We’d like to give you a look at what we have in our three studio rooms, how we work, and a bit of what goes on back here.
Chuck Surack started Sweetwater Sound back in 1979 in a Volkswagen van. (Memorabilia from the earliest days of Sweetwater is on display at the main entrance to the building.) The present Studio complex was built when Sweetwater Sound relocated to its current campus in 2008. We have three studios in the facility — Studio A, Studio B, and Studio C. Each of the studios has a slightly different configuration, so the tasks assigned to each room will vary a bit.
What the Rooms Have in Common
If you’ve seen many pictures of other recording studios, you may notice that it’s not unusual for a console to face directly into the recording space, with a large window providing sightlines into the room. However, large pieces of glass directly in front of the listening position can cause acoustic issues due to sound reflecting off the glass. Our studios were designed by Russ Berger and RBDG (Russ Berger Design Group), and all three of them have the attached recording space visible to the side of the room rather than the front. This minimizes potential reflection problems by putting the windows on the sides of the rooms, where sound reflections will have less impact on the mix position.
All three rooms are equipped with ATC monitors — a pair SCM150ASLs and an ATC C6 subwoofer for a 2.1 setup in Studio A; three SCM45As, two ATC 20As, and a Subwoofer Pro for 5.1 monitoring and mixing in Studio B; and a pair of SCM25As in Studio C. Having ATCs in all our studios lets us move projects among our rooms with confidence that any recording and mixing decisions made in one room will translate to the other rooms without issues or anomalies. For monitoring on the other side of the glass, the studios are all equipped with Aviom D800 multichannel headphone systems that allow musicians and artists to create their own mixes during recording sessions.
One of the things you notice when you enter any of our control rooms, iso booths, or the main tracking room in Studio A is how quiet these spaces are. This is partly because of the construction of the rooms (including massive air-sealed doors, floating floors, and a number of acoustic treatments), but also because we’ve moved all the components that make noise — computers, hard drives, interfaces with fans — out of the control rooms. In Studio A, there’s a separate machine room that we refer to as “Mission Control” (shared with the Performance Theatre), and Studio B and C’s equipment racks are in the hallway outside each of the studios.
Pro Tools
All three rooms are outfitted with massive Pro Tools systems, each with a huge number of inputs, outputs, and plug-ins.
The Microphone Vault
The Microphone Vault houses more than 150 mics from a wide range of manufacturers. We have a selection of ribbon microphones, large- and small-diaphragm condenser microphones, and dynamic microphones. If you find yourself on our campus, check out the Microphone Vault near Studio A. The mics you see aren’t the only ones we have available; the drawers below are also filled with microphones.
The relationships that we have with our vendors allows us the luxury of being able to update our mic collection (and other gear) with newer models when they are released. One advantage of this approach is that if one of our artists or musicians falls in love with the sound they get when working here, we can help them to purchase the same microphone to use at home! Along with current production mics, we have a handful of vintage microphones in the Vault.
Studio A
Studio A is our flagship studio, with a large tracking space and two iso booths. Studio A has enough space and gear to record a full band, a string ensemble, or a medium-sized choir. We’ve recorded everything from classical pianists to metal bands in Studio A. It also hosts our Recording Master Classes, where attendees from across the country come and learn how to record different types of music — from microphone selection through the tracking, overdubs, editing, and mixing processes.
The heart of Studio A is a hybrid console, with 36 channels of Rupert Neve Designs Shelford processors — 27 x 5052 Preamp/EQs, 9 x 5051 EQ/Compressors, and an Avid S6 control surface. This hybrid setup allows our engineers to create a workflow that suits each one’s preferences — with faders, with a host of analog gear, or completely in the box.
In addition to the Rupert Neve modules, Studio A has five racks of high-end preamps, compressors, and other processors. Two of these are the outer racks of the desk and are connected to the system via ELCO connectors. Those connectors allow the outer two racks to migrate to Studio B or Studio C as needed.
Besides the ATC SCM150ASL/ATC C6 subwoofer system, Studio A also houses a pair of Focal SM9 monitors.
Studio B
Studio B, more intimate than studio A, is perfect for overdubbing, editing, and mixing. Built around an SSL AWS 948 Delta in-line analog console and DAW controller, Studio B is equipped with three ATC 45As, two ATC 20As, and a Subwoofer Pro for 5.1 monitoring and mixing. Studio B contains a pair of Rupert Neve Designs Shelford 5052 Mic Pre/EQs, as well as a select group of other high-end preamps. Rounding out the equipment complement in Studio B is a rack of SSL XLogic Dynamics Modules. Though we’ve recorded full drum sets in the iso booth attached to Studio B, it’s more often used for singers and guitarists doing overdubs or for voice-over artists. In addition to recording, Studio B is used for SSL training classes, where our Sales Engineers learn the ins and outs of the SSL console in order to better help our customers.
Studio C
Studio C is our mixing and mastering suite. Equipped with ATC 25A monitors and a comprehensive collection of Dangerous Music gear, Studio C sounds incredible. The Studio C iso booth is great for voice-overs, as well as for vocal and instrumental overdubs. To facilitate mixing projects, Studio C includes a couple of Dangerous 2-BUS+ summing mixers, a Dangerous Compressor, a Maag EQ4M equalizer, a Manley Variable Mu (Mastering Version), a Retro 176 limiter, and a rack of eight Rupert Neve Designs 500 Series modules containing four 511 preamps, two 535 compressors, and two 551 equalizers. Besides overdubs, voice-overs, and mixing, Studio C is also regularly used for editing projects recorded in our other rooms.
Performance Theatre
But wait — there’s more! Our 250-seat Performance Theatre is considered to be part of the Sweetwater Studios complex, since it’s connected via tie lines to Studio A. This allows large groups to use the theatre as a soundstage while capturing the performances in our largest control room. The Performance Theatre is an incredible space for recording live shows and large groups such as choirs, orchestras, and large bands. The Performance Theatre utilizes advanced E-Coustic room enhancement, giving us the capability to dynamically change the sound and feel of the theatre. This system uses four microphones and over 100 speakers placed throughout the room to generate the sound of virtually any acoustic space, from a small room to the Grand Canyon — and anything in between!
Sweetwater Studios can handle virtually any project, large or small. Whatever your needs, we have the right space for you. Give us a call before you tackle your next project — (800) 386-6434!