Located in the heart of Brooklyn, Greylock is a full-service recording studio owned and operated by songwriter/producer/arranger/engineer Ben Talmi. Best known for his work with artists like Wild Nothing and Manchester Orchestra, as well as his own music, Ben recently branched out into the world of commercial composing and sync licensing.

In order to support the various types of work he'd taken on, Ben upgraded Greylock Studios with a new Neve BCM10 console, Tannoy studio monitors, and more. We recently sat down with Ben to talk about his growing career, his go-to gear for composing, and what it's like wearing so many hats in the studio.

Tell me a little bit about your studio and the kind of work you do there. 

I've run Greylock Records for the last 10 years in New York, and it was a small production room for the last nine years where I was really doing absolutely everything. I mean, producing records, doing string arrangements, songwriting, and then I got into composing, sync writing, and commercial composition very heavily over those nine years. I made lots of commercials, short films, films, documentaries—basically, the whole composing world, which I do a lot of these days—to the point where it was time for me to upgrade the studio so that I could do things the way that I always dreamed of. So, I built the new space, bought a Neve console, and went all the way with it.  

What inspired you to upgrade the studio? 

It's been a lifelong dream. I've been making records legitimately since the first time I was in a recording studio when I was just 14 years old. And, you know, a lot of people say this, but, I knew right then and there, this is it. This is what I'm doing. There's no other path for me. I really knew from an early age that I wanted to have a recording studio, in some capacity.

So as soon as I was really able to pull it off, I pulled the trigger on building out my own 1200-square-foot room in New York. The reason I want to do it is because everyone knows you can do everything on a laptop these days, but I'm still obsessed with capturing lightning in a bottle. I'm still obsessed with getting great drum sounds. Documenting real things that happen in the moment, like the true meaning of the word record. And I am fulfilling a lifelong dream of having a space where I can do that. It's not that you can't do that on a laptop, but it's not necessarily facilitating the space that could make the kind of record that I'm looking to make. 

Tell me about the console that you’ve got there, and what you love most about it. 

I am a child of the 90s and I grew up listening to everything that was coming out of MTV. One of the biggest producers was Jerry Finn, and he was producing Green Day, Blink-182, Morrissey, and all these pop-punk records and stuff like that. 

The gear that he apparently carried with him from session to session was his Neve BCM10 console and his Tannoy SRM-10B monitors. So I always dreamed about getting a Neve BCM10 and some Tannoys so I could be just like Jerry Finn. Then Neve came back, and they built these brand new BCM10 consoles, which have all this modern functionality and none of the old-school monitoring, which just really isn't necessary for modern-day record production. Like, I'm not monitoring from a tape. I mean, you could do it that way, but, the old Neve consoles have this section of ancient monitoring capabilities, which you just don't need anymore. 

So, the Neve BCM10 has always been my dream console. When I was finally able to get it, I pulled the trigger immediately. Everyone knows the 1073 is a legendary mic pre and EQ. If you record something on a Neve and you hit a 1073 and it sounds bad, then the problem is the source. 

You cannot make something sound bad through this console. The problem is you're not recording a compelling piece of music. It has nothing to do with the gear at that point. There is no higher fidelity. There's nothing better than this. So it really makes you focus in and ask the question, "Are you making something that's worth the world's attention?"

This console is amazing—it's a dream console and I’m so happy. I'm finally in a position where I can make it happen and do the kind of work that I dream of. 

That’s fantastic. What interface do you have? 

I have the Universal Audio Apollo X16. UAD; you really can’t go wrong. 

Are you using separate converters? 

Yep, two. I have an X16 and an X8P, so 24 channels going in. Who doesn't love UAD? I actually really, really respect how that company has modernized. I have an LA-2A and three 1176s in here, which are studio staples from... How long ago? 60-plus years ago? And now, the studio staple is an Apollo. And their plug-ins are just everywhere. So the Putnam family, absolutely slaying it. 

You mentioned the Tannoys before—are there any other monitors you’re using and how did you decide on the monitors that you have? 

I've got some NS10s in here, but man, these Tannoys just sound so incredible. I had the honor of producing a record with Rob Cavallo, who was actually the one who tipped me off to the true glory of the SRM 10Ds. When I finally got them in, it was like pulling earwax out of my entire life. 

I felt like I was finally hearing things. I’ve never heard highs like I do on the Tannoys. They're just amazing, and they’re vintage too. You might think this kind of speaker wouldn't have a modern low-end, but... I just love them. They're incredible. Everyone comments on them after they see the Neve, like, "What are these speakers?’" They're Tannoys. You can't go wrong. 

What’s it been like working with Alex at Vintage King over the years? What’s that process been like? 

Oh, Alex is great. Getting this console in here and the whole installation process—it's not something you buy every day, right? So this was like a year-long process. This was a lifelong purchase in the making and I plan to have this console for the rest of my life. Hopefully pass it on, you know? So, working with Alex, I was calling him like he was my best friend. "Hey, what's up with the Neve? What's good? When's it gonna be here?" I'm in a building in Brooklyn. It was no small feat getting into here. So respect to Vintage King, respect to Alex—nothing but gravy train the whole time.

What microphones do you find yourself using most of the time? 

I have all of the classics. A pair of Coles 4038s and a pair of AKG 414s, but I'll tell you what, the best mic I have Is my Wonder Audio CM7 S, which is their version of the U 47. I swear that thing is actually the best investment I've ever made in the studio, beyond the console, beyond everything. People come to me just for vocals for the last 10 years, just because I have the one really kick-ass mic and that mic has paid dividends back. 

You know, someday I'm gonna get a pair of C12s,  and hopefully the whole Telefunken/Neumann line, but one step at a time. 

What are some of your favorite pieces of outboard gear? 

Honestly, my Space Echo RE 201 is unlike anything. It's just an old one. It's perfectly broken. Most of the time, I actually don't even use it for the delay or the verb. I bring it all the way down to dry and just send audio through it. It's almost like having a really lo-fi tape machine. I swear, the Space Echo is a time machine. You put audio through it and it sounds like it's coming from 60 years ago.

Everyone knows the LA-2A and 1176 are great, but so many studios have them. I also love my Liesengrove. I have a Lisen Grove R-124 compressor, which I think is a very unique-sounding compressor. 

Do you have a specific signal chain that you always go through, or do you mix it up? What’s that process like for you? 

I think my vocal signal chain is the most typical one, but I think it's that way for a reason. It's a U 47 with a 1073 and an LA-2A. I mean, that's it. If you can't get a good vocal sound with that, again, the problem is the source. When EQ’ing a vocal, I like to hit commit and rock, plus just a little bit of compression. 

Speaking of compression, do you have any favorite plug-ins, or how do you feel about plug-ins in general? 

We take it for granted just how powerful plug-ins are. I'm gonna shout out some weird plugins. What's really interesting is this plug-in company from Sweden called Klevgrand. They have this one compressor called the Korvpressor, which is like a hack for composing. I swear, this is like an unknown, not many people are using it, but this thing is so powerful.

They also have this percussion-like virtual instrument called the Skaka, which immediately sounds perfect. You know, tambourine, shaker, egg guiros, dry tambourine, wet tambourine—it's really unique and the level of degree to which you can control these percussion elements right out of the bat with just hitting one midi note is incredible. It's really good and convenient for adding vibes when you're doing stuff for commercials or even records.

Felt Instruments is a really unique brand, too. This guy made an amazing celesta and a felted piano, beautiful stuff. Both of those instruments are a great example of where plug-ins really are today because they are so powerful, so high fidelity, they work really well within your DAW, and they are so cheap. These are like $30 plug-ins. I'm not hatin’ on UAD or anything, but when I was just starting out and I got my first MBOX, Waves plug-ins were completely untouchable at that point. I was like, "How am I going to spend 10 grand buying this plug-in bundle?" I could go to Klevgrand and get their whole bundle for like a couple hundred bucks and have crazy powerful plug-ins that work really well. 

What’s a typical day in the studio like for you? 

It's definitely different every day. The projects that come in here vary vastly. A lot of times, I'm doing string sessions for artists, or scoring for commercials or sync. I do a lot of sync work. On days when there isn't someone in here, I can be writing for sync or honestly just working on my own records. The most kind of placements and commercial stuff I've ever got has always been from my own records. So, you know, the more you run a business, it's kind of easier to lose track of what you dreamed of doing as a kid. But I'm always kind of working on my own records in the background.

I also throw shows and events here at the studio. It's really everything. Sometimes people just hit me up to do drums because I have a good live room in the city, and when it comes to studios in New York, it's like, are you going to pick Electric Lady? Or are you going to come to Bushwick where the scene is at, and come to the sickest studio in the city (that isn't Electric Lady) and hit this dope-ass Neve, where it's all happening?

Are you working on any exciting projects right now that you’re able to talk about? 

Yeah, totally. There’s this one group that I keep working with called the Olson Bros, and they're these two brothers from Kenosha, Wisconsin, who grew up as gravediggers and just the realest guys ever. Every single time they come in here, they have like ten new songs. They just sit there and sing and play on guitar. It's so... real and mind-blowing. Most of the time, people come in here and show me their laptop demos and beats that they're making—nothing wrong with that, but it is really refreshing when people just come in and have a completed song A to Z—lyrics, melody, harmony, and rhythm. 

Do you have anything else you’d like to add? 

Keep recording real audio, make mistakes, and then turn the mistakes up in the mix. Perfection is boring. No one wants to listen to perfection. You can see and hear it in popular records coming out today. Take time—time is an illusion when it comes to art. That's why we're always striving to make something timeless.

Alex St. CinIf you’re interested in purchasing any of the gear mentioned in this blog, we're here to help! Contact a Vintage King Audio Consultant via email or by phone at 866.644.0160.