What do you get when you plant a music-loving, studio-savvy expatriate Brit in the heartland of the Midwest? You get a singer/songwriter’s best friend: David Archer. He explains, “I have never charged for my services while here in the U.S. My visa didn’t allow me to make money for any work other than my day job. The Cincinnati-based Archer put his passion and facilities to good use. “I repositioned myself as someone focused on giving talented but hard-up musicians in the area a chance to realize their projects for free, on good gear and with [my] coaching and nurturing attitude — no need to clock watch when studio time is free!”
Based around a Pro Tools|HD rig and an Avid C|24 control surface, Archer’s studio setup accommodates his roots in the U.K. “A lot of my gear runs on British 240V power. I got this installed so that I could keep using my favorite gear from England.” Archer’s day job caused him to relocate to the Queen City some 14 years ago, after Archer had built his original studio in England over the course of 15 years. He never lost his taste for Brit-based gear, however. “My ATC SCM25A monitors from Sweetwater are an absolute revelation. I was so happy when I found out Sweetwater was starting to carry the brand. They represent the very best of handmade British craftsmanship — they are the audio equivalent of my other love: Aston Martins!”
Archer values his relationship with Sweetwater and his Sales Engineer, Greg Baum. “He’s been instrumental in all my choices. When I switched to Pro Tools a few years ago, he even organized a late-evening conference call between him, me, and the Avid rep so that he could talk me through the HD systems and peripherals that might best meet my needs.” Archer adds, “Greg really exemplifies the Sweetwater service philosophy.”