through the Matrix and tracking through the Matrix gives me the sound that a record needs to have.’

As well as mixing, George relies on the Matrix’s controller capabilities: ‘I use Pro Tools a little but I’m more of a Nuendo/Cubase guy,’ he says. ‘One of the things that is really cool about Matrix is that you can have both programs up on the computer at the same time and, by pushing one button, you can control Pro Tools, hit another button and all the control keys instantly map over to Cubase.

‘I also have the Alpha-Link with the Lightpipe connectors and soundcard (Madi Xtreme) and it works great,’ he says. ‘The converters sound fabulous, you don’t need an external clock with them – they sound just as good with or without, which says something for their design. There’s lots of I/O and it all travels down Lightpipe, which is convenient and inexpensive.’

The studio is well set for large, live sessions, with a total of six recording/isolation spaces including two sound locks – all with good sightlines around the studio. These can be opened into one big acoustical space, and the double doors in the three main iso-booths can allow ambient bleed into the live room.

‘The name Sound Temple is quite representative of the vibe,’ says George. ‘It was designed and built as a sacred place to make music as well as a world-class recording studio. I employed Wes Lachot for the project, who some consider as the Jedi of studio design – he has quite a reputation. He is in to Feng Shui and there is a clockwise flow of energy when you are making music here that people feel and appreciate.’

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