NASHVILLE, TN, FEBRUARY 21, 2012—An Aviom Pro16® personal mixing system is an essential component on the gear list at Gasoline Studios, owned and operated by producer and songwriter Joe West from his farm in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside of Nashville. With his primary focus on country music, West has hosted several renowned country artists at his studio, including Jimmy Wayne, with whom he recorded the three-week, number-one hit “Do You Believe Me Now.” West credits Aviom for offering up excellent audio monitoring on several of the number-one albums he has produced.
Equipped with only top-of-the-line gear, Gasoline Studios needed a cue mixing system that provided audio as crisp and clear as having the best set of speakers. “When you turn a piece of gear on, you can tell if it either sounds good or it doesn’t,” says West. “When I bring up my amplifier and turn up the volume on the Aviom Personal Mixers, the sound is spectacular.”
In addition to relying on the Aviom system during recording sessions, the personal mixers are also used for live events in the timber frame barn studio, which can be converted to a live venue. Dubbed the “Saturday Night Music Club” by West, the jam sessions host anywhere from 60 to 140 guests for an intimate show with famous artists.
“We started using the Aviom gear for all in-house needs at the end of last year and, for the first time ever, I’ve gotten really positive comments about the sound quality of the monitor mixes coming through the headphones,” continues West. “Hands down, with 100 percent certainty, it was the Aviom system that made that change. Once you get an artist really truly happy, there is no limit to what you can create. That is the biggest blessing that the Aviom system has brought to me.”
Equipped with eight A-16II Personal Mixers, an A-16D Pro A-Net® Distributor and an AN-16/i Input Module, West required only a basic personal mixing solution—ideal for most recording studios. West uses a talk-back system that gives each performer a microphone and a footswitch, allowing them to turn the mic on and off. Mounted on the side of each mic stand is an Aviom A-16II Personal Mixer. Audio is run to the mixers from the A-16D Pro A-Net Distributor, which receives its signal from a rack-mounted AN-16/i Input Module connected to the studio’s main console.
This setup enables West to provide individual mix control of the cue feeds to each of the artists in the full bands that record and jam at the studio. The solution has provided West with the extra time to focus on putting out a truly great album instead of having to make changes to the artists’ monitor mixes.
“The Aviom Pro16 system is the most transparent and creative system that I have ever gotten to use,” concludes West. “It’s just flawless; once you have it together, everyone receives audio that sounds like it’s part of one cohesive unit. I don’t think any brand comes close to providing what the Aviom system can provide. I’ve been in studios all over the planet and I have looked at every piece of gear that I can get my hands on and I don’t think there is anything out there as ergonomic and as streamlined as the Aviom Personal Mixing System. In the end, the best thing about it is that it’s small, flexible and powerful.”
With many years of experience in the industry, West has recorded several number-one hits with artists such as Keith Urban, Billy Ray Cyrus and Toby Keith. He also has a long and distinguished list of production/mixing credits for musicians including; Tim McGraw, Julianne Hough, Shakira and Justin Timberlake. Emmy Lou Harris, Warren Zevon, James Otto, Emily West, Danielle Peck, Jo Dee Messina, Mercy Me, Steve Earle, Mathew Sweet, the Indigo Girls and many more Grammy Award-winning and Multi-platinum selling artists are among the other major artists with whom West has worked.
Aviom pioneered personal mixing with its Pro16® Monitor Mixing System and continues to break new ground with the revolutionary Pro64® Series of audio networking products. With tens of thousands of products in the field today, Aviom has set the standard for high performance, scalable digital solutions. All Aviom systems harness the power of A-Net®, Aviom’s innovative digital audio technology that simplifies system design while enhancing flexibility and fidelity. All Aviom products are designed, tested, and manufactured in the USA. For more information, visit www.Aviom.com.
