The international rise of K-Pop is a direct result of the South Korean Government’s investment in the arts and music creation a to build economic growth during the 1990s. Among the beneficiaries is the Music Factory (PCMF), a dedicated studio and community centre in the north of the country.
‘In Korea, we have 14 recording studios that are government-involved, including PCMF,’ says PCMF Chief Engineer, David Lee. ‘Considering the cost of recording, mixing and mastering music, the Government involved studios provide more reasonable pricing. We also provide educational services including a local music school, master classes and music production services at low cost.’
Lee was recently hired to build and run the music production studio in Pocheon. A self-confessed audio geek who started in the industry as an intern when he was 18, he still likes to get his hands dirty soldering and assembling power cables. When it came to designing the PCMF facility, he worked with Neve partner ANK on the signal flow for the live room, two isolated rooms and a vocal booth. ‘I designed the signal flow with Mr Park, from ANK,’ he explains. ‘When designing the signal flow and patchbays, Mr Park was my lifesaver.’
The rooms at PCMF are all connected to allow all audio and video signals to be shared between spaces, enabling the facility to accommodate film scores or large-format sessions if required. Lee chose to install a Neve 8424 console at the heart of the system.
‘I always wanted to include a large-format console at PCMF,’ says Lee. ‘I started my career with a large-format console, and I love the sound that those consoles produce. And it’s a familiar format for me to work with. I’ve always chosen to work on a console, but If I just do my work in the box, I design my master channel in a similar way to a console’s master section.
‘I chose the 8424 because it has the 80 series’ master section, and I love the way it sounds,’ he continues. ‘I can’t imagine my mixes without them passing the 8424’s master section. The 80 series’ master section sounds brilliant, and always helps me to make proper decisions.’
The console at PCMF also features Neve’s DAW control upgrade, which is a major element of the studio’s workflow. ‘It’s a huge difference,’ says Lee. ‘Having a DAW control on the desk makes the engineer’s work even faster. Also, Thanks to active fader control on the 8424, I have no worries on recall.’
A further benefit is the remote-control app: ‘The biggest advantage of the remote control on the 8424 desk is that I never have to leave the sweet spot to operate it,’ Lee says. ‘I can always stay in the sweet spot, and make sure everything sounds perfect.’
With the 8424 at the heart of the studio’s workflow, the studio also invested in a Neve 33609 stereo compressor, which works in tandem with the console. ‘It should be defined as Hybrid mixing,’ says Lee. ‘The 8424 console and 33609 are always engaged either in a tracking or mixing process. The 33609 is brilliant. I use it more like a dual-mono compressor for vocals or kicks and snares.’
In addition, the studio also uses the 1073OPX remote controllable preamps for tracking. ‘I can track 32 channels one at a time, and the combination of the 8424 console and 1073OPX always helps,’ Lee says. ‘The 1073OPX is great, and the integration with 8424 makes my life so much easier.’
The result is a sound that Lee describes as ‘cozy like home’, which gives the chief engineer reassurance that every mix will sound great. ‘The 8424 is the core of my studio and it always helps me to be more confident,’ he says.
Thanks to Government involvement, Pocheon has a top-of-the-line studio that is accessible to its local community and can help support up and coming artists. Thanks to its solid technical set-up, PCMF offers a starting point for Korea’s next generation of South Korea’s global stars.
More: www.ams-neve.com
