Ending his stint as an itinerant audio engineer, Nashville-based freelance mixer Geoff Pillar has opened his first recording studio.

‘My basic goal was to cater for up-and-coming artists and be able to mould what I have to offer to people with different budgets and price ranges,’ he explains. ‘I wanted to be able to work on good music and get a good product out for bands that don’t have a lot of money as well as acts that have label backing.’

Electric Thunder opened in January 2011, and is centred on a 16-channel Neve Genesys analogue recording console, which Pillar purchased from Guitar Center Professional (GC Pro), the outside sales division of Guitar Center that focuses on pro users. ‘Chad Evans is my rep, and he’s great,’ says Pillar. ‘I know he’s worked in studios before, so I trust his recommendations.’

The Electric Thunder control room is served by three mid-size isolation rooms plus two vocal booths for tracking and overdub sessions. ‘The Neve Genesys is great,’ he says. ‘It’s got tons of gain and good headroom and you can really push it like a large format console. It really seems to shine on everything, especially on piano and electric guitars.’

The Neve Genesys is fitted with eight channels of dynamics and EQ and is hooked up to an Avid Pro Tools|HD2 system for recording and playback, along with two Lynx Aurora 16 AD/DA converters and Universal Audio 2192 master audio interface for clocking the Lynx units. Loudspeaker monitors include a pair of ProAc Studio 100s, Event Opals and Yamaha NS10s.

Pillar has been collecting outboard equipment for more than a decade, and can offer Electric Thunder clients plenty of options. Notable pieces include a pair of Neve 1073 modules, LA-3As, Calrec PQ 15s, Focusrite ISAs and Universal Audio 1176s. A Gates Sta-Level compressor takes pride of place: ‘These are the original classics, and they get used a lot here,’ he says. A vintage British-made Chilton QM1 discrete, germanium transistor-based analogue recording console is available to provide additional tonal variations.

The at Electric Thunder mic locker includes Audio-Technica 4047s, Sennheiser 421s and MKH 40s and Shure SM 57s. But more likely than not Pillar will reach for his Sanken CU 41 mics first. ‘They get used on just about anything from vocals, to piano, to drum overheads,’ he says.

‘It took me about six months to get everything exactly the way I wanted, solid to the point where I wanted to bring clients in. I wanted to be able to offer a facility that is comfortable and affordable and that has great gear and great ears. It is very inviting and relaxing here, and people know what to expect when they leave. Clients can be sure that their work will translate very well if they take it somewhere else.’

Having previously concentrated on independent mix projects, Pillar is enjoying the diversity of the work coming through the door of his new venture: ‘As a studio owner, I am able to take part in a lot of projects that I might not have had exposure to had I still been an independent freelancer. I get to meet all sorts of bands and artists I wouldn’t have otherwise had a chance to meet.’

While there has certainly been no shortage of work for the studio, including a session with noted Nashville producer Rogers Masson, he is now looking to more long-term projects: ‘I want to get more instruments and bands in here and cut full albums. I’d like people to camp out for a month and do a record and make Electric Thunder their own. If I can keep the momentum going that I’ve got now, it will be great.’

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