Zac Recording’s ‘B-Room’
Photo: Terrebonne Photography Inc.
AMS Neve and Professional Audio Design (PAD) announced the first U.S.-based installation of the groundbreaking Neve Genesys recording console. On a recommendation from PAD president Dave Malekpour, Atlanta’s Zac Recording chose the Neve Genesys for its superior combination of sonics and DAW integration.
Zac Recording reports that the recent installation has already resulted in increased client interest and demand for its “B room,” which is considerably smaller than its main recording room. “While this room is more compact and the console footprint more economical, the sound is anything but small,” explains studio owner Jim Zumpano.
“I spent about three years trying to figure out what I was going to put in this room, which is on the tight side,” Zumpano says. “I was looking for the right combination of high quality analog circuitry and digital functionality. I looked at other consoles, but they just couldn’t offer the right combination.”
Recognizing the untapped business potential of Zac Recording’s smallest space, Malekpour sent a demo unit of the Neve Genesys to Zumpano, and it took just days before the console was configured, up and running. The console, features 16 preamplifiers identical to those found on the Neve 88RS, and is expandable up to 64 channels.
It wasn’t long before Zumpano and company recognized that this represented the next generation at Zac Recording. “Sonically, the Neve Genesys has opened up a whole new world and the room pumps like nobody’s business,” says Zumpano. “The bottom end has a chunkiness to it that sounds great. The audio makes sense now—it feels like things aren’t being squeezed like they were on our previous console.”
“PAD’s relationship with Zac Recording is built on many years of working together,” explains Malekpour. “As a client, Jim expects me to present him with options that will make his business more competitive. I knew the Neve Genesys presented tremendous potential for him in light of what he was trying to achieve in the limited space he had.”
AMS Neve managing director, Mark Crabtree, adds, “We are pleased to see Zac Recording choose the Neve Genesys. When you consider the quality of the preamps, the EQs, the output section and indeed the full automation capabilities, this console is truly unique. It is a very smart desk which is smooth in its operation and sonically pure Neve—which says it all.”
Zac Recording—which has been working with artists such as Fergie, Snoop Doggie Dog and R. Kelly—called on PAD for its new acquisition because they had done right by them in the past: “When I first opened my studio, I had a very large console that didn’t work out for me,” Zumpano says. “When that big desk went down, Dave came to the rescue and kept me running. That sealed our relationship.”
For more information, visit www.proaudiodesign.com, AMS Neve and www.zacrecording.com.
