Snaps from a Modern Hybrid Mix Room
My man cave is perhaps the poster child of hybrid mixing studios: it’s an efficient and effective space, acoustically treated to ensure no surprises at mastering. Power is clean, wiring is minimal, noise floor is ridiculously low.
Mission-critical gear that needs to live in the sweet spot resides in a 72-space Sterling Modular mastering console that’s been outfitted for mixing. It’s designed to be as acoustically neutral as possible.
I’m frequently hired to perform additional parts, so I keep a lot of guitar gear and some electric pianos at my fingertips for easy access.
Before I moved some of these pieces into the console, the racks were organized by their functional attributes. There was a dedicated EQ rack, a couple compressor racks, an FX rack and a 43-space DAW & mixer rack. Power supply units were strategically placed to minimize noise.
Pictured left to right – Michael James, John Payne and Jay Schellen of the band Asia mixing the GPS spinoff album, Window to the Soul, featuring Guthrie Govan.
While some gear is permanently installed in the console, other pieces innocently believe that they are mobile by virtue of being racked in original Kriz Kraft ATA flight cases. The Internet and FTP service have changed the game. It’s no longer necessary to drag my producer racks all over town, so “portability” has become “earthquake insurance”.
I reorganized a couple racks according to ergonomic rather than functional considerations. Key pieces are now at ear or eye level.
EveAnna loaned me these limiters because she knew I’d become hooked after having a taste. Mission accomplished. Money spent.