Miami talent development and collaboration company Electric Feel Entertainment has expanding its operation with a new facility in the Wynwood Arts District housing two music production studios designed by WSDG, alongside creative, administrative, and hospitality spaces. At its heart is the first Solid State Logic Oracle Future Analogue mixing console to be installed in the United States.
Widely recognised as a hitmaker hub, Electric Feel’s roster includes the likes of Post Malone and Quavo, alongside songwriters and producers like Louis Bell, Billy Walsh, Nick Mira and Carter Lang. The studio’s creative influence extends to some of the biggest songs from artists including Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber and Doja Cat.
Alongside the new console, which was supplied through Sweetwater Sound, Studio B in Miami features an SSL AWS 948 console, purchased from PK Pandey at AVN SYS.
‘Many factors make the Oracle the best choice for Electric Feel Studio A in Miami,’ says Nick Mac, Electric Feel’s Chief of Engineering and Studio Technical Director. ‘The ability to mix multiple sessions a day with zero downtime between recalls on the desk is insane. SSL’s DAW control is the best out there, and Oracle offers it per-fader-bay, allowing me to have analogue control on one fader bank, and DAW control on another – the hybrid workflow is unparalleled. The fader resolution while writing automation in Pro Tools is incredible, easy and feels good physically. Oracle’s Mid/Side encode and decode, harmonic Drive control on all the channels, and band-solo feature on the EQ, are features you associate with software, not a fully-fledged analogue studio console – it’s astonishing what Oracle is capable of.
‘To be able to do multiple real analogue or hybrid mixes in a day with only a few button pushes in between is like something out of a dream,’ he continues. ‘And, while I may not need to recall a tracking session, after a daylong session and breakdown it’s a massive relief to know that we can return to our default settings to start the next project with just a touch of a button. Things like this sound so simple, but it’s not been possible up until now.’
The Oracle and AWS 948 consoles anchor the two music production studios on the lower floor of Electric Feel’s new Miami facility. ‘The second floor is a creative space, offices, a listening room, a dining room and other amenities,’ says Danielle Engen, Electric Feel Entertainment’s Director of Facilities & Studios. ‘Then we have a full restaurant, bar and event space with a beautiful retractable awning on the rooftop. Because we have integrated incredible hospitality throughout the building, we wanted our studios to match those same high standards. The Oracle, the first to be installed in the country, is a highlight. It’s new, exciting and really elevates everything that we’re able to offer our clients.’
‘I appreciate SSL’s SuperAnalogue technology for many reasons,’ Mac continues. ‘The headroom and frequency response of SSL’s SuperAnalogue consoles have been something I’ve relied on in some of my most important moments. A lot of artists I work with demand mix bus and monitoring architecture that won’t choke when being hit with high levels of signal for long periods of time. They want to push things to the limit, in every sense. Having a console that I know from experience will sonically hold up and reproduce what we’re doing accurately is nonnegotiable. That allows me to stand behind my work and allows my artists to be proud of their work.’
Oracle’s design incorporates the harmonic drive technology of the latest SSL PureDrive mic preamps, the current-driven buses introduced in Origin and various flavours of harmonic saturation accessible throughout the console. It can produce the beautifully precise sounds of SuperAnalogue audio, deliver a palette of driven analogue tones or anything in between.
‘It’s a no-brainer to put an SSL console into an Electric Feel studio,’ Mac says. ‘I know it’s dependable and the routing flexibility is unmatched — and you don’t even need to mention the sound quality, because it’s incredible. SSL is a trademark for people who are serious about what they do. As the Chief Engineer and Studio Technical Director of Electric Feel, the choice for an everyday working console that covers the gamut is clear.’
Electric Feel Entertainment’s US footprint encompasses production studios in Hollywood and on Music Row in Nashville that also each house an SSL AWS 948 analogue console.
More: www.solidstatelogic.com