Multitrack Analog/Digital Recording Studio

Recently Cedar Crest Studio has undergone an extensive downsizing and upgrading of our audio recording facility. In order to keep up with the demands of today's artists and songwriters, the decision was made to make the move to digital recording. However, we also felt the need to continue to offer analog multitrack recording for those that prefer that format. In order to offer the best of both worlds we realized that a complete revamping of the facility was in order. In downsizing we sold the Soundcraft TS-12 and replaced it with a Mackie ONYX 1640 analog/digital hybrid mixer with Firewire.

We rarely ever needed more than 16 tracks at a time for recording basic tracks, so the 1640 fit the bill while maintaining a much smaller footprint, gaining us very valuable real estate in the process. We sold the 1" MSR-24 track recorder and replaced it with the workhorse TASCAM MS-16 1" 16-track analog machine with dbx noise reduction. Although older than the MSR-24, the MS-16 is built like a tank and has much more headroom with 16 tracks recorded onto 1" tape as opposed to 24 tracks on 1" on the MSR-24. With the Firewire card installed on the ONYX mixer, 16 channels of audio can be recorded simultaneously to either the 1" analog recorder or direct digitally to the computer. If analog is chosen, then the 16 tracks may be played back through the ONYX mixer via Firewire to the computer for overdubbing or sweetening and mixing. For budget sessions, or "live mixing" off the 16 track, the stereo bus can be sent direct to the computer or CD burner. Additionally, using this method also enables analog hardware processing to be added "on the fly". All monitoring is done on the studio's classic set of JBL 4312's, driven by a Class "A" 300 watt tube amp from the Pioneer SPEC 4 series of audiophile amplifiers. We also have the original Auratone 5C "sound cubes" that were used for reference mixing on the classic recordings of the sixties at world-famous Stax Recording Studio in Memphis.

UNLIMITED AUDIO TRACKS are available on the computer during overdubbing.

Mastering can be done either digitally to computer or to a variety of analog formats like our Tascam Model 52 1/4" full track reel-to-reel deck. Master mixes can be recorded direct to hard drive or to CD. Output formats and conversions to MP3, Quicktime, and RealAudio can easily be done for Internet purposes. In addition, a PSG CD recorder sporting a 4-Gigabyte drive can be utilized for creating compilation CD's. For high-speed CD duplication available on small runs we have a Diskmakers Reflex 1 duplicator, making audio CD's two at a time at up to 52x speeds. Complete graphics capabilities for album cover art for jewel cases and direct-to-CD printing is also available in house.

On the hardware side, we have a Nakamichi MR-2 and a TEAC C3RX cassette deck. A full compliment of outboard gear and processing is available, including a TC Electronics M300 Dual Engine Effects Procesor, a Lexicon MPX-1 Multiple Processor FX, a Lexicon "Alex" digital reverb, a vintage YAMAHA SPX-90, and an Orban 111B professional spring reverb; 12 channels of noise gates by Gatex, dbx, and OmniCraft; 6 channels of dbx 161 and 166 limiter/compressors; a Roland RE-501 chorus/echo unit; EXR and Aphex Aural Exciters; Aphex Compellor; and 2 vintage digital delay units by MXR and Roland. The studio also has an ART Pro-MPA tube dual mic preamp and an ART Tube MP Studio 3 voicing preamp. Studio monitors are by JBL, Auratone, and Altec. We also have a large playback system comprised of a pair of vintage Klipsch LaScalas powered by a Peavey CS-800. Monitor amps are by Crown, BGW, Peavey and Pioneer. All headphones are Fostex T-20's.

(Same great view, but now with a new mixer !)

Musical gear includes an Ensonic Mirage in a rack; Yamaha PTX8 percussion module with pads and KAT triggers; Roland SPD-11 percussion module with over 375 digitally-recorded samples; Roland TR-707 drum machine; IVL Pitchrider Mark II guitar/midi interface mounted on a G & L F-100 guitar with Kahler tailpiece; Peavey T.B. Raxx Tube bass pre-amp; Marshall 9000 studio guitar pre-amp; Digitech GSP-21 studio guitar signal processor, DOD Tec4 guitar multi-effects processor; guitar amps by Roland, Peavy, Fender, Crate, Univox, and Marshall. Other guitars include a Fender "Roadhouse" Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, Fender Jazz Bass Special, Gibson ES-125 hollow-body electric, and a Simon & Patrick acoustic guitar w/active pickup. Cedar Crest has vintage synths like the ARP Odyessy and Roland JX-8P analog synth. Other classic keyboards include a 1934 Hobart M. Cable upright piano and Hammond A-100 with Leslie 180, as well as matched twin Leslie 120's, set up with guitar level impedence inputs for guitar hookup through a Crate Club 50 tube amp. A 1964 set of Ludwig Super Classic drums (just like Ringo's original set) with Zildjian and Sabian cymbals round out the vintage gear. Over 40 microphones with names like Beyer, Sennheiser, TEAC, Shure, AKG, Sony, Samson, Altec and E/V are available, in addition to a RODE NT "Classic" tube mic for that "vintage" vocal sound.

We have five computer workstations here at Cedar Crest. The main workstation is a custom turnkey dedicated video computer built by 1Beyond Systems. It is a 990 DUAL XEON (Intel Dual Xeon 3.0 GHz Pentium 4) system with dual LCD 17" flat-screen monitors. The computer has 1 GB of RAM, and over 540 GB of hot-swappable storage. It is complete with Gigabit Ethernet and firewire cards and is networked to the other four computers. It has an Altec Lansing speaker system and a wireless keyboard and mouse and running Windows XP Pro.

Our portable computer is an HP Pavilion notebook with a 17" monitor display. This Pentium 4 runs at 3.00GHz with 512 Meg of RAM and an 80GB hard drive. It is outfitted with an ATI Graphics card, a 1394 Firewire card, and a DVD burner. It also is equipped with a high-speed DSL wireless modem. An additional external USB Seagate 120GB drive accompanies this lap top, which is used for location production work as well as configured for multitrack recording when used with our Mackie ONYX 1640 audio mixer.

Another computer workstation is a custom-built Pentium 4 3.00 GHz Intel processor, running 2 GB of RAM. It is set up in dual-screen mode and also has a Firewire card installed. All three systems are loaded with Vegas 6 + DVD, ACID PRO 6.0, SoundForge 5.0, SoundProbe v2.6, and Diamond Audio Restoration tools. There are numerable DirectX and VST plug in's available. All systems also have LightWave 3D 6.5 and PhotoShop 7.0 for 2D and 3D graphics design.

Swiss Metal-rockers KROKUS used Cedar Crest for album pre-production on the "Headhunter" and "Blitz" LP's for Arista Records. Bob Ketchum received an RIAA Gold Record Award in May of 1984 for pre-production and playing on the "Headhunter" LP, and received his second Gold Record/Cassette Award in February of 1988 for pre-production on the "Blitz" LP.

Back to CCS Home Page