Owned and operated by Eric Masse, The Casino specialises in recording album and EPs for artists and bands in and around Nashville. Consulting Chad Evans at Vintage King over an upgrade to the studios equipment, Masse feels like he has the ‘missing piece’ from his former set-up.
‘I had been craving the next step up for my 16 I/O studio for a while,’ he explains. ‘When I heard about [API’s] The Box last year, I started gearing up for it.’
The Casino already uses two API Lunchboxes, six 512c mic preamps, a 5500 dual equaliser and a 2500 stereo compressor, and chose to stay with API when looking to gain control over pans and add inserts.
‘I can hardly contain my head from exploding from all the options,’ Masse says. ‘I can route things in the mix like never before, and parallel compress things all analogue. I can add outboard effects post-conversion to individual tracks, and I don’t have to use my converters to feed the hear-back headphone hub. I can instead build a mix with the sends, and use the inserts for direct ‘more me’s’ and use all sixteen converters for audio.’
Apart from the functions, the customisable 500 Series inputs promise to bring The Casino a unique sound: ‘I like that I can use the 500 Series slots on the programme bus, while still using the input channels,’ Masse says. ‘So far, I like everything about it.’
Since installing The Box, Masse has put the final touches on singer/songwriter Rayland Baxter’s second album, and is currently mixing alternative artist Mikky Ekko. He is also ready to record a second country music album for Charlie Worsham. The versatility of The Box helps meet the needs for each artist, and allows Masse to use the space he needs to record and grow: ‘I like that it’s a console, and not a console.’
More: www.apiaudio.com
