Console Enhances Creative Workflow
BELMONT, MA – Producer/performer Bill Denison, the guitarist for the progrock group Zen Carnival as well as the new Americana project Tenderfoot, has installed the new Solid State Logic AWS 948 in his private Massachusetts recording studio. The AWS provides Denison with the coveted SSL sonic punch and clarity while offering the in-line and stem workflow configurations that suits his work-style. The AWS replaces many components in his previous in-the-box setup, significantly streamlining the system and creative workflow.
“Through my work with Zen Carnival, I have been very interested in sound experimentation with progressive rock, jazz, pop, electronic and Americana genres,� says Denison. “I have been using different setups for the past 15 years, primarily mixing in-the-box with a mouse and stemming out to a summing console. While this process sounds simple, the physical layout was not efficient and the signal not as pristine as I wanted. After a long search, and a bit of serendipity, I purchased the SSL AWS.�
Denison was looking for a console that would not only give him the sound he desired, but also the capacity to bring together all the various elements of his studio into one cohesive system. Zen Carnival and Tenderfoot are quintessential examples of making music in the modern age where group members that live in various locations around the country may contribute tracks recorded in their project studios and sent back to Massachusetts via the Internet for mixing. At other times the entire group or one or two members arrive at Denison’s studio for live tracking.
“Everything that we have passed through the AWS, be it live recording or tracks sent over the internet by band members, simply sounds amazing,� exhorts Denison. “The sound quality is very, very clean. The first large session we had with the console produced excellent results and everyone immediately heard the quality. When you install a console of this magnitude in what is essentially a creative home studio, hook it up and start recording, it is gratifying that everything that was promised was actually delivered. SSL has a great reputation and now I know why.�
The AWS 948 was designed to bring extended functionality and increased capability to the classic 24 fader AWS 900 series. Being able to bring back 48 channels through the board or work in in-line mode is huge for Bill Denison. Additionally, controlling the DAW from the console surface, providing automation, Total Recall and project session management through SSL’s proprietary Logictivity interface all conspire to make the AWS the right choice for Denison.
“It is really nice to have the integrated package and if you look at the cost of a really decent multi-component system, it kind of approaches the range of the AWS,� states Denison. “I have lost all the complexity of having one mixer to inject performances into the DAW, another to bring stems out, miles of wires and never knowing if everything is going to work. It is just nice to get one integrated piece of gear that does everything and does it with the total world-class quality that everybody knows and loves. I can spend more time on my projects because I am not worrying about the technology.�
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.
