Harter Music, a thriving studio in San Antonio, has been working on a 32-channel API 1608 console for almost a year with impressive results.
Keith Harter owns the studio, and along with his team Jonathan Harter (producer and engineer), Jorge Infante (engineer) and Joshua Harter (composer), has carved a permanent place in the “diverse culture involved with Texas music,” including country, blues, rock, gospel, Tejano, and a good deal of hip-hop and R&B as well.
In addition to recording other artists’ work, Keith and Joshua work together as in-house composers, writing everything from stripped down ukulele tunes to full-on orchestral film score pieces. Another favorite is scoring to picture. In fact, the music that the Harters produce for on-camera work had a lot to do with their decision to purchase and install a 1608.
“Writing and recording music for commercials, television and movies is a large part of our business, and now the 1608 gets used for all our commercial music,” notes Keith.
Reliability was essential when choosing equipment that Harter Music would use so frequently. “We felt very comfortable selecting the 1608 because we’ve always received great service from API,” Keith says. “When it comes time to maintain or repair something, we know API is going to be very easy to work with.”
The Harters were already familiar with the API brand because before the 1608 arrived, the studio was already utilizing a collection of API gear. A more cohesive solution was the goal, leading Keith to get in touch with Darrin Fendley at Vintage King for a solution.
“We ordered the 1608 unloaded because we already had a lot of API EQs,” he explains. “That was a huge part of what made the console affordable for us.”
Harter Music didn’t want to move away from the gear they already had because the pre-amps and the EQs sound have proven to be excellent. “The console format just makes it easier to record and mix now that the gear is in the chain. It’s also super easy to route things in a bunch of different ways to accommodate any set up we’re using.”
There was one other element that Keith says impressed him about his API gear and especially his 1608: “We like the sound, most importantly. It’s equally as great sounding as our other gear, solidly built, but way bigger. It’s a great feeling when you’re sitting behind that much API.”
Several celebrity artists have recorded at Harter Music over the past year, including George Strait and Cheyenne Jackson. In addition, the studio just wrapped on an upcoming movie “The One I Wrote for You.”
“It was an intensely musical project where lots of actors sang songs in the film,” Keith concludes. “We spent over a year recording and mixing everything – it was such a blast.” The studio shows no signs of slowing down. If you want to keep up, or are interested in a project of your own, check
