Located in the heart of New York’s Brooklyn, The Garden is a mix and dubbing studio that aims to bridge the gap between ‘in-the-box’ and ‘out-of-the-box’ mix projects. Central to this mission is a Solid State Logic AWS Hybrid Console/Controller.
‘I’ve been in the studio business for more than 24 years but, with The Garden, I wanted to create a mixing studio that could handle the way contemporary artists create and record music,’ says Drew Vogelman, studio owner and mix engineer. ‘Workflow over the years has changed from analogue and tape to completely DAW-centric, and everything in between. While there is a lot of talk in the industry about in-the-box versus out-of-the-box, it’s really about how you effectively maximise both worlds to get the best final sound.’
Recently, Vogelman arranged a try-it-out deal with an English producer who had completed a project for a budding artist in Chicago: ‘I listened to one of the tracks from the Chicago sessions at a mutual friend’s house and made the offer of mixing the track on the SSL and if all went well, we would continue from there,’ he says. ‘This project was good having been mixed in-the-box, however, when anything is put through the AWS, it brings the sonic quality to a whole new level. Long story short, he flew in, we mixed the first song and he was just blown away by having not just the flexibility of the analogue workflow, but the sonic quality. It’s an SSL, and it sounds phenomenal. The AWS is a great creative tool and good for the bottom line. This console attracts business.’
The studio comprises a large control room and drum kit-sized dubbing room, and offers a wide range of classic guitar amps. ‘I have never been a big fan of guitar amplifier plug-ins on a DAW, so we equipped the studio with a range of 12 different classic amps in our basement isolation room,’ Vogelman explains. ‘When we begin mixing, I route the dry guitar track through the AWS down to a select guitar amp, then bring the sound back into the AWS through a live microphone. What a difference – this re-amping process, as I call it, turns an okay, simulated guitar track into a monster track with all the grit, personality and nuance captured through the AWS. It is simple choices like these that make working with the AWS so valuable on every level. The AWS is literally the centerpiece of our business.’
Alongside the AWS, The Garden offers monitoring via Genelec 1030A and Yamaha NS10M systems, as well as Avantone MiX Cubes and a Tivoli 3-inch mono radio. Along with two Pro Tools HDX DAWs, there is a range of analogue tape machines, including a Studer A80 half-inch 2-tack, and Studer A807 and A810 quarter-incg 2-track machines, and a Revox PR99 quarter-inch 2-track. These are supported by a wealth of outboard mic preamps, equalisers, dynamics processors and effects, as well as an extensive collection of microphones.
