In 2012, Wisseloord Studios reopened in a large media complex area outside of Amsterdam as a state-of-the-art recording and mixing facility.

Among the many upgrades made to the studios, one was to add an Aviom A360 personal mixing system with the help of Aviom Benelux distributor, Amptec.

The studios originally opened in 1978 when accomplished recording and mix engineer Ronald Prent was an assistant. He recently returned to the studios as a partner and set about getting the funding to transform the studio space.

The renovation at Wisseloord included refurbishing Studios 1 and 2. The control rooms were completely rebuilt whereas the recording spaces were brought back to their original design. Studio 3 became two mastering rooms, and Studio 4 was made into a single room with the engineer stationed in the space with artists.

All of the control rooms for the studios were completely renovated. JV Acoustics (Jochen Veith) was responsible for the acoustic design of all control rooms and mastering rooms and provided advice on all other acoustic challenges in the space.

Speakers and amplifiers for both mastering rooms were supplied by Eggleston Works & Krell, and all control rooms are set up with PMC monitors.

Long before the renovations at Wisseloord began, Studios 1 and 2 had a total of 10 Aviom A-16II Personal Mixers. Studios 2 and 4, which house analog consoles, are now home to the studio’s original
A-16II Personal Mixers, and Studio 1, which features an Avid/Euphonix System 5 digital console, was upgraded to Aviom’s A360 Personal Mixers. The studio has additional A-16IIs that can be used when and where they are needed.

Rob Sannen, operations manager at Wisseloord Studios, says, “Wisseloord chose to stick with an Aviom system because everybody in the business knows what it is.

“Most session musicians are familiar with Aviom personal mixers, so if you label them correctly, everyone basically knows how they work. This familiarity makes for speed and efficiency and a better experience for everyone.”

The A360 Personal Mixers in Studio 1 are connected to the Avid/Euphonix System 5 console via a 6416dio Digital I/O Module and an ASI A-Net Systems Interface to convert the AES signal from the console to an Aviom A-Net signal for the personal mixers. The studio has eight A360s.

Sannen describes the A360 as “solid and reliable,” and notes “the D/A converter provides better audio quality.”