As producers and engineers, we’re always looking for new (and old) pieces of gear to learn, play with and utilize in our work. Whether we’re trying out new microphone combinations, compression techniques, trying a new console or anything of the like, it’s always an exciting experience that inspires us to create our next piece of art. That’s why curating a vast collection of gear is important to us, so the recording studio always feels like a place to explore our wildest sonic imaginations. We like to get our hands dirty, turn knobs and get loud – check out the gear we have available to make that mission possible!
Microphones
Having the right microphone for what you’re tracking is one of the most important pieces of the puzzle, so we’ve got all of the heavy hitters lined up and ready to go. With many AKG C414’s, Neumann U87’s, Coles 4038’s, Shure 421’s, Sm57’s and plenty more, we have all of the standards covered. In addition, we have many vintage microphones of great value as well, like our Neumann U47 and U48 microphones. Made famous by the legendary George Martin with The Beatles, these two are among our favorites in the collection. Having a wide variety of colors to choose from gives our students the ability to hear the differences for themselves and learn when it’s the right time to use each microphone.
Outboard Gear
Microphones are just the first point of contact between the performer and the reel of tape, but often times there is much more to the signal chain – and that’s where our incredible outboard gear collection comes into play. Similar to our microphone collection, we have all of the standards covered; we’ve got seven API 512c’s, five Grace 802’s, two DBX 160’s, two Empirical Labs Distressors, two Urei 1176’s, two Urei LA-3A’s, a Lexicon 480L and the list goes on and on. We also have some secret weapons, like our Manley Vox Box and a real EMT 140 Echo Plate Reverb. You won’t run out of options with this color palate, and that doesn’t even include our expansive plug-in library. There’s no better way to learn than getting in and turning knobs.
Instruments
All of this great recording gear would be for nothing if we didn’t have something to record. Most of the time the artists prefer to bring in their own personal rigs, but if they don’t, we have them covered! We’ve got a Gibson Gold Top Les Paul, a Yamaha C7 Grand Piano, a Wurlitzer Electric Piano, a Hammond C3 Organ, a Vintage Mini Moog, two Rhodes Pianos, a full DW Exotic Jazz Drum Kit and once again, many more instruments to choose from. We also have a few great amplifier options, like a Marshall ( .. ) with a 1960AWH cab, a Fender Twin Reverb, a Mesa Boogie, and an Orange Tiny Terror to name a few. These in combination with our incredible, acoustically treated rooms will help you find the best tone for your project.
It would take us days to go over each piece of gear we have here at Colorado Sound Studios’ Media Labs, as this post doesn’t include our list of plugins, talk about our beautifully treated rooms, or our monstrous Neve 5088 console. All the more reason to get into the studio and find out for yourself. If you’d like to see a complete list of what gear we offer, you can do so here!