Now a full-time member of Cypress Hill, multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, composer and producer Christian Olde Wolbers recently turned to Focusrite’s RedNet interfaces and ISA preamps to upgrade his Los Angeles studio set-up: ‘I’ve been using Focusrite gear for years, but switching to RedNet was like night and day. Everything in the studio suddenly felt more professional, and once I moved to HDX, it opened up so much more flexibility in my workflow.’
Originally from Belgium, Olde Wolbers had moved to the US West Coast in 1993 to join Fear Factory, quickly becoming immersed in California’s metal scene. In this time, he has contributed to influential projects that include industrial-metal pioneers Fear Factory, crossover thrash band Beowülf, and Bay Area thrashers Vio-lence.
Olde Wolbers’ set-up now centres on the Red 16Line and RedNet A16R interfaces, giving him 32 channels of conversion, and 20 channels of Focusrite ISA preamps, four ISA 428s and one ISA 828. ‘I record a lot of drums and upright bass, and I like to keep all my signal paths dialled in,’ he says. ‘My studio isn’t a revolving-door space. It’s built to be consistent, fast, and always ready to go.
‘When I’m working with artists in their 50s, like members of Cypress Hill, with tight schedules and now with family obligations, I can’t afford any downtime,’ he continues. ‘Even if it’s a demo, I track it like it’s going on the record. You might never get a second take, so your set-up needs to be dialed in and capture-ready at all times. That’s what Focusrite gives me.’
Even in his early days, one thing stood out to him about the professional studios he encountered – Focusrite gear. ‘The ISA 430 was in every studio,’ he says. ‘I remember seeing the blue front plate and the yellow dials, and I came to associate that look with great sound. I eventually got my own 430 MkII and loved it.’
With projects spanning hip-hop, hardcore, metal and symphonic collaborations contantly passing through his studio, Olde Wolbers keeps everything – mics, signal chains and routing – preconfigured so nothing slows down the creative process.
‘I’ve got all my gear in touring-style rollable racks, just like a live rig. My upright bass rig is always patched into eight dedicated channels. That’s the sound I use on the Cypress Hill tracks, and now I don’t have to re-dial in anything. I can just walk in, arm the tracks and hit record.
‘Eric Bobo, our percussionist and drummer in Cypress Hill, was in the Beastie Boys during the time when they would do the instrumental, funky, jazzy lounge music stuff. He’s the son of Billy Bobo, one of the most famous percussionists in Latin percussion. When he comes into my studio, the feel and soul that man has in his fingers is amazing. When I play with him, we just create on the spot constantly, and again, that’s why I need everything set up to be able to capture everything we do on a minute’s notice. And there’s a lot of music on our fingertips, and it’s more than just one record! That’s why I have this set up in my own studio. A professional HDX, a RedNet set-up, and I am good to go.’
He describes the move to RedNet as more than just a gear upgrade and more about ensuring professional standards from the first note to the final master. ‘In today’s music world, your interface is your window,’ he says. ‘If what you’re feeding into your DAW isn’t top tier, it’s hard to make up for it later. RedNet gives me that musical, clean capture on the front end. If I want to dirty things up after, I can. But I always start clean, high-quality audio, especially if it’s going to a major label.’
His admiration for the Focusrite ISA preamps runs deep, particularly their tone. ‘What I’ve always loved about the ISA gear is how balanced and musical it is. A lot of preamps have too much colour, but Focusrite feels natural and organic. I use them constantly on drums and bass, especially with my SSL and API EQs in the chain. It just works.’
That efficiency extends beyond his work with Cypress Hill. Olde Wolbers is also producing a hardcore project featuring Brad Wilk from Rage Against the Machine, Nick Oliveri, formerly of Queens of the Stone Age, and Tom Capone from Quicksand – all tracked in his South Bay studio. He’s also developing a solo metal project, where he steps out front as the lead vocalist.
For all the gear in the room, Olde Wolbers says it’s Focusrite’s technical support that makes the difference when it matters most. ‘I’m not the most technical guy so, when something goes sideways, I just hit up Focusrite’ he confesses. ‘I get someone on the phone, they remotely take over my computer in real time, help me fix what needed fixing, and I’m back in action within minutes. That kind of support is rare – and it means everything when your sessions are on the line, and you have artists waiting to record. You also don’t want to lose that creative moment, and Focusrite tech support gets that.’
Olde Wolbers is currently producing Cypress Hill’s forthcoming album, recorded live at London’s Royal Albert Hall in collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra to mark the 30th anniversary of the groundbreaking Black Sunday album. It features orchestral arrangements performed by the 70-piece ensemble.
‘Whether I’m tracking a symphony at Abbey Road or laying down a bassline for Cypress Hill, I know the gear is going to deliver both from a high-quality audio standpoint and reliability,’ he says. ‘That’s why I stay with Focusrite.’
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