Shop New October Deals
When it was time to upgrade the studio at SUNY Broome Community College in Binghamton, NY, Brett Masteller Warren, Assistant Professor, Department of Music and Theater Arts, reached out to Vintage King to source the best gear for their needs. The primary focus was ensuring students got a world-class experience while keeping time and budget constraints in mind, and having gear suited to developing skill levels.
Read on to find out what Brett looks for when buying a piece of gear for the school, what makes the Universal Audio Apollo x16 Gen 2 interface a perfect fit for their studio, how the students are liking the Focal Trio6 ST6 monitors and Audient ASP4816 console, and what Brett loves best about working with Vintage King.
Tell us a bit about the music programs at SUNY Broome.
We offer an Associate degree in Music and Music Recording and Production, which, for those who don’t know, is designed to be a transfer degree to other institutions, and we have a lot of great transfer agreements with other SUNY schools up the road.
We also have a certificate program in Beat Production where we work on a lot of aspects of production and sampling. The program is also open to students outside of the Music major, and in that class we use a lot of Ableton, while in the other classes we use a lot of Pro Tools.
We have open enrollment here, so we have people coming in with varying amounts of experience, from people who have done a lot of work on their own, to people who have not done any work and are just interested in this field.
What criteria do you look for when buying gear for the studio?
When I first started looking at equipment, this is one of the things that Greg [Fraser, from Vintage King] really helped me with. I remember considering one of the newer Neves as a console option; I was very excited about it, and Greg agreed that it is a great board, but he then said, “You are a two-year institution, so do you feel like this is something that the students can wrap their head around in that amount of time?”
Something as simple as that reminded me that I'm buying equipment for people that are learning, not: ‘This is what I want.’ [Laughs] So that's a huge criterion when I'm looking for equipment – the way that students can interface and interact with it, how easy it is for them to use, and what type of learning curves they have to get over.
What drew you to the Universal Audio Apollo x16 Gen 2 interface?
I was specifically interested in the x16 because it can accept line-level inputs. Although I like interfaces that have their own mic inputs, and they are very convenient, I felt like for a studio setup that is for students to learn on, it would benefit them to use other preamps; things that are in the console and also the outboard gear that we are starting to build up over time.
We have a simple ART two-channel preamp that's outside of the console, but I've already been talking to Greg about building up our 500 Series equipment so we can start developing a lot of different flavors for preamps.
So one of the main reasons that I was drawn to the x16 was because we can feed it any line-level signal. On top of that, Greg told me all about the UAD plug-ins and the LUNA software that comes with the interface, which took me a bit of getting used to, but once I understood the whole system, I started showing the students, and they were like, “Wait, I can use virtual plug-ins in real time as I'm recording?” They love that!
Plus, you also get some amazing UAD plug-ins and HEXA Core DSP processing, so it doesn’t put pressure on your computer’s resources.
Thank you for pointing that out, because that is a big thing. We are a school, so we are given computers by the IT departments that don’t always have the best specifications. Now, I would love more RAM in this computer, but this is what we’ve got. [Laughs] So if I can take some of that processing power off the computer, thank goodness for that! It really helps.
What are some of your favorite features of the x16 interface?
The first time I heard the interface’s DAC (digital-to-analog converter), I realized that there was a specific amount of depth and space to the sound that I wasn't used to on some of the older interfaces that I had been using. I felt like it opened up a slightly different sonic palette, and there was a bit more depth to the sound.
I’ve spent a good amount of time in computer music, so I know when a converter sounds good – not only by using my ears, but also based on the technical side of things – and for me, that was one of the big positives.
When we installed the x16 in the studio, I could tell that the students started to pick up on that as well. I didn't influence them; I just had them start to play around, bring in things that they made on other systems, or even things that they were very used to, like professional recordings. I’d be like, “Hey, what have you been listening to most of your life? Bring it in and let's listen through the x16.” A lot of them pointed out that they were hearing details that they had never heard before, and that was a great thing for them.
What do you think of the routing flexibility of the interface?
The routing is fantastic! We did a class one day where I actually took the interface out of the studio, and we used it, essentially, as a piece of live sound gear. We set up headphone cues and monitoring through the interface, and sent the multi-channel outputs from the main outputs to the FOH mixing console so they could amplify the room.
We haven't taken huge advantage of all the internal routing within the UAD Console software yet in the studio. I really wanted analog patchbays involved so that the students could route everything physically, which is why, in the studio, I'm not taking huge advantage of all of the digital routing – we use it mostly for all of its analog inputs and outputs.
One feature that I really love, and I know that even the students love this, is the Meter button on the front, which changes the meters from the input to the output. It's that simple, and when students do have issues and they are seeing things on the console but not in the software, that's the first thing they go to. They know: “I just have to push this button. If I'm not seeing input signals, then there's a problem either between the patchbay and the interface, or there’s something else.”
I love those situations because then they have to troubleshoot and navigate. This is what being an engineer is about – figuring out the problems. That button is maybe not such a huge deal [as far as features go], but for us, it is a pretty huge deal.
How has the Thunderbolt connectivity been for performance?
It’s so fast! I have not noticed any issues. The students can record with the plug-ins in real time, and that's when you could really start to feel the latency if there was an issue, especially if you’re a singer. But anytime we load up one of those plug-ins, no one in the studio has had any problems with it. No complaints there, so I've been very happy with it.
How does the x16 integrate into your workflow?
It's our main interface for the system. I have all of the analog patching on the patchbay because students are just getting into using the patchbay this semester. Last semester, I had everything essentially normalled so they didn't have to patch anything, but now they are starting to understand how the patchbay acts as the in-between from the console to the interface.
It's not that they necessarily have to start rerouting bus options on the console, although they can do that – they now have the flexibility of doing it in multiple ways – and because of all the options available on the interface, it just allows us to have that flexibility. In the future, we are going to take more advantage of the digital side of the interface once I get some other stuff to help out with that.
What drew you to the Focal Trio6 ST6 studio monitors?
I was not familiar with this specific model, but I do know some of the other Focals, so when Greg suggested I do a little research and look at the Focal Trio6 ST6s, I became really interested because of the ability to take advantage of the different amps – the different woofers and tweeters in the system. For me, that was a big thing from the get go.
I know the students really love taking advantage of the multi-amp system, because from very early on, I started teaching them that you need to monitor in different systems and see how it translates. They can start to do that here through Focus Mode, which is great because I knew I wouldn't be able to get multiple sets of monitors for the studio
The ST6s are very detailed across the spectrum, and then, with the x16 interface providing all that clarity, the speakers are a perfect match because they're just adding to the clarity, the soundstage, and the depth. I love them!
Again, it's not just about recording and production, but we have beat production as well, and some students really do want that earth-shattering feeling of the low end, and these Trio6s are really good at that.
What drew you to the Audient ASP4816 Heritage Edition console?
I love this console because, for me, the analog workflow is very important. There was a school I taught at in New Jersey around 2016 that had an ASP4816, so I knew this console. It’s an inline console, and I knew that was something students wouldn’t typically get their hands on until they get to a big studio.
Initially, it was a surprise for them to see multiple rows of faders. There was a bit of a learning curve, but once they got over that, some have become very fast on this board. They can dial in headphone cues very quickly; get signals on the mic preamps and from the DAW at the same time, because they understand the whole inline architecture, which is wonderful.
There are some things that we did to upgrade our talkback system, which they never really had at the school before. Their older console was a Digidesign, and they just plugged the mic into a channel and left it in monitor mode. When I got this Audient console, that was one of the big things we loved about it – a proper communication system inside the board.
Also, now that we have this console, the students can really touch things and patch things, not just click one thing at a time with a mouse. I see this a lot with students these days – having grown up in a digital world, as soon as they start touching analog things, it kind of blows their minds. I feel like they are definitely interacting with the music in a different way than they would with a digital system – by touching multiple things at the same time, by getting their eyes away from a computer and just using their ears. I don't even keep the computer up on the console; I have it over on the side like the old days of a tape op because I don't want them looking at it.
They've started to use the software plug-ins along with the preamps in the board and are now understanding gain staging – how to balance things or blow it out if they want to. [Laughs]
At the end of the last semester, when we started to get into a big mixing project after we had done all the recording sessions, one of the students right away said, “Wait, how do I save my mix?” And I said, “You make notes.” I'm just having them leave everything at unity so they can mix on the analog board. They make notes, and then when we come back the next day, we recall the session. That kind of threw some of them at first, and they were like, “I've got to do more work?” [Laughs] But when we came back the next day and started putting things back together, pulling the session back up and rerouting things because I had them zero everything out, I found that they were actually starting to mix a little differently.
One of the things that I've talked to them about for practice is something I do – I will throw up a song, whether I've mixed it a million times or not, and just spend an hour or two doing a new rough mix as a practice thing. I've gotten them into doing that, and now that they are doing it with the analog console, it's added this whole other layer to it. I hear how they are approaching new mixes each day, and not just sticking with the same thing, which is easy to do with a computer.
With the console, I feel like you are rethinking things every day. Of course, we still have the stuff we did before, because we've done some work on the computer and written down our settings, but it could be something as simple as the fact that their midrange EQ was slightly different than it was yesterday and now it's a little bit better, or maybe it's not, and they know how to fix that quickly. So I feel like the interaction has become very different, and it always comes back to them using their ears instead of just staring at screens.
Are there any other pieces of gear from the studio that you want to give a shoutout to?
We have some classic mics like some AKG 414s, and a couple of sets of Neumanns like a U 87 and a pair of KM 184s, which the students really love.
I also have some of the older Shure mics and some ribbon mics, like the Royer 121s, which are nice. It's always funny with ribbons; at first, some students feel like they kind of sound dull, but then we start putting them on overheads or steel string instruments, and they're like, “It sounds glorious!” [Laughs] So that's always funny. Our dynamic mic collection is mostly just a lot of tried-and-true Shure stuff: some SM57s and 58s, some of the newer mics like the SM7Bs for our podcast-type stuff.
I would really like to get some more good-quality ribbon microphones, and also some stereo bars so that the students understand proper setups for Blumleins, ORTFs, and things like that.
I'm very into the modular aspect of things, and that's something I'm going to try and build up here, especially connected to the beat production classes. Starting in the fall, I’ll be teaching lessons with electronic instruments, and then I'm going to start connecting it to performance aspects of the classes and hopefully develop an ensemble. I've already put together a list of the Korg Volca stuff that I want to get, so hopefully I'll get cleared to buy that from Greg this summer.
What was it like working with Greg Fraser and Vintage King to select and purchase the gear?
They've been really fantastic! One of the things that I fell in love with about Greg right away was how quick he is. At first, I was working with another company (that I won’t name) just because the school had a history with them. I got in touch with them about the water damage in our studio; we needed a lot of new gear, but that person didn't get back to me.
A week later he wrote to me and said, “Hey, I'm out of the office. I will get back to you next week.” So that's two weeks! And I'm like, “I need to do this now!”
I had bought things from Vintage King personally myself, so I said, “I want to reach out to these guys, see what they say, and see if I can even talk to someone.” And I feel like it was a few hours from me putting a message in that Greg called me.
When we talked, the first thing he said was also what you asked me first: “Just tell me about the program.” I had my gear list and everything ready to discuss, but he was like, “No, that's cool, but tell me about the program.” He wanted to know what we were doing here so he could help me.
He’s been fantastic, and he was there every step of the way, dealing with the purchasing departments and all these agreements from administration… he was always responsive, either by email or he would just call me up right away. He's awesome!
What's a typical day at SUNY Broome like for you?
My days start off around 10:00 or 11:00 AM, and then typically my classes run from 12:00 to 4:00 PM. Fridays are a great day because that's when I have my advanced class, and I have them all day. I do a morning session with them, we have a lunch break, and another session in the afternoon. There's also a beat production class in the middle of that, which half of them are in anyway.
So I get to spend the whole day with the advanced students. At first, they're kind of grumbly about that; they're like, “All day, on Friday?” But once the students started to realize that we can do so much more in one day than spreading it out, they love it. It's fantastic! So my Fridays are nonstop studio work. I'm trying to get them used to the real world and long hours. [Laughs]
Are the students working on any exciting projects that you're able to talk about?
Every semester, the advanced students have to do two bigger projects. One of those projects is focused on the group, so they record something together. It’s usually a cover song, which is the easiest thing for them to agree on, and then we work on the recording and production side of things together.
Then, individually, they each mix the project so that way we can all go back to the studio when people are finished and start comparing mixes – what things are working, if there are things that are not working – and really dissect stuff.
Students also have to do solo projects, where they organize everything. Some of them like to do original music; some of them, again, want to do covers, and it’s a good chance for them to start signing out the studio on their own to get sessions running without me around. They’re working without a safety net, and they have to deal with all the problems themselves. We always have the assistants here who can jump in and help, but I tell them, “Don't do stuff for them; be there to help them.” That way they can learn in those moments when they feel like they're fumbling a lot.
I'm excited that they're getting into that stuff right now. Those projects are always great because there is a lot of original music that pops up, and it’s just so nice to hear the students share that.
