Control Room

The studio is equipped with all my favorite toys, and toys that I know inside and out.  We’re sporting an SSL Matrix Console that I have fallen in love with, replacing my fully loaded large-frame AMEK “big” that has served us so well over the past two decades. The Matrix fully integrates every aspect of the studio, and has truly become the heart of the studio, making it possible for all of the analog gear and all the digital gear to talk with each other seamlessly for the first time.  It’s also beyond Total Recall, saving every single setting of every detail of tracking, mixing, and mastering, down to the external analog pre-amps, EQ’s and the occasional kitchen sink.

Coupled with our array of WEISS processing, Shadow Hills, Neve, Avedis, SSL, Avalon, and API pre-amps and processors, tons of top quality plug-ins inside our Mac Pro HD3 Accel system including Waves Horizon Bundle, SONNEX Elite collection and others…there’s nothing we can’t handle.

And our mics; think of your favorite mics, and it’s likely we’ve got it, or we’ve got something that will sound so close, that with your eyes closed and your internal bias suspended…you’ll be blown away by how meticulously we maintain every aspect of the studio.

And, we will NEVER EVER EVER NEVER give up analog! The industry workhorse, an analog MCI JH-24 2″ 24-track, which has been with me on every album I’veproduced is always ready for hours of non-stop tracking (Johnny Cash also recorded on this very JH-24 machine), and is optimized and integrated into our new setup. We also have our ATR-102 1/2″ stereo tape machine, which is complete with Mark Spitz upgrades and Vintage King refurbishing.  I adore marrying analog and digital and feel that working within Pro Tools is a creative language all its own.

Click the image above for a larger version of the Playground Recording Studio Control Room.