Client Stories

In our Vintage King Workflow series, we enter the studios of audio creators to learn about the gear that is essential to their process. For Santa Monica-based producer and mix engineer Jim Kaufman (Anti-Flag / Beware of Darkness), the world-class conversion and summing power of Burl Audio have had the biggest impact on his output. "I was never happy with the conversion that I had before. Navon [Weisberg] at Vintage King told me about the Burl stuff," says Jim. "I knew Dave Cobb was using it, Dave and I have the same manager, and I love Dave's records. So I went in and I got the Mothership and it was amazing." Continue reading →

Joey Raia is a Grammy-nominated recording and mix engineer based in New York. He’s engineered award-winning hits for everyone from Run The Jewels and Danger Mouse to songs for Disney’s Frozen soundtrack. For the last few years, Joey has been working out of a commercial space in Brooklyn dubbed Night Hunter Studios. But when he recently purchased a new house in Dobbs Ferry, New York, he decided to create a brand new private mix room in his guest house. We recently caught up with Joey to see how his new set-up at Hudson Electric Co. has been treating him. Read on to learn how he worked with renowned studio designer Francis Manzella and teamed with Ryan McGuire at Vintage King to fill the room with a stunning Rupert Neve Designs 5088 console, custom patch bay, and tons of great outboard gear. Continue reading →

Many post-production facilities have just started preparing for the move to immersive sound, but Zach Seivers at SNAPSOUND has already finished his room's new Dolby Atmos set-up. That makes SNAPSOUND one of only 13 facilities in the United States to be outfitted for Dolby Atmos and receive official Home Entertainment Studio Certification from the audio company. The journey to SNAPSOUND's Dolby Atmos set-up took place over several months near the end of 2019. Zach teamed up with Vintage King's Chris Bolitho to select the gear for his room, including an Avid S6 control surface and monitors from Meyer Sound. For installation, Zach worked with Vintage King Technician Frank Verschuuren to complete the build of the control surface and implement the monitors. We recently caught up with Zach to chat about all things Dolby Atmos and his decision to go the immersive audio route. Continue below to read our full interview and take a 3D walkthrough tour of SNAPSOUND's new room set-up. Continue reading →

When Grant Thomas began plotting out SŌL Studios in Fort Smith, Arkansas, he imagined a creative hub that specialized in both audio and video production. After years of renovating the building formerly known as Omega Sound, Grant's vision has been realized with the opening of his new studio. "We believe your environment directly affects your ability to create, so we designed an eclectic space that provides a unique experience," Grant says. "The studio is outfitted with a vast mix of the latest digital technology and classic analog staples; equipped to serve artists and businesses across the map." For gear selection at SŌL Studios, Grant and Head Engineer Anton Rasmussen worked with Vintage King Audio Consultant Jeff Leibovich to outfit the space. Continue on below to read an interview with Grant and learn more about the studio's new API 1608 console, Avid HDX System, and so much more. Continue reading →

Mario Luciano is a world-class producer with a passion for analog recordings. Over the last few years, Mario has quickly made a name for himself by creating authentic analog instrumentals for producers and beatmakers to sample in their productions. Offering more than 200 original compositions available through his website, Polyphonic Music Library, he seamlessly blends elements of soul, gospel, jazz, and trap in his work. So far, his productions have been used by groundbreaking artists like H.E.R., YG, and Wale, just to name a few. Continue reading →

Preston Cochran and Scottie Prudhoe first bonded as middle schoolers over The Beatles, Flaming Lips, and Wilco. The Jeff Tweedy-led outfit was of particular interest to the young DIY musicians from Virginia, and they began setting up a "Loft"-like studio in the Cochran family home. While Preston and Scottie started on cheap mixers, they soon elevated their game with a Shadow Hills Industries Quad Gama purchased from Ryan McGuire at Vintage King Audio. Eventually, after thousands of hours and trial-by-fire experimentation, they developed an appreciation for using high-quality analog gear on the front-end during tracking. This ethos would only grow stronger as the duo decided to make their way to Nashville after college and stake a claim in the studio scene.   Continue reading →

To know Zach Fisher and Jack Ruley is to know two best friends living out their best lives. Shooting guns for sport out in Joshua Tree? Check. Playing stoner rock opuses in a band called Jurassic Witch? Oh yeah! Building one of the most awe-inspiring new recording studios in Los Angeles? Not only did they do it, but they did it with impeccable aesthetic and gear selection. Big Bad Sound originally started out in Zach's house in Silver Lake, but the size of the artists he was working with quickly outgrew his homestead. Jack quit his job to help Zach grow the studio, and the two ultimately settled on moving to a former movie prop house they found while looking for spaces. Continue reading →

For Needlz, the creation of music has always centered on finding new sounds that intrigue him. Whether by way of a snare hit, synth melody or sample, the world has provided plenty of inspiration for the Atlanta-based music maker. He's written and produced multi-million-selling records for the likes of Bruno Mars, Cardi B, G-Unit, Lupe Fiasco, and countless others. In order to capture his song sketches in the moment and turn them into hits, Needlz has relied on Universal Audio's Apollo audio interface series for as long as he can remember. "I started with the silver one and I've gotten each new version since," Needlz says from the confines of Dry Rain Studio. "Now I've got two Apollo x16s in my set-up, which gives me 32 channels to work with." Continue reading →

Founded in 2002 by legendary sound engineer John McBride and his wife, country superstar Martina McBride, Blackbird is one of the most prestigious recording and mixing facilities in the world. With nine world-class studios and an unrivaled selection of vintage microphones and recording equipment, Blackbird has been the studio of choice for artists such as Beck, Rush, Sheryl Crow, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Kings of Leon, The White Stripes, and Taylor Swift. In order to remain on the cutting-edge of audio production technology, Blackbird recently decided to renovate its George Massenburg-designed Studio C and upgrade it with an immersive mixing solution. Blackbird partnered with Dolby Laboratories on the install and design, and brought in Vintage King to supply gear from ATC Loudspeakers, Avid, and Antelope Audio. The set-up for Studio C now includes three ATC SCM300ASL loudspeakers in LCR position, 12 ATC SCM100ASL surround speakers and six ATC SCM1-15ASL Subwoofers controlled via 2 Dante-enabled Avid MTRX interfaces and an Antelope 10MX Clock. Continue reading →

It's a chill day on the campus of Middle Tennessee State University. Not in terms of the weather (it's August and it's a hot one), but MTSU's campus and student body are still sleepy as they lumber towards the start of the Fall 2019 semester. Upon entering the MTSU Center for Popular Music, we meet with the Director of the Master of Fine Arts program, Bill Crabtree. He begins to explain some of the concepts behind the gear selection in the Department of Recording Industry. "Our philosophy is more about teaching framing, rather than teaching hammer," Bill says. "This is the mantra we stick to when selecting our equipment. It's most important to teach the concepts behind the equipment and not the knob turning or the specific equipment itself." Continue reading →