Dharma Studios owner Paolo Tubia is a fan of the hybrid set up. “I like analog outboard—a tasty compressor and some boutique preamps—to be a part of the mix. So I needed a centerpiece to manage the various control room components effectively and creatively,” he explains, describing the studio he has aspired to—and, with the arrival of his new Audient ASP4816 small-format console last month—ultimately brought to life.
“The Audient definitely has the ‘wow’ factor,” Tubia says. “A real analog console at the heart of a control room, surrounded by mystical and esoteric machines full of LEDs and gauges really helps customers get into the mood. It encourages them to do their best in the professional environment.
“We all know how hard it is to stay in budget when looking for a reliable and high-quality analog mixer,” he adds. It wasn’t just the competitive pricing of the console that was attractive, however.
“What I love about this console is the clean punch that comes out when you start to push it a bit, allowing me to have 16 clean preamps—incredibly useful for recording acoustic instruments without adding color,” he says. “Thanks to the routing design, with balanced inserts everywhere, it is still possible (if necessary) to color tracks, stems and even the mix bus with my outboards.”
With all the key features of a large console packed into an ergonomic footprint, the ASP4816 comprises fully-featured in-line architecture, well suited to this small studio based in northern Italy in the town of Vercelli.
“The foldback section is also useful and intuitive,” he notes. “I don’t have to waste time creating strange ways to allow musicians to listen to what they are playing, The compressor does a great job of gluing the whole mix together and above all the build quality is exceptional, right down to the smallest component.”