Sheffield Audio-Video Productions in Phoenix, Md.—comprising audio recording studios, a remote recording truck, video editing suites and education—has installed a Solid State Logic Duality console. The Duality is housed in Sheffield’s large music studio and serves the facility’s commercial recording and training programs.
Duality replaces Sheffield’s SSL 4000 E console, which the facility installed 17 years ago. “We bought Duality sight unseen,” says Sheffield Audio-Video President Richard “Vance” Van Horn. “We’ve been an SSL company from the beginning and they’ve never let us down. I know that SSL knows what’s good and what’s not.”
Van Horn confides that he and Sheffield owner/CEO John Ariosa initially considered an SSL J or K Series console, until they learned of Duality. “Today’s young engineers and students are much more in tune with digital audio workstations, and Duality integrates the DAW,” Van Horn says. “We probably haven’t used a tape machine in two years. And when I asked the staff ‘digital or analog,’ they wanted analog, hands down.”
Engineer Drew Mazurek, who has recorded or mixed artists including Linkin Park, Godhead and Jawbox, engineered the first Duality session at Sheffield and was impressed with the console.
“It is all very well thought out—ingenious, actually,” says Mazurek. “It’s a genius product in my estimation, in the way they’ve melded the analog and DAW worlds. And the console sounds awesome. I’ve worked on SSL’s AWS 900 and was very impressed with the way that sounded. Duality seems to be a continuation of that, if not a little better.”
Another of Duality’s important features, says Van Horn, is the price. “It’s about the same amount we paid for our first SSL console, 17 years ago,” he says. “Duality fit the bill for us on several levels, and it’s been accepted right off the bat.”
For more information, visit www.solid-state-logic.com and www.sheffieldav.com.
