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Studio Special
Rockinghorse Studios Looking to record your next album overlooking the idyllic surrounds of Byron Bay? Rockinghorse Studios might just be up your alley. We chat with producer/engineer Nicholas Wilson to find out more about the studios, their recent upgrades and the amazing accomodation options on offer.
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Give us a brief history of Rockinghorse - how long has it been around for, and how has it evolved over the years?
Who’s currently working at Rockinghorse - can you tell us a bit about your in-house engineers and producers?
The Studio opened in 1992 and used to run two Tascam M3500 consoles and two Studer A820MCH tape machines. The consoles later got upgraded to a Neve V series 48 channel console which remained there until 2016 when we decided to make significant changes by removing the console and creating a modular recording space without a console as the centrepiece. We retained all the classic analogue outboard and had Pro Harmonic rack up parts of the Neve console’s channel strips.
Nicholas Wilson has been a producer and audio engineer here since 2009. He’s worked on countless records and artists, and was nominated for an ARIA as engineer of the year in 2014 for his work on Land Of Pleasure.
Paint us a portrait of the entire complex. How many rooms are at Rockinghorse, and what kind of acts are they best suited for? Studio A has three acoustically designed live rooms plus the control room. We have recorded predominantly bands but have also done lots of voiceovers, ADR and even choirs. Studio B recently had the previous computer and HD system from Studio A put in, running 16 Neve V series channel strips and the Apogee Symphony MKII. The space features a large control room and one smaller live room which makes the space ideal for smaller projects and overdubs.
Paul Pilsneniks joined us in 2017 after working as a producer and audio engineer at 301 Studios Byron Bay. Artists he has worked with include Angus and Julia Stone, Dope Lemon, Powderfinger, Boy And Bear and many more. Steven Schram joined the team recently and has been one of the country’s top producers for the past 20 years. He has worked with artists such as Paul Kelly, San Cisco, Little Birdy, Darren Middleton and many more. He won an ARIA for engineer of the year for Paul Kelly’s Nature LP. Studio A underwent a number of upgrades last year. Tell us a bit about what was involved in that process: What went in to make it better? We did the major upgrades in 2016/2017 but were still running ProTools 10 along with an Apogee Symphony MKII And a couple of avid 192s. We are now running an HDX system with one Lynx Aurora n 32x32 IO and a new Mac Mini with the HDX card housed
in a Thunderbolt 3 chassis. One advantage of this setup is that producers and engineers have the option of bringing in their own Thunderbolt 3 enabled computer to run their sessions. Artists can choose to stay onsite at while recording at Rockinghorse. How does this help facilitate the creative process of tracking a record? Staying at the studio gives the artists the opportunity to immersive themselves fully into the process and be able to shut off from outside influences which in turn increases productivity and creativity. We have a couple of accommodation options available to suit different budgets and needs as we understand that our clients range from start up to established artists. Our five bedroom luxury home comes with all the comforts and perfect for larger groups and bands. The property itself is extensive and having the chance to relax and turn off from everyday life brings out a creative process that is hard to replicate. The location and surroundings combined with world class studio equipment, purposely designed rooms, great engineers and the option to stay onsite make it the perfect place to work and seem to be unique to this studio. And not to forget, Byron Bay is right on our doorstep! Head online to find out more about Rockinghorse Studios today.
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