A few years ago, Vintage King became involved with an ongoing project called adidas Originals: Sound Lab. Working together with the sneaker company, Vintage King built out a studio inside Cass Tech Detroit high school featuring a Slate Raven MTI, Barefoot MM45s, Yamaha HS7, Antelope Audio Zen Studio, and AEA microphones. In the time since, Vintage King has continued to partner with adidas, including working on their latest project, an adidas Originals: Sound Lab based in Los Angeles. Opened on-site at Alexander Hamilton High School in Culver City, this Sound Lab has been built into a recycled shipping container and is already being used by a group of talented students. Vintage King Audio Consultants Scotty Iulianelli, Michael Carnarius and Sales Support Mark Smak have played a huge role in our partnership with adidas. We recently sat down with all three to talk about the latest adidas Originals: Sound Lab installation and the gear they outfitted the studio with from Slate Digital, Neumann, Universal Audio, Neumann, Aston and more.  What's it been like working with adidas on these studio projects? Mark Smak: Everyone involved has been amazing! Super friendly and easy to work with. We get so giddy when we get a call or an email asking for our guidance for a new project!  It's incredibly satisfying and humbling to see these projects from their infancy to their final stages and then being used by the public. People's lives are actually being CHANGED because of these projects. They are injecting creativity and imagination into all kinds of communities. It is truly Inspiring and we are incredibly lucky to have a part in it. Michael Carnarius: I worked on-site in their mobile studio during the installation and they treated their high school talent like stars! So many talented young people came into the studio to lay down tracks. The whole thing was really well designed and sounded great. What about the gear picked for this studio space is good for budding engineers to work with? Scotty Iulianelli: Well, as always, I like to put myself in the shoes (no pun intended) of those using the gear. I wanted the studio to be something that any engineer with basic recording skills can walk up to and feel comfortable using the gear and teaching others how to work on the set-up. This most recent studio was a whole different story as it needed to fit that format AND fit into a shipping container. For this install, we chose to incorporate two Slate Ravens, a Neumann U87, a Universal Audio Apollo 8P, some Neumann KH120 monitors, some microphones from Aston and a nice Rupert Neve Shelford Channel. The studio also features Avid Pro Tools and Ableton Live/Push, as well as synths from Dave Smith Instruments and Moog Music. What's it like to work on something that is dedicated to the next generation of audio creators? SI: Scary. Like, here I am trying to make sure that everything was good for beginners and not too technically advanced, then I was quickly reminded that these kids were the same age as my first iPod and technology was like a second language to them. They flipped on the gear and were tracking with Pro Tools, Logic and all the Native Instruments gear in about five minutes. What advice would you give a younger student interested in learning more about the world of the studio and pro audio? SI: Be creative and embrace technology, whether an abundance or lack of. Learn to use everything to its full potential to get the most out of it. And if you are going to start a studio, remain part of the music scene outside of the control room and don't wait for business to come to you. MC: Get your feet wet early. Start interning at your local studio right out of high school or sooner. During your internship, link up with an audio engineer or producer. Ask to be their assistant. Learn from your mentor. This path has been used by some of the biggest engineers and producers in the industry. It's proven to work! Vintage King specializes in creating studio package for budgets of all shapes and sizes. If you're interested in learning more about how we can help with a project you have in mind, please reach out to our team of Audio Consultants via email or by phone at 888.653.1184. To reach Scotty Iulianelli, call 248.591.9276 x199 and to speak to Michael Carnarius, dial 213.984.4000 x177.