Originally opened as Morgan Studio 4 in 1974, The Darkroom’s history includes sessions with the likes of Lou Reed and Cat Stevens. Later, producer Steve Lipson –who catered for the likes of Annie Lennox and Pet Shop Boys – renovated the studio with acoustic consultancy Munro Acoustics in 2001. The Dynaudio M4 monitoring environment remains to this day, alongside a Neve 88 D digital console.
Most recently, the London facility has completed a substantial refit with the assistance of HHB Communications. Together with engineer and owner Anthony Long (Hawkwind, Sugababes), a new round of equipment includes 48 channels of Merging Technologies Horus networked audio interfacing, Rosendahl nanoclocks GL master clock generator, reference monitoring using Avantone MixCubes, a Tube Tech MEC 1A recording channel, a Maag Audio EQ4 00 Series EQ and other items. Courtesy of the recently installed converter, clients can now choose to take advantage of Audio-over-IP using Ravenna on a single Cat5 or Madi from USB.
HHB also supplied a UAD-2 Quad plug-in package from Universal Audio, which brings extra character and warmth to sessions should it be required: ‘With a fully-digital environment, every time I go into the analogue domain it’s got to be worth doing,’ Long explains. ‘The Horus is one of the best converter systems I’ve heard, and gets amazing results out of my gear, leaving me free to mix without thinking of the effects of A/D and D/A conversion. If I stay in the digital domain then I want to emulate the best hardware, so I want the best quality software and I think Universal Audio do the best quality hardware emulations bar none.’
The Darkroom claims a ‘unique turn up and mix’ service, allowing clients bring a laptop and plug in: ‘Anthony’s clients are able to turn up with their own DAW rig and tap into the studio’s I/O, opening up endless possibilities for signal flow,’ says Sean Evans from HHB Professional Audio Sales. ‘Anthony’s approach to digital workflow is particularly interesting.’
‘Dealing with HHB is a truly professional experience,’ Long reflects. ‘The sales team are fantastic and friendly to speak to, but most importantly they offer industry-leading service on their products after they’ve sold them. Every product they retail is cared for, and that is where they truly stand out from the rest.’
