The invention of Detroit producer and multi-instrumentalist Scott Albert (Klayton), Celldweller has combined elements of electronica, rock and metal in music for TV shows, feature films, video games and movie trailers. The centerpiece of his Celldweller Studios is a Solid State Logic AWS Hybrid Console/Controller.
His recent work includes iTunes charting album releases as well as a bundle of audio samples entitled Sonix Producer Pack Vol. 01. ‘I finally got to a point in my career where I could afford bigger and better things, and my first target was an SSL console,’ he says. ‘I felt that I needed something more compact than a large, vintage console for my space.
‘It was at that point that my friend Mike Strange, Eminem’s engineer, introduced me to his AWS and that sealed the deal. My space is a total mash-up of organic and synthetic sounds, created through a bunch of modular synths and a lot of outboard gear ranging from high-end audio processing to distortion boxes and weird effects. I play many other live instruments as well, such as guitar, bass and drums. Occasionally, I use stringed instruments, which I have no formal education in, so I use them to make fantastical noises. The AWS made perfect sense to me because it gave me the analogue sound and workflow of an SSL while bringing all the elements I use together. The AWS was a perfect fit for me.’
While the Celldweller studio complex is not a commercial facility, Albert has used the AWS room and his B Room, featuring an SSL modular analogue X-Rack system alongside his DAW, in work with artists signed to his label, FiXT. ‘The core of what I do, the heart and soul of my sound is the AWS,’ he explains. ‘I have multiple rooms that are used for composing and tracking, with the main two rooms driven by SSL. The B Room also has the master bus compressor, which is super important to get the sound that I completely love, and channel strips, with EQs and output modules. It was very important to me to maintain sonic consistency between both main rooms.’
Significantly, theAWS bridges the gap between the analogue world and DAW control :‘I very often flip into the DAW layer on the AWS where I might be doing EQ sweeps, for example, while I’m writing that automation into Cubase,’ he says. ‘It’s so much more musical, intuitive and human to grab a real fader and adjust a level. With the AWS, I can close my eyes and listen as opposed to clicking on a virtual knob, dragging up or down and reading a number. With the AWS I am always working with the sound, not the computer. SSL has created a great console with the AWS; the company and staff are amazing to work with as well.’
More: www.solidstatelogic.com
