The Studio
Ben owns and operates a state-of-the art audio recording and production studio in Monrovia, CA (just 10 miles east of Pasadena). Built around an Avid Pro Tools HD2 Accel system, it melds the best of today's technology with tried-and-true classic gear of days gone by.
The studio features a main room with 2 adjoining isolation booths and is capable of hosting a live rhythm section. In addition, a 32" LCD client video monitor is viewable from any of the three tracking areas for composing or recording audio for video. All rooms and the mix position are acoustically treated and climate controlled. A mini-fridge, WiFi internet access, cable TV, XBox 360, multi-function laser printer, restroom (w/ shower) and outside garden patio are available for client convenience.
EQUIPMENT LIST:
Recorders:
Avid Pro Tools HD2 Accel w/ 192IO (expanded: 16 in, 8 out) running Pro Tools 10 HD
Fostex D5 DAT
TEAC 1/4" 4 track & 2 track reel to reel tape recorders
Sansui SC-1110 cassette recorder
Console:
Digidesign ProControl (w/ custom wireless producer talkback switch)
Audio/Video Monitoring:
Focal Twin 6be (pair)
Avantone Active MixCubes (pair)
Yamaha NS10 (pair)
Behringer Powerplay Pro headphone amplifier
(4) custom 4 output headphone distribution boxes
(4) Sony MDR-V600 headphones
Sony MDR-7506
AKG K240 headphones
M-Audio Studiophile Q40 headphones
Metrophones isolation headphones
Gateway FPD2485 24" LCD (primary)
Gateway FPD2485 24" LCD (secondary)
Sony Bravia KDL-32SL130 32" LCD TV (client)
Avid Mojo DNA
Microphones:
Korby KAT tube mic system (w/ 47, 67m and 251 capsules)
M-Audio Sputnik
(2) AKG 414B-XLS (matched pair)
(2) Oktava MC-012
Sennheiser MKH 416-P48
(2) Royer R-122
Royer R-121
Shure SM7b
(3) Sennheiser MD-421
AKG D112
Shure SM-57
Shure 520B "Green Bullet" ('57 vintage)
custom 8" woofer mic
Preamps:
9 ch. Brent Averill API 312 (w/ vintage 2520 opamps)
2 ch. Brent Averill Neve 1272
Martech MSS-10
Siemens (Telefunken) V72
4 ch. Peavey VMP2
Dynamics:
ADL 1500C/L stereo tube compressor/limiter
API 2500 stereo bus compressor
(2) Empirical Labs EL8 Distressor compressor/limiters
DBX 163x compressor
Effects/Misc.:
Hughes AK-100 SRS Sound Retrieval System ** New! **
Sansamp PSA-1
Shure Level-Loc ** New! **
(2) Little Labs IBP
Reamp V2
ADL 200 stereo tube DI
Whirlwind DI (passive)
- All microphone lines and outboard gear are accessible via (2) 96 pt Bittree TT patchbays.
- Studio is wired with premium Mogami and Canare cabling, and Neutrik connectors.
Instruments & Amplifiers:
Steinway grand piano (late 1800's vintage)
Gretsch 5-piece drum set (early '70's vintage, standard sizes)
+various snares, drums, cymbals and misc. percussion
Roland TD-3SW V-Drum kit
Line6 Variax 500 guitar
Line6 Variax 700 bass guitar
Hammond M-111 organ
Orcoa Concert organ
Masterfonic accordian
Fender Vibro Champ ('64, blackface)
Fender Bandmaster head (silverface)
Fender Dual Showman head
Kustom 150 combo
Acoustic Model 450 head
Ampeg B15 head (vintage)
Eden 15" bass cabinet
Lee Jackson 4X12" cabinet
Leslie cabinet w/ Leslie Combo mic/instrument interface pedal
Line6 Bass POD XT Live pedal board ** New! **
+various guitar pedals and effects
M-Audio Keystation Pro 88 note weighted keyboard MIDI controller
Evolution MK-461C 61 note keyboard MIDI controller
Behringer FCB1010 MIDI foot controller
Computers:
STUDIO1
Intel Core i7 920 2.66GHz CPU
6GB RAM
Matrox M9140 quad-head video card
Startech 3-Port PCI-e firewire 400/800 card
10k RPM SATA (WD Raptor) media drives
...running Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit edition
Lacie D2 301906U BD/DVD/CD Burner (external)
STUDIO2
Intel Pentium 4 3GHz CPU
4GB RAM
ATI Readeon 4650 dual-head video card
LiteOn iHES208-08 2 BD-ROM, DVD/CD Burner (w/ LightScribe)
...running Windows 7 Ultimate 32bit edition
- Computers are protected by an APC Smart-UPS 1500 battery backup system
- Data is protected by a dedicated 3TB external backup drive
DAW Software:
Avid Pro Tools 10 HD ** New! **
- Avid ProTools Instrument Expansion Pack
- Avid DigiTranslator 2.0
- Avid MP3 Option
- Avid HEAT Option
Basehead SFX Database v.3 ** New! **
iZotope RX 2
Sony CD Architect v.5.2
Plug-ins:
Avid Channel Strip ** New! **
Avid Dfi, LoFi, RectiFi
Avid Eleven
Avid Reel Tape Saturation ** New! **
Avid Reverb One
Avid ReVibe
Avid Smack
Avid X-Form
Audio Ease Speakerphone 2
Abbey Road Brilliance Pack
Cranesong Phoenix
d16 Devastator
DUY Z-Room
Eventide Omnipressor ** New! **
Focusrite d2/d3
FXpansion VST to RTAS Adapter 2.0
iZotope Vinyl
iZotope RX 2
Kush Audio UBK-1 ** New! **
Line6 Amp Farm 3
Line6 Pod Farm 2 Platinum
Massey CT4
Massey DRT ** New! **
Massey DTM
Massey Tapehead
Massey TD5
Ohmforce Frohmage
Ohmforce Ohmicide
Ohmforce Ohmygod
Ohmforce Predatohm
PSP Nitro
PSP PianoVerb
reFuse Lowender ** New! **
Sansamp PSA-1
Softube TSAR-1
Sonnox Inflator ** New! **
SoundToys Devil-Loc Deluxe
SoundToys Decapitator
SSL Duende Native Drumstrip
Steven Slate Trigger EX
Steven Slate VCC ** New! **
URS A Series ** New! **
URS A-Mix EQ ** New! **
Valhalla FreqEcho
Valhalla Room
Valhalla Shimmer
Waves Mercury Bundle V8, including:
- 360 Surround Tools
- The Jack Joseph Puig Artist Signature Collection
- The Chris Lord-Alge Artist Signature Collection
- The Eddie Kramer Artist Signature Collection
- CLA Classic Compressors
- The Tony Maserati Artist Signature Collection
- Aphex Aural Exciter
- Dorrough Meter Collection
- JJP Collection
- API Collection
- Diamond Bundle
- Bass Rider
- GTR3
- H-EQ
- IR1 & IR360
- Kramer HLS Channel
- Kramer Master Tape
- Kramer PIE Compressor
- L3-16 Multimaximizer
- L3 Multimaximizer
- LoAir
- MaxxVolume
- OneKnob Series
- V-Series
- Vocal Bundle
- Vocal Rider
- Waves Loudness Meter (WLM) ** New! **
- Waves Noise Suppressor (WNS)
- Z-Noise
Waves SSL Collection V8
Waves The King's Microphones
Virtual Instruments:
Abbey Road 60's Drums
Acoustic Samples HipGig Drum Kit
Acoustic Samples Old Black Grand
Art Vista Virtual Grand
Avid Hybrid
Avid Strike
Avid Structure
Avid Transfuser
Avid Velvet
Avid Xpand
FXpansion BFD2 (expanded)
FXpansion Orca
GForce M-Tron Pro (expanded)
-ChamberTron ** New! **
-OptiTron EX
Imperfect Samples Braunschweig Upright Piano Pro
Imperfect Samples Hohner White Baby Grand Piano (Complete)
KV331 Synthmaster
Native Instruments B4/B4II
Native Instruments Battery 3
Native Instruments FM8
Native Instruments Guitar Rig 5 (expanded)
- Rammfire
- Reflektor
- Solid Mix Series
- Traktor's 12
- Vintage Compressors (VC76, VC2A, VC 160)
Native Instruments Kontakt 5 ** New! **
Native Instruments Kore 2 Player
Native Instruments Massive
Native Instruments Reaktor 5 Player (expanded)
- Prism
- Skanner ** New! **
- Spark
- The Finger
Native Instruments Studio Drummer
Native Instruments Vintage Organs
Propellerheads Reason 2.5
Spectrasonics Omnisphere
Spectrasonics Stylus RMX
Steven Slate Drums EX