In the music industry, it’s equally as important to respect the past as it is to look forward into the future.
Perhaps studio manager Justin Croft knows this better than anyone else—he manages the Historic RCA Studio B in Nashville, TN, operated by the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
The Studio chose API‘s newest product, a BOX console, for their control room.
This choice mirrors the dichotomy RCA has struck between preserving the legacy of country music stars, and moving forward with new chart-toppers and record-breakers every year.
Croft spoke with API about RCA’s long-standing tradition of keeping one ear on the past and the other on the future.
Croft says it was important the new console fit in aesthetically with the classic vibe at RCA Studio B: “We wanted the BOX in an enclosure from the famous WSM radio station in Nashville, the station that broadcasts the Grand Ole Opry.”
RCA studio B has a long-standing partnership with API—housing everything from a custom 1971 console “filled with API parts, including 2520 op amps and Melcor 1731 op amps” to a new eight-slot lunchbox.
Croft talks at length about how many different purposes the BOX serves, and how its versatility has changed the way the studio functions. “The BOX has solved so many problems. We had no signal routing going on.” Now, he continues, the BOX “is running the studio loud speakers. We mix on it live to two track, use it for reverb returns, we use its preamps and EQs…we’ve recorded vocalists, choirs, orchestras, jazz bands, and concert bands.”
Croft says even though he expected great things from the BOX, he was still pleasantly surprised by how extensive its abilities are, noting in particular “I love the compressor, that’s something I wouldn’t expect to find on a unit like this. I use it all the time; it’s awesome.”
All of this means Historic RCA Studio B can do an even better job at running the programming for which it has become famous, including educational recording projects “for middle schools, high schools, and colleges. We educate students about studio recording. We also do group tour recording packages, where the public is invited to be a ‘star for a day’ singing along to a hit song that was originally recorded at the studio.”
Of course, “we also record special projects that have historical relevance to the studio.” RCA Studio B’s association with the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum means the ties to historic preservation are as crucial to the studio as educating and inspiring future Country stars—and the BOX is an important element in both.
Croft is highly enthusiastic about his new console and API. “We’ve noticed a big jump in audio quality since acquiring the BOX—API rocks.” While the BOX epitomizes variety, Croft’s feelings about it and about API are of a singular nature: “I just love API. The BOX is a great unit. We’re overjoyed with it.” That joy stems in part from the knowledge that API and RCA will continue working together to weave the past, present and future into a wide tapestry of possibility.
ABOUT HISTORIC RCA STUDIO B
Historic RCA Studio B is the Home of 1,000 Hits, where artists like Eddy Arnold, Roy Orbison, Dolly Parton, Charley Pride, Elvis Presley, and many others recorded some of American music’s most enduring songs. Preservation of Historic RCA Studio B made possible through a partnership between the Mike Curb Family Foundation and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.
