Tim Palmer
Producer/engineer Tim Palmer—well-known for his work with Robert Plant, Bowie’s Tin Machine, Tears for Fears, Pearl Jam, H.I.M. and many others—recently relocated from L.A. to Austin. Looking for the right balance of music town and family life, he found his new home base in the Texas countryside; included on the property was a three-car garage, which Palmer and Mark Genfan of Acoustic Spaces turned into a mix/overdub studio.
“He said, ‘My needs are modest, but I really want to work at home,’” Genfan recalls. The new 62 Studios is approximately 750 square feet, with 20-foot ceilings, custom-built acoustical treatments and a picture window that lets in natural light and looks out onto green hills. As it was in L.A., Palmer’s workflow is centered around Pro Tools and racks of Tonelux modules.
Tim Palmer’s new home in Austin includes a mix/overdub studio designed by Mark Genfan of Acoustic Spaces.
“I wanted the best of the analog and the digital worlds,” Palmer explains. “I had a demo of the Tonelux modular system, and it was exactly what I was looking for. I wanted to embrace the old sound and have the flexibility of the new. The Tonelux system lets me keep a traditional analog signal path but with the control of the digital world.” Palmer’s monitors of choice are Genelec 1031As.
Now, Palmer can visit larger rooms in Austin or L.A. to track his clients if needed, but mixing and overdubs happen on his own terms. “I basically wanted a mix room, but I added an extra overdub room that I knew would be useful further down the line,” Palmer says. “At the moment, I use that space as a prep room for my assistant to set up sessions [and get them] ready to mix. It is all wired up and ready to go to use for vocals and basic guitar overdubs.”
Palmer says he thoroughly enjoyed the process of working with Genfan to design and construct his new workspace. “Mark was very easy to work with, and the team he assembled to build the room was amazing,” Palmer says. “Believe it or not, we were sad when the crew actually was not part of our world anymore.”
Of late, Palmer has been mixing projects for a number of international clients—the Internet being another great facilitator of his new setup. “So far, fingers crossed, it has been going really well,” he says. “I just finished mixing tracks for the new album from Tarja from Finland, Midnight Youth from New Zealand and a great new band from Washington, D.C., called the Dance Party. I am going to produce a local band next that I am very excited about: Blue October.”
