The Long Island private studio known as The Vault was the setting for the 2013 Latin Grammys Record of the Year, Marc Anthony’s Vivir Mi Vida.

Central to the making of the album was a Solid State Logic AWS 948 Hybrid Console/Controller , which had only recently turned the small project studio to a top-level collaborative workspace: ‘Marc is a very hands-on producer/engineer, and he wanted the capability of tracking and mixing in his home studio, which led to us purchasing the AWS 948,’ says Anthony’s chief recording engineer, Jim Annunziato. ‘The AWS was the right size for the space and, because it is an SSL, the studio became a centre for joint ventures with other major artists and producers.

‘This type of cooperative application is beyond having just a DAW controller. The AWS gives us the sound quality we are used to from working in major commercial studios, and it addresses the way modern producers work through its on-board DAW controller. The AWS was the perfect solution for this space.’

The current studio set-up was driven by Anthony’s wish for world-class audio quality and production flexibility: ‘Because of the availability of the AWS, Vivir Mi Vida tracks could be recorded as inspiration flowed before migrating to Criteria Recording Studios in Miami for the final mix,’ Annunziato says. ‘We’ve also been working with a company that allows us to record real-time here in The Vault while tracking down in Miami or anywhere. The AWS delivers the quality recording necessary to work this way. When Marc gets an idea for a song, he has instant access to the high-level sound he needs for his productions.’

The AWS 948 is accompanied by eight channels of SSL dynamics in an outboard X-Rack: ‘When we first installed the AWS, we ran tracks through it, and the difference was night and day,’ Annunziato says. ‘The SSL adds such a beautiful sound to everything, allowing me to be a more creative engineer. I am reacting to the music, not fixing it. I am able to tweak and hone a track, not spend hours trying to make something work. I have control of the DAW as if I were working in the box, then I can switch back to pure analogue. I love this console.’

More: www.solidstatelogic.com