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Vintage King Audio Restores API Legacy

San Francisco, CA (January 3, 2011)--Vintage King Audio recently completed a full, 450-hour restoration of a 48-channel classic API Legacy console for producer, engineer and musician JJ Wiesler.

San Francisco, CA (January 3, 2011)–Vintage King Audio recently completed a full, 450-hour restoration of a 48-channel classic API Legacy console for producer, engineer and musician JJ Wiesler.

Previously operating on a custom 16-channel Quad Eight Sidecar built by Greg Mcneer, Wiesler turned to Vintage King co-owner and director of Sales, Mike Nehra when the time came to invest in a new configuration for his studio, Decibelle Recording in San Francisco, CA.

“I was looking for something that I could sit in front of and make records. I wanted it to be the last console I ever had to purchase,” says Wiesler. “I’ve always liked API gear and this console just felt like the right fit. Believe me, I labored over the decision for almost a year. It was a big investment, but the instant I unwrapped the Legacy in my control room, I knew I had made the right decision. I had a visceral reaction to it; the Legacy feels like it’s been there for 25 years.”

The API Legacy acquired by Wiesler is one of the first 10 ever issued and was previously part of boy-band impresario Lou Pearlman’s setup at Trans Continental Studios. When Pearlman’s assets where dissolved in 2006, after he was convicted of a number of highly-publicized fraud charges, Vintage King Audio bought the console and began to restore the desk to its original condition. Vintage King’s in house technical staff devoted over 450 hours to bringing the classic Legacy back to its original luster, both sonically and cosmetically.

“Console restorations are tricky. They require a high level of technical skill, need to be executed with flexibility to anticipate any complications, but also meet a client’s window of time for installation between sessions,” says Nehra. “When JJ reached out looking for a used console, the API Legacy was a perfect fit for Decibelle’s existing setup and I was confident that our tech crew would not only restore the console, but make it better than new. API Legacy consoles are large, fairly complex desks and notoriously don’t travel well. Once the console arrived, one of our technicians consulted with JJ via phone for the three-day install. At the end of the process, everything worked as if it had been a part of Decibelle for years. Knowing that JJ’s expectations weren’t just met but exceeded made the entire process a great experience for everyone.”

Wiesler, who is best known for his work with numerous artists, including Jonathan Richman, Vic Chesnutt, Kelley Stoltz, and Matt Nathanson, completed his first session on the new API Legacy with Matador Records artist, Girls, for its upcoming release. The session, which was tracked on Decibelle’s Quad Eight, was ultimately mixed on the API Legacy, which was installed mid-session. The Legacy joins a roster of hand-selected, boutique gear at Decibelle Recording, including a pair of Barefoot Monitors, a Retro 2A3 Dual Program EQ, and two Retro176 Tube Limiting Amplifiers that Wiesler also purchased through Vintage King Audio.

Decibelle Recording
www.decibellerecording.com

Vintage King Audio
www.vintageking.com

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