“I was absolutely blown away at how good these EQs sound”

Timothy proved himself keen to develop his music technology skills both in and out of the classroom by building a small control room in a converted industrial warehouse not far from his home. Using it to work on his own compositions either on his own or with other musicians, as well as a practice room to improve his drumming and piano skills, the conclusion of his studies now allows him to spend more time in the studio, bag himself a few clients and turn it into a profitable enterprise. The arrival of the ASP4816 compact analogue console from Audient certainly helped him raise his game to that end.

“I was absolutely blown away at how good these EQs sound,” enthuses Timothy – surprised, despite having “read the manual religiously before I placed the order.” He continues, “The channel EQ was used always in a subtractive capacity as opposed to boosting at Fullerton College and having my hands on my own console now, I am amazed at how musical the EQ sounds when it is boosted. I was completely taken aback.

“I absolutely love the flexibility of this console and all of the routing capabilities I have at my fingertips.”

“The buttons have that satisfying *chunk* sound when you engage them; the faders all glide so smoothly,” says Timothy. “A fellow engineer who rents the studio one day a week from me (and didn’t know I was making this switch) said that when he first laid a hand on the long throw fader, he knew this was a quality piece of gear!

“Another feature that I fell in love with mixing back at Fullerton – and so happy I have again – is the bus compressor. This thing is a beast, and definitely gives a track that ‘sounds like a mix feeling’. I absolutely love the flexibility of this console and all of the routing capabilities I have at my fingertips. I love that I can parallel process between the short and long faders or using the subgroups, and that I have complete hands-on control of my mix with this console.”

The Audient ASP8024 has been part of Fullerton College’s audio recording department since 2015, ensuring a good number of students catch the audio technology bug during their time there. Timothy Jones is no exception. “Thank you guys for doing it right and keeping that analogue vibe alive these past 20 years!”

You’re very welcome.

The post Fullerton College Graduate: Youngest Audient Console Owner appeared first on Audient.

“The Essential Studio Kit delivers a significant saving on the RRP of the individual components when bought separately”

Comprising Audio-Technica’s perennially popular AT2035 large diaphragm cardioid condenser mic and ATH-M40x studio monitor headphones, the Essential Studio Kit is completed by Audient’s outstanding iD4 Black USB audio interface.

The interface is the ideal partner for Audio-Technica’s versatile, natural-sounding AT2035, a cornerstone of the company’s studio-oriented 20 Series. Its high SPL handling, 80Hz high-pass filter and 10dB pad make it well suited to a wide variety of instrument and vocal applications, while the supplied custom shock-mount provides superior isolation from knocks – critical in the studio and on location.

The ATH-M40x headphones deliver excellent performance in both tracking and mixing situations and share the same sonic signature as Audio-Technica’s legendary M50x and M70x flagship headphones. A flat response curve ensures great tonal accuracy via 40mm drivers, with professional grade earcups guaranteeing comfort throughout long sessions.

ideal for budding producers and musicians in home studios or on the move

Featuring a renowned Audient mic preamp, the 2-in/2-out iD4 Black boasts class-leading converter technology, JFET DI and the company’s ScrollControl virtual scroll wheel technology.

The Essential Studio Kit delivers a significant saving on the RRP of the individual components when bought separately – and also includes no less than £500 of Audient curated free plug-ins, production tools and training (available on registration of the iD4 Black on Audient’s ARC webpage), comprising Eventide’s Ultrachannel and Ultraverb plug-ins, Cubase LE and Cubasis LE2 (for iOS), ten free LANDR masters and two free courses and £20 voucher for online audio educators Producertech.

Audio-Technica marketing manager professional audio EMEA Tim Page said, “We’re delighted to have teamed up with Audient for the AT2035-Studio Essential Studio Kit. It’s great to be able to offer three highly respected products in the kit, ideal for a young producer’s first project studio set-up and as a compact mobile rig for hotel room demos, location recording and more.

“With the included software downloads, the AT2035-Studio offers everything needed to start recording – and the bundle’s two-year warranty also allows users real peace of mind.”

Andy Allen, Audient marketing manager added, “We are really pleased to have partnered with Audio Technica on the AT2035 Essential Studio Kit and believe the AT2035 mic and ATH-M40x are the perfect partners for iD4 Black in both quality and reputation. Alongside the creative tools provided through our software hub ARC, we’re confident producers and musicians will have everything they need to make a professional recording from the start.”

The AT2035-Studio is available in the UK, Germany, France and Spain and has a recommended retail price of €389 / £335 inc VAT

The post Audio-Technica And Audient Partner For Perfect Production Package appeared first on Audient.

“I am so blown away by this desk!”

His instincts turned out to be spot on. “Aside from all the great routing features, preamps, EQs and build quality, it’s the sound and the headroom that I love about this desk. No matter how hard you push, it’s still musical and it bends in such a nice way that I keep wanting more of that,” he explains. “I am also literally blown away by the glue and cohesion that the desk produces. I used to record my drums with different preamps, such as 1073 on kick, SSL on snare, Focusrite Red on toms and it never sounded like this. Now I hear my drums as a whole kit – much bigger, much more focussed and in-your-face.”

Sirakaya has a multifarious background in drumming, having worked his way up the ranks to tour Europe and the world tours with Turkish pop star Mustafa Sandal, taught percussion at Hip-Hop drumming school and more recently recorded drums for top acts in Turkey. “I do lots of drum sessions for top producers. They don’t even show up here, we do it all online,” he says.

“No matter how hard you push, it’s still musical and it bends in such a nice way that I keep wanting more of that”

Describing how the Audient desk has changed his workflow, he continues, “I have the computer screen set to the left of the desk and for the first time in my life I am mixing just listening to the song without staring at the display. It is such a blessing: the mixing process got much quicker and I can get a song working and sounding much better than I did working in the box.

“I’m really into analogue gear. I don’t think plug-ins and mixing in the box has that ’sonic magic’ that the analogue sound has,” he clarifies, underlining the reasoning behind the purchase of the compact analogue mixing desk from AKALIN MUZIK. “It had so many more features than the other desks I was looking at. More groups, huge routing options, more preamps, more auxes…more everything – and with a much more reasonable price tag. So I went that way!”

His studio name rather aptly means ‘pure’ in Turkish, as well as ‘bee’ which is reflected in his logo, as well as his work ethic. Having founded his own record label, he also works with young bands, and is currently recording, mixing and mastering several projects. Sirakaya hopes in particular that Feridun Duzagac‘s latest album will do as well as the last one he worked on. “I produced his 2015 album which was chosen as the best rock album of the year by iTunes Turkey.”

Audient wishes him all the best with that – and everything.

The post ARI Studio Creates A Buzz Around Audient Console appeared first on Audient.

Offering a valuable insight into the inner workings of a professional studio, Cenzo talks freely about some of his mixing techniques and walks viewers through the studio that has seen the likes of Ed Sheeran, Christine and the Queens, the Kaiser Chiefs and Tom Jones pass through its doors.

“There is something for everyone in the series, whether beginner or professional audio enthusiast,” says Audient’s Harry Lewis, who was responsible for shooting and editing the five different videos, which last between 5 and 11 minutes each. “We were honoured that Cenzo gave so freely of his time and expertise. We toured the studio, he explained his mixing workflow, gave us some excellent advice and mix tricks, and we even learnt more about his history in the industry – as well as with Audient.”

Click here for the trailer, or watch them all together in a YouTube playlist. They’re also available in the recently launched Tutorial Hub section of the Audient website; simply search using “Cenzo” or go to the ‘Tips From The Pros’ section.

The post Cenzo Townshend Video Series Now On Audient’s Tutorial Hub appeared first on Audient.

Adding an ASP880 to his private Los Angeles studio, The Wilderness last year turned out to be a great idea, as Audient’s mic pres have been a part of his recording chain for just about everything he’s done over the last 12 months.

Looking back over the type of music he’s been recording & mixing, things have become progressively heavier – featuring Snoop Dogg & Sting early on to Slipknot, Limp Bizkit and Deftones. We asked him whether this had been a conscious decision…

I actually was a metal head as a teen and I still am one today, but I did mellow out a bit with age. Metal had a big impact on my career. After playing in a few unsuccessful bands in Switzerland I moved to Los Angeles (via San Francisco) in the late 80’s – 1990 to be exact. I eventually landed an assistant engineering position at One On One studios, which was a very influential studio for Metal (Metallica, Alice In Chains, etc) with a huge drum room. I assisted many Metal projects and finally met Terry Date who would later become my mentor. I worked for Terry for about 5 years and was fortunate to have been part of some serious Metal albums (Pantera, White Zombie, Deftones).

“There are many mic-pres out there, but the ASP880 packs a lot into a small space and gets you a lot of bang for your buck”

After a few years of producing on my own, Metal turned super heavy and I found myself in the precarious situation of being perceived as too heavy for Rock, and not heavy enough for the new breed of Metal. With the economic downturn and the ever-changing music business I seized the opportunity to re-invent myself a bit. I was able to diversify, and suddenly I found myself producing much more esoteric projects like Stolen Babies, Emilie Autumn, etc. I still work with many heavy bands like Dethklok, but I keep busy with a wide variety of styles.

You also mentioned that ASP880 has touched pretty much everything you’ve recorded in the last 12 months. How has it been helpful?

The ASP880 is a great piece of gear. I needed to expand quickly and add a number of high quality mic-pre’s. I wanted to stay away from tubes and keep things punchy, and the ASP880 fit the bill. After having spent two decades in professional recording studios I’m accustomed to having pro gear with all the bells and whistles, such as pad, polarity, HP filter, and individual phantom power. It’s important to have that kind of flexibility. The A/D converter is an added bonus.

“The ASP880 is a great piece of gear”

I’ve been tracking drums, bass, guitars and vocals through the ASP880 alongside my APIs and Focusrites, and I couldn’t be happier with my decision. There are many mic-pres out there, but the ASP880 packs a lot into a small space and gets you a lot of bang for your buck.

Can you tell us about your setup there?

I always enjoyed working around town, but like many producers these days I, too, built my own place. It was necessary in order to accommodate today’s budgets. It all started with a mixing rig in my built-out A-frame, but it wasn’t possible to track there. About six years ago I built a small tracking room at my house. It was supposed to be a lounge/overdubbing room, but I started tracking drums here as soon as it was finished. Oddly, despite its small size the room sounds great.

“I couldn’t be happier with my decision”

I opted to go console-free and use only rack-mount equipment. Besides the ASP880 I have Focusrite and API pre-amps and EQs, some Aphex and ART compressors, and a few Ashly EQs. I basically have enough to comfortably track a live band. I spent a lot of money on construction – concrete is really expensive! – and it has been taking some time to populate the racks. I’m not really into spending buckets of cash on esoteric gear, and I never judge anything by its price-tag. There are some amazing units available with great price/performance ratios – the ASP880 being one of them. I did pay a lot of attention to acoustic treatment and monitors. It ’s very important to know what you’re hearing in the studio, and you have to be able to rely on your control room. I currently use KRK V8’s and Yamaha HS50M’s.

What have you been working on most recently?

I just finished Brendon Small’s Galaktikon II. Before that I mixed Beasto Blanco, and produced Death Valley High and Chrysalis. I’m currently working on a very esoteric project called Precious Child.

What are you most proud of?

I’m proud of all the projects, and this is like picking favorite child! I recently started a developmental label WURMgroup, and I am very pleased with our progress. We’ve already released a few singles by Eric13, Void Vator, and Geil UK, as well as Raven Black’s ‘Seven Sins’ EP. I definitely consider this new venture a source of pride.

So it should be. Audient wishes you all the best with that — and everything else!

The post ASP880 In The Wilderness – with Ulrich Wild appeared first on Audient.

To complement the recent unveiling of ARC Creative Hub, which gives new and existing customers access to a comprehensive range of free software, the Tutorial Hub contains general advice on recording, mixing, mastering and technology in different music genres, and helpful tips for users of specific Audient products.

Tutorial Hub: “Anyone can benefit – even if you aren’t (yet) an Audient customer”

Andy continues, “Anyone can benefit – even if you aren’t (yet) an Audient customer. If you’re looking to brush up on your mixing skills, get to know what your iD4 can do, learn more about tracking guitars or if you simply want an insight into other professionals’ recording process, it’s all there – completely free – on the Tutorial Hub.”

“With regular updates planned and a handy search facility to browse by category and/or product, we suggest you grab a cup of tea and have a look around!”

Got that tea ready? Here’s the link again.

The post AUDIENT LAUNCHES TUTORIAL HUB TO COMPLEMENT ARC appeared first on Audient.

Audient got in touch with Learning Advisor and Studio Coordinator, Rob Mann to ask him more about the college and its studios, the concept behind the Create Records songwriting, production and performance showcase – and of course congratulate him on the arrival of the new desk.

“It’s such a simple to use but beautiful sounding EQ and we love it.”

Thank you! This is an upgrade in one of our two recording studios here at Vision West Notts College. We have been using a smaller format console in Studio One for quite a while now and felt it was time to upgrade.

We strive to give our students an experience in education that is as close to what they might find in the professional world as possible and the ASP8024 HE offers a wide range of great features that allows our students a great, hands on learning experience.

Has ASP8024-HE been launched straight into teaching? How are you finding that?

We have been using it since its installation into the studio and we love it. The sonic character it provides is beautiful and adds that extra depth to the students’ recordings.

One of our technicians at the college was already very familiar with the desk having learnt on these desks previously at university so it was a fairly easy install and setup. This also made it a fairly seamless task when the tutors started to teach the students how to set it up for a session and work through the routing etc.

“ASP8024 HE offers a wide range of great features that allows our students a great, hands on learning experience”

What was it about the Audient Heritage that persuaded you that it was right for West Notts College? What are your favourite features or advantages?

We spent some time looking at our options and what we wanted/would need to make the studio the best learning environment it could be as well as it being the best sounding environment we could give the students. We were leaning toward the Audient from the beginning due to its fantastic reputation and simplicity/functionality. It is so easy to work around and the channel flow is perfect for teaching on. It makes the tutors lives so easy when explaining signal paths and gain staging and the dual faders makes input monitoring and mixing so simple.

Some of our personal favourite features are the Dual Layer Control, making for easy session management when students are monitoring their recordings/mixes and the EQ section. It’s such a simple to use but beautiful sounding EQ and we love it.

What has been the reaction of students/other lecturers to the arrival of the desk?

Overall the desk has gone down enormously well with both teaching staff and students. The students in particular were very taken aback by the sheer size of the console to begin with. Having worked on much smaller format consoles in the college previously it’s quite a step up for them but they seem to be diving in head first and getting very excited about the desk and it’s capabilities.

Does the studio have any commercial use or is it purely for educational purposes?

Currently we haven’t got anything fully setup to accommodate commercial usage of the studio however it is something we are going to be looking into in the near future. Opening the studios to the public properly has been a talking point within the department for a while and now that we have the Audient it seems only natural that we look at putting the studio out for commercial use.

“Overall the desk has gone down enormously well with both teaching staff and students”

How many students will get their hands on the desk over the course of a year?

Over the course of this year we will have around one hundred students having hands on contact with the desk. These students are both Music Technology and Music. They will be using it to record their coursework and recording performances from other students in the Create department.

Tell us more about the studio. What other equipment is employed?

Studio One where the new desk is situated consists of one large control room and a large live room which has a separate booth for vocals/general isolation built in. The live space is big enough to comfortably fit 8-10 performers at any one time so live session tracking is a breeze.

In the control room we run Logic Pro X and we have numerous plugin bundles on our Macs including Waves, FabFilter, Native Instruments Komplete. Also In the control room, we have a selection of outboard gear as well including some DBX Compressors, Lexicon Reverb units and numerous other digital effects units which are all routed through our patchbay.

Tell us about Create, and how the recording studios fit into that. Have you got any alumni that are shooting for the stars in the industry?

Create Records (also on Facebook) is essentially the brand under which we showcase our students’ best work. With such a diverse range of students studying a variety of units and pathways, there’s always something worthy of the spotlight – sometimes a great original song, sometimes a new music video, sometimes a studio EP or album. The studios here provide the necessary recording space for these things to happen.

We’re also always proud to feature material on Create that our students have done outside of college with their own bands. Two Level 3 Music Technology students that finished with us only last July are currently making things happen with their pop punk band ‘Catch Fire’.

How would you describe the future of West Nottinghamshire College’s music technology dept?

Amidst a somewhat challenging time for the Further Education sector, and indeed arts education in general, we’re always trying to push things forward and take things to the next level. It really is all about ensuring that our students are fully prepared for their next steps, be it university or employment. That’s what we continually strive to achieve, and the new desk will certainly help us on this mission.

Thanks Rob for your insights and long may you enjoy your Audient ASP8024-HE!

The post Audient Heritage Helps Create Records at West Nottinghamshire College appeared first on Audient.

As a reward for simply registering a product on the Audient website, new and existing customers* get access to a range of free software designed to provide a solution for recording, mixing, mastering and even education – absolutely free of charge.

“The concept behind ARC is not only to add value for our customers, but also to provide high-end software products that producers or musicians of any ability can benefit from on a creative level,” says our very own Andy Allen. “As soon as you have registered your product, you can access ARC and download any – or all – of these amazing offers.

“We have provided over £500 in creative software for our customers and all you have to do is register your products now, and enjoy,” reiterates Andy. “If you’re already a user of a current Audient product – it doesn’t matter if you’ve got an iD4 or a Heritage console – grab your serial number and click through on the Audient website.” he says.

So what are you waiting for…?

*  offer excludes legacy products

The post Introducing ARC – The Creative Hub appeared first on Audient.

A result of Audient’s continued investment in technical support, Mills rejoins the team to provide speedy, informative responses to online queries from current and prospective Audient users, and spearheads the launch of a live chat facility, which is currently being trialled on the company’s website.

“With a growing team, I’ll be looking at ways we can make our support service even better.”

Audient prides itself in its quality product range and maintains that the service offered should be of a similar high calibre, and provides a comprehensive set of factsheets and FAQs on its website as well as a knowledgeable support team.

Mills has certainly been busy broadening his knowledge, whilst he’s been away. “Over the last year I’ve been using my iD22, iD14 and ASP880 extensively to help record albums and EPs, including on-location classical recordings in a variety of venues. These all contributed towards my degree in BSc (Hons) Music Technology at Birmingham City University. I’m still awaiting my final classification but fingers crossed it will be a good grade!”

Audient has every confidence in you Dan.

The post Audient Further Invests In Tech Support appeared first on Audient.

He’s had the iD22 USB audio interface in his kit bag for a while now, so Audient caught up with him to find out about his writing process, some of his more unorthodox recording techniques – and if anybody can really be that positive all of the time. (Spoiler: they can.)

Tell us about yourself and your background in music.

My artist name is KBong which is a shortened version of my full name Kevin Bong. I’ve been playing music now for over 15 years. It all began in high school growing up in Hawaii. My first instrument was the ukulele. Since then I’ve learned to play the guitar, bass and keyboards. I write and produce music under the name KBong. I also contribute to songwriting for the band Stick Figure and tour with them worldwide.

“I truly love the iD22 for its crispness.”

What do you love most about the iD22? Do you have any favourite features?

I truly love the iD22 for its crispness. I was very impressed with the high quality output, especially when working with vocals.

KBong and his USB audio interface, iD22

How do you go about recording new song ideas for KBong/Stick Figure?

I most always lay down a demo before anything. The iD22 is great for that. It’s easy to setup and start working with quickly.

Does writing/recording music for KBong differ from writing/recording for Stick Figure?

We have similar writing processes, we most often start with a guitar and some lyric ideas. However our recording techniques are a bit different. Stick Figure primarily uses digital sounds and Reason software. I do a lot of tracking mobile and carry my iD22 with me.

 “It’s easy to setup and start working with quickly.”

Do you have a permanent recording setup at the moment or are you recording a lot on the road?

A lot on the road.

Was Reggae music your first love?

It wasn’t. The music that first inspired me was Punk Rock. Which led into Hip-Hop and eventually Reggae. These genres all spoke to me in my teenage years. A lot of the themes related to my life at the time.

Which track from ‘Hopes And Dreams’ best describes your music as a whole?

Livin Easy and Hold On are two of my favourites from “Hopes and Dreams”. Both are feel good tracks in major chord progressions. I’m generally a very enthusiastic and happy person. These songs capture that personality.

How involved were you in the recording/mixing/mastering of ‘Hopes and Dreams’?

I recorded the majority of this record at home. I even did the classic fill up my closet with pillows and blankets to track vocals in there! The majority of the mixing was done by Mike Kaplan at Lion Fox studios in Washington DC.

Would you say recording music is one of your passions/hobbies?

Without a doubt! I love seeing a song come into fruition from the very start to finish.

“I was very impressed with the high quality output, especially when working with vocals.”

What do you want people to take away from your music?

Positivity, enthusiasm and hopefully a smile!

What’s your favourite memory on tour with Stick Figure/KBong?

Our first Europe tour was a blast. It really brought the crew together as most of us had never been there before.

What’s the coolest place you’ve ever played?

Tahiti, I want to go back so bad! Of course, Red Rocks* is always an epic time.

*Wow – what an amazing venue ~ Audient

What’s in the works for KBong? New music on the way??

Yes! A brand new album coming summer 2017. Been producing it while on tour.

Audient looks forward to that. Thanks for the chat and good luck!

The post KBong: Songwriting With A Smile appeared first on Audient.