”SSL’s commitment to sound quality over the years is evident through the success of the projects recorded here.”
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL – Circle House Studios, the Miami production powerhouse, has set up a Solid State Logic Duality SE as its primary mixing console for the Cabana Studio room. A recent project with the rapper Pharrell, which included Miley Cyrus, Mary J. Blige, Rico Love, the Madden Brothers and Good Charlotte, was mixed using Duality. Circle House has a long, successful history with several generations of SSL consoles. The addition of Duality reflects SSL’s commitment to continued sonic excellence that produces sterling results for Circle House clients.
“We chose Duality because it really does give you dual capabilities,” says Charles Wakeman, head engineer at Circle House Studios. “You can work in Pro Tools®, through the desk in analogue, or you can do both. You have pretty much ultimate control over a session. We have Pro Tools files sent in that may have been tracked in a studio environment or in someone’s living room, so we need to be able to offer a premium quality, stable sonic benchmark to mix each project. Duality offers that high level sonic stability. SSL’s commitment to sound quality over the years is evident through the success of the projects recorded here. Duality continues that tradition.”
Circle House Studios has been around for almost 15 years, originally started by the band Inner Circle (of “Bad Boys” fame) as a private creative haven. The first room featured an SSL 4000. From there the facility expanded into a commercial venture with four rooms featuring an SSL J Series, a MIDI room and now Duality in the Cabana Studio room.
“Pharrell has been the dominant name for Cabana Studio as he keeps coming back for more,” says Matthew Desrameaux, mix engineer for Circle House Studios. “He loves the room, loves the sound and loves the way his beats are coming out. Miley Cyrus was here with him. They came in knowing the console was a hybrid and then when you actually show them, you could see that their minds were being blown. Just looking at Duality was inspiring, but the sound quality is what seals the deal.”
According to Desrameaux, Duality’s Total Recall™ system is quick and straightforward, and the inherent sonic flexibility streamlines production workflow. “With Duality, I can simultaneously set up a stereo mix with and without compression, and quickly A/B them without printing. I also like using the VHD mic pres that allow me to add some color to a track without going to the outboard gear. The console delivers great results while speeding up the sessions.”
“Mixing music is all about getting the right sound for each artist and style of music, and Duality is a great tool that makes that happen,” adds Wakeman. “When we work with older tracks or when clients bring in tracks from home for a mix, as soon as they hear the Duality difference they ask, should we just start over and re-record the whole record? They always end up wanting the Duality sound throughout. That is how good this console really is.”
Solid State Logic is the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for music, broadcast and post production professionals. For more information about our award-winning products, please visit: www.solidstatelogic.com.
