— Butch Walker adds CLASP® to his Santa Monica studio, allowing him to record using analog tape while enjoying the convenience and efficiency of digital workflow —
As a songwriter, musician/artist, producer and engineer, the Georgia-born Butch Walker has carved out a unique niche and has firmly established himself as a tour-de-force in the music industry. Walker has penned numerous hits for artists like Avril Lavigne, Sevendust and Fall Out Boy. As a producer/engineer, he is credited with works by Katy Perry, Pink and Weezer, as well as being Rolling Stone’s 2005 producer of the year. And as a musician/artist, he has received critical acclaim for his work with Marvelous 3, his DVD Live at Budokan, his studio records The Rise and Fall of Butch Walker and The Lets-Go-Out Tonights and Sycamore Meadows.
His latest release, I Liked It Better When You Had
No Heart, features Walker and a new backup band, The Black Widows.
Recently, as part of his new Santa Monica recording studio, Walker purchased Endless Analog’s CLASP® (Closed Loop Analog Signal Processor) system, which uniquely integrates analog tape machines into the digital audio production workflow. “I grew up cutting tape and I missed the sound and art form of it,� stated Walker. “Being the proud owner of Studer A800 MK III, I sadly had it in storage for ten years because it just slowed down my workflow, so I gave it up to just go digital. But still to this day nothing’s ever emulated tape the right way, so I was extremely happy when I finally heard CLASP.� Walker’s first demo of CLASP was at the studio of his friend and noted producer John Fields. “I went over to John’s studio and he demo’d it for me,� Walker commented. “I really like being able to have everything hit tape first, not only because of the audio quality, but it’s no fun having to record everything onto tape and then dump it at a different time, it takes up the whole day. And so with CLASP, I liked the idea of it constantly dumping on to Pro Tools without having sync issues. I was also able to hear the actual audio again for the first time in years coming off of tape, and that’s enough to sell you!�
Walker will be using CLASP with his new 24-channel custom-made Tonelux Designs, Ltd., recording console and his selection of vintage analog tape recorders. “I’m going to be using CLASP with three tape machines. I’ve got an Otari MTR-90III, a Studer A800 MK III, and then I’ve got an ATR-102, which is an Ampex ½� machine. CLASP is going to allow me to get all the benefits of analog tape with the convenience of digital.�
About CLASP
CLASP is the world’s first and only pro audio hardware that lets you record on real analog tape with digital speed. CLASP provides sample accurate tape synchronization with zero latency analog monitoring while delivering a true Analog front end recording solution for Pro Tools and other DAW’s. Already being used by top artists, producers and engineers worldwide, CLASP is re-inventing analog for the digital age. CLASP is employed by a diverse range of artists, engineers, producers and facilities, including Lenny Kravitz (at his new Bahamas-based Gregory Town Sound recording facility); Michael W. Smith; Denis Savage, engineer for Celine Dion; Butch Walker (Panic at the Disco, Pink, Avril Lavigne); producers Nathan Chapman, Dave Cobb, Chuck Ainlay, John Fields and Tom “T-Bone� Edmunds; and studio facilities such as Clearwater, Florida’s Cleartrack Productions, Los Angeles, California’s Hemispheres Recording and Austria’s Prime Studios. Analog tape manufacturers recommended by Endless Analog for use with CLASP include ATR Magnetics and RMG International.
For more information, please visit http://www.endlessanalog.com.
