‘We’ve always had a large-format console, so the ASP8024 dropped right into our workflow… it’s a pleasure to mix on so it encourages you to mix out of the box.’
The speaker is Technical Manager Jonathon Spittlehouse, the location is in the recording studio at Nottinghamshire County Council The Old Library Arts’ Centre, and the desk in question is an Audient ASP8024.
Spittlehouse specified the 36-channel desk in 2006, when the studio moved to its present location. Since then it has been the console of choice in the recording studio, which has seen more than 2,000 young people pass through its doors. ‘There are also the commercial bookings on top of that,’ Spittlehouse adds.
As part of the broader Arts’ Centre, Spittlehouse and his colleagues are charged with 13-to-19 year-olds in a wide variety of projects, which ensures that the studio - and therefore the desk – sees heavy use. ‘The desk is bullet-proof,’ he assures. ‘We’ve been running it full on for six years and never had a problem. We’ve worn the decal on the talkback button off, but that’s it.
‘It’s really intuitive to use, so that really helps when you’re delivering workshops to people who are new to the studio environment. The layout is very clear and there’s lots of space, it’s not cluttered and awkward like some consoles.’
The purpose-built studio comprises control room, live room, dead room and isolation booth, and the equipment is based around a Pro Tools HD2 workstation using Apogee Rosetta 800 converters (16 channels) and Avid HD192 converters (8-input/16-output). Mastering is carried out using an Apogee Rosetta 200. ‘Many projects bring people into the studio who wouldn’t normally have access to this level of facility; some are brand new to the environment and others come and hone their skills. The console itself sounds great. You can happily run the whole session through the desk and get a really clean, tight sound. We’re fortunate enough to have some nice outboard , so the combination of different characters works really well.’
The high specification gives the studio a certain cachet attracting more established musicians who hire the studio on a commercial basis. ‘Although we have traditionally offered a pool of house engineers to run the sessions, it makes sense to offer the facility to freelance engineers as well,’ says Spittlehouse.
The relationship with the local authority offers generous discounts to young people in Nottinghamshire, and as a result the studio is blessed with a wide variety of output. ‘We’ve got groups who make dub-step and grime and other groups who make more traditional band music,’ Spittlehouse explains. ‘Ties to the theatre are also being fostered, enabling live events to be recorded, or the space to be used as a larger live room.’
The Old Library is an Arts centre operated by Nottinghamshire County Council and comprises Theatre, Café, Workshop spaces, ICT suite as well as the recording studio.
More: www.audient.com
