I currently operate primarily out of my own overdub and mix studio, as well as a few larger tracking rooms for larger drum and full-band tracking sessions, which can allow us to optimize your budget, working out the best sounds possible and allowing time to do it right.
::::::::The Civil Defense (Ridgewood, Queens).
Excellent spot for most projects. This is a mixing, production, and overdub studio perfectly suited to mixing and vocal/guitar/synth tracking. We have a large control room and two smaller tracking spaces. The larger is big enough to accomodate a drum kit and is excellent for vocals, guitars, and acoustic instruments. All of our vintage gear has been recapped and regularly maintained.
We have a streamlined process for remote mixing with video chat and a live stream from the console, so we’d love to work with you even if you’re out of NYC or the US. I love working on score mixing and any kind of sound for picture as well.
We’re open to having outside engineers do projects here. Please get in touch!
Consoles:
1979 MCI JH-528c. 28 channels. Transformer in and out. Huge sounding. Tons of classic records were done on these in the late 70s/early80s. Recapped in 2011. Lots of mods, from simultaneous MCI and API mix busses to new channel cards and no VCAs.
Monitoring:
Speakers--Ex-Machina Quasars, Event Opals, Yamaha NS-10ms
Power amps--Adcom (for NS10s)
Headphones--Sennheiser, Beyerdynamic, and AKG headphones
Digital:
32in/out via Lynx Aurora (N)32, thunderbolt for easy hookup on our system or your laptop. M2 Mac Studio with 64gb ram. Altiverb, Liquisonics, Soundtoys, Plugin Alliance, Universal Audio octo card and plugs, lots of other good stuff. Dorrough meters, Tektronix phase metere/goniometer. We set this up so it’s easy to plug and play and interface with our whole system in minutes.
Mics:
AKG 451 (vintage w/ ck1 x2)
Akg D-20
Avenson Omni prototypes (x2)
Beyer m201
Beyer m380
Beyer m260 (dx mod)
Beyer m500 (dx mod)
Calrec 1050 (x4)
Coles 4038 (x2)
Copperphone
Electrovoice RE-20
Electrovoice 635a
Karma micro (x2)
Lomo A19A9 (x2)
Peluso 2247LE tube mic
Royer 121
Sennheiser md 421 (x3)
Sennheiser mn441
Shure sm57 (x3)
Shure sm7b
United Fet47
Various junk mics, telephone mics, etc.
Outboard:
(pres/eq)
ADM 780 (2ch w/1540 eq)
API 312 (4ch)
API 554 EQ (2ch)
API 553 EQ clones (2ch)
Classic API VP-25 (2ch)
Chandler Germanium 500
Don Classics 250eq (Sontec/GML style eq in 500 format, 2ch)
Eisen Audio LilPEQR (x2, original with Neve transformers)
Hamptone HVTP2 tube preamp, (2ch)
Magnacorder PT6-J 1950s tube preamp
MCI 500, Jenson transformer-based preamps. Modifed and all discrete API-style opamps (28 ch)
Neve 1290 (Original 1073 preamp section; 4ch)
Spectrasonics 110 x2
(dynamics)
AC Sound PYE compressor clone (2CH)
AC Sound PRR-176 (vari mu stereo comp based off UA 176--coming soon)
ADR Compex
ADR Scamp S01 (6 ch, Compex compressors w/F300 expanders)
ADR S31 VCA Compressors (agressive VCA comps; like Compex 2)
ADR Dual gates (x2)
Daking 91579 Fet Compressor/Limiters (x2)
DBX 160vu
ElectroHarmonix NY-2A tube opto compressor
Federal AM864-U
Gates Sta-Level
Little Labs VOG bass resonance tool
McMartin broadcast limiter
MXR Dual Limiter (2ch)
Shure Level Loc
Universal Audio 176 tube compressor clone (Analogvibes version)
Universal Audio 1176LN (w/ original UTC transformers)
Universal Audio LA3A (x2)
WSW 601432c (x2) 1960s diode-bridge limiters
(reverb/delay/other)
ADR S23 panscan autopanners (x2)
Alesis Midiverb
Deltalabs Effectron II
DIY Recording color modules (saturation/distortion) (x2)
Furman RV1 spring reverb
Lawson LP-140 Plate reverb, recapped in 2013 w/ new electronics by BAE)
Lexicon PCM 41
Lexicon Prime Time 93
Lexicon 1300s stereo delay/limiter
Line 6 Echo Pro stereo delay
Micmix Master Room Spring Reverb (huge 4ft spring reverb)
Multivox multiecho (tape delay and spring reverb)
Overstayer NT-02A Saturator (2ch)
Pioneer hifi spring reverb
Publison DHM 89 B2 delay
Ursa Major Space Station
Ursa Major Stargate reverb
Yamaha REV-7
Yamaha SPX90
(synths)
ARP 2600 (ttsh version)
Buchla Music Easel (plus Synthi oscillator, Toolbox, and additional sequencer/LFO)
EML 101
EMS Synthi AKS clone
Korg MS-20
Korg Poly 6
Moog Concertmate
Moog Source
Multivox String and Brass
Roland Juno 60
Sequential Circuits Six Trak
::::::::Other Studios: I love working at Nightfly, Thump, and Signal Corps for tracking sessions. Great sounds, rooms, and vibes.
Generally this is preferred for full-band tracking, and for drums unless you’re looking for a tight 70s thing, which we can do in our ridgewood room well. Let’s do this for basics and come to our Ridgewood room for a less rushed approach to the rest. I much prefer mixing at my studio as it’s built around my own favorites and workflow. I can cut somewhat of a deal at these rooms if we do the rest of the project at Civil Defense instead of normal room + engineer rates.
