Claiming to be an ‘old fashioned recording studio’, The Analogue Café has installed an Audient ASP4816 analogue mixing console – the first in the South Pacific. From its location in Hawaii, it claims to be the southernmost recording studio in the US, with an impressive view over the Pacific Ocean from 1,500m up the largest active volcano in the world, Mauna Loa.
Studio owner Eric Malamud chose the studio’s name with care, and his research into analogue equipment led him to Audient – discovering that console designer David Dearden is Audient’s co-founder piqued his interest: ‘I already own a vintage Midas XL200, so I’m a Dearden fan by default,’ he says.
‘The studio maintains the feel of a 1950s/1970s analogue studio using a 48-track iZ Radar recording system and classic outboard,’ he adds. ‘As the studio motto goes, No computers are harmed in the making of our records.’
General Manager and in-house technician Robert Unger is happy that Malamud didn’t compromise on his choice of mixing desk: ‘The routing flexibility is excellent, especially the buss assignments to subgroups and outputs,’ he says. ‘The integrated internal power supply is silent and energy efficient, and the console has the best foldback and monitoring system integration ever.’
The fully-featured in-line console offers the features of a larger console in a compact, ergonomic form, along with the same preamps as in Audient’s Dearden-designed flagship console, the ASP8024. ‘The Audient preamps are time tested, and very clean,’ Unger says. ‘In the old days EQ was for surgery, we never use EQ when tracking,’ he continues. ‘When we do need it the result is excellent – especially the filters.’
Having retired from business, Malamud (whoe parents began the National Association of Record Merchandisers – Namm) moved to the Big Island of Hawaii with a view to making his long-time dream of creating a recording studio a reality. Less than a year on, The Analogue Café is a tribute to his ambition.
