Canadian composer/producer Ian Nieman has brought two special things to our 30th Anniversary interview—a 1960s Neumann U 67 (the very first piece of gear he bought from Vintage King), and a cool vintage VK tee that he’s wearing because he absolutely loves it.  

Ian has been a dedicated and longtime friend of Vintage King and he talks to us from his studio in Toronto about his early Vintage King experiences, his favorite gear purchases, and what he thinks makes VK stand out from the crowd.

What was your vision for your studio when you set it up?

First off, congrats on 30 years, that’s amazing! My focus has always been to have a place with lots of vintage synths, drum machines, effects, and gear to record and mix music and vocals. I think I succeeded in what I set out to do, but there is always room for more [Laughs] 

Tell us about some of the memorable projects you've worked on over the years.

People might know me for being the composer/producer of the music and theme song for the Emmy Award-winning show "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy." The show ran for 100 episodes on NBC/Bravo and just finished its seventh season on Netflix. 

My first big break however, came around 2001-2002, when my friend Rachid Wehbi and I released our first single that went to #1 on the Billboard Club charts in the US. It was called "I Don't Want U," and we wrote and produced it in our home studio using a Mackie mixing board, Digital Performer, a few synths, NS10s, and vocals by Simone Denny. It was a very exciting time. Since then I've remixed everybody from Mariah Carey to LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill to Nelly Furtado; it's quite a diverse list, which is special because growing up in a town of 1500 people, I never dreamed any of this could have happened. [Laughs]

Recently my friend Barry Harris, from the production duo Thunderpuss, had a choir idea and called me to record it at my studio. Before I knew it, I was recording vocals for a Whitney Houston project, as part of the Whitney Houston movie release, and for that, I used a vintage Telefunken U 47. I produce a lot of vocals for Exco Levi, who is Canada's top reggae artist—he's won five Juno Awards. We usually end up tracking with my Sony C-800G, Neve 1067, and Tube-Tech CL-1B into my Burl Audio Mothership. Although I do have vintage 1073/1077s, I am drawn to the 1067 as it has an early Marinair round can transformer in it. 

How did you first become aware of Vintage King and what was your first experience working with us? 

When you guys sent me the email about the 30th anniversary, I was like, “Oh my God, I'm not that old am I?” [Laughs] My first call to VK was over 20 years ago, I purchased a U 67, and my salesperson was Mike Nehra! 

Growing up, there wasn’t a lot of gear available. My local music store sold trumpets and guitars. When I went to University I was exposed to some nicer stuff, including an EMS Synthi 100. When I finally moved to Toronto in the late ‘90s I wanted to learn more about pro audio so I asked around and somebody mentioned Vintage King—they said, “Those are the guys to go to if you want the good stuff.”

So I found the phone number, called, and Mike answered the phone. He asked what I was trying to accomplish, I gave him a reference of a vocal whose sound I really liked and he was like, “Well, I know what that is”, and recommended a U 67 (modified by Korby). That was my first foray into Vintage King. I drove down to Detroit to pick it up—I live in Toronto, so for me, driving four-and-a-half hours for a piece of gear is nothing. [Laughs]

What are some of your favorite pieces of gear that you have purchased from Vintage King?

Well, obviously my U 67, and the Neve 33609 (early version with toggle on/off switch). In 2010, I was looking for a console; I had picked up an API 8200 summing mixer earlier that I loved the sound of. I reached out to VK, and the API 1608 was recommended; I had picked up some vintage 550As previously and thought I could put those in there. I drove down to Detroit, picked up my 1608, and a year later drove back and picked up the expansion. It’s an awesome console and it's still the centerpiece of my room. I also bought a Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor at that time. Another Mike suggestion.  

As somebody who's moved around a lot, I have often had a problem with my mixes translating because my listening environment was never ideal. I reached out to Vintage King and Cedric Yee suggested the Trinnov stuff. I bought an ST2 and that's probably been my best gear purchase, honestly. It’s been over 10 years and it's the number one thing I tell everybody to pick up—it's so worth it. I have my eye on a D-MON, because I have more speakers I would love to give the Trinnov treatment to. 

How has Vintage King helped you with gear selection, purchasing, and servicing in the past?

If I still own a piece of gear 20 years later, that was a good purchase, and every single item I bought over the years from VK is still here—I even get my Pro Tools subscription renewed through you guys. [Laughs] It’s a one-stop shop. When I’ve had a gear issue or there’s something I just can't figure out, I'll reach out. You guys have helped me so much over the years—there aren’t a lot of places that really know and understand vintage gear; it's becoming a lost art.

I remember talking to Justin Weiss about refurbishing my Compex F760X-RS and he said, “Send it over because Tim Mead works for us and he is the Compex guy.” Mike and his brother were the OG and since then I've made so many friends who work at VK—Justin, Cedric, Jacob, and Jeff, just to name a few!

Going into Vintage King is like going to Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory! I remember going to the original VK location on Nine Mile—Mike was there, he took me for a tour of the building and we ended up in the mic room at the back and he said, “Out that window? That’s the old Eminem studio!” That was amazing and that to me is Vintage King—real people making music who know what they're talking about. With VK I can go, “Hey, I like that sound”, and they'll know. Two years ago Exco called me and was really digging a vocal recording of one of his favorite artists. I called Jacob Schneider at VK and he said, “Oh, I sold that artist the mic pre”. He told me what it was, and Exco bought one the next day from him.

What sets Vintage King apart from other pro audio gear companies?

I have to be honest—I don’t know because I don't cheat on Vintage King. [Laughs] Knowledge and expertise is what sets you apart. The fact that you guys are celebrating 30 years… that alone tells you all you need to know.

How has the industry changed since you first opened your doors and how has your studio adapted to those changes?

That's a difficult question. When I started, there was no audio on the computer; the computer was only sending midi out and I was triggering samples and vocals via my various samplers. It wasn’t so easy to make a record. Now, people are making music with Pro Tools on a laptop. I still like the experience of being in a properly treated room with nice speakers, vocal booth, and vintage gear. Nothing beats the smell of old gear!

For a while I think music became so easy to make that there wasn’t an appreciation for hardware gear. Thankfully, I think it is coming back; I see it with vintage synths, which is what I’m into. The music industry is bigger than ever, and you have to change with the times. It is nice to see people investing more into real instruments, gear, mics etc. The only downside is, it is driving up the prices, so people like myself can’t buy as much!

Looking back, what are you most proud of or excited about in terms of your studio’s history?

It’s a toss-up between being offered a development deal with Capitol Records and winning my first Juno Award in 2005. It was confirmation that my piano lessons as a four-year-old were worth it. [Laughs]

What are your plans for the future of your studio?

You know, I'm getting older so I sometimes just like looking at my gear [Laughs] Every piece of gear—especially when you're into vintage stuff—has a story.

I'm looking at my Blue Stripe as we’re speaking and that brings a smile to my face. I drove 11 hours to pick up my 1967 Fender Rhodes Sparkle Top which was owned by Larry Fallon who worked with Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones etc. I have a Polyfusion Modular that I bought through an introduction from Cedric… I could go on. That's the stuff that keeps me energized now—I light up when I talk about gear. My partner says, “Ian, you should get into gear searching full-time because that seems to make you happy.” [Laughs] So if you guys ever want a VK location in Canada, let me know, I’m in 110%!

   

Check out Ian's Instagram account for more pictures!

Jacob SchneiderIf you’re interested in purchasing gear for your studio, contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160.