As one of the most successful and relatively new studios in the recording and production industry, Stadium Red relies on a selection of AKG microphones. Built from an older, dormant studio space, Stadium Red has won eight Grammy Awards in its first four years of business, including four out of 11 nominations in nine categories in 2011.
Located in Harlem in New York, NY, the studio was purchased in July 2007 and opened that September as a one-room space. Founder and CEO Claude Zdanow has since built his ‘music creation and lifestyle company’ into a 6,000-square-foot state-of-the-art space with four studios and a mastering suite. With a tight budget and a much shorter list of clientele in 2007, Zdanow steadily stocked his microphone collection with AKG equipment.
“When we first opened, we were excited to take on the music industry and produce hits, but we didn’t quite know which direction or genre was right for us,” states Zdanow. “Our first investment was AKG mics, which allowed us to take on diverse projects with a small equipment list – the C414’s can do everything and did. From changing polarity to controlling roll off, all of the mics are versatile enough to get the perfect sound while recording.”
Stadium Red offers three AKG C414 XLS, two D112, two C1000, one C4000 B and a C451. Rounding off its list of Harman gear is a Crown XLS 402 amplifier, JBL SR6615 power amp, BSS FDS-336T MiniDrive system, Lexicon plug-ins PCM 91, 81, 70 and 480L digital effects system and dbx 160, 160XT, 165A, 166, 120XP, 223XT and DriveRack PA.
Concentrating on supreme comfort in the studio, each of the mixing rooms and the mastering suite are built around the primary needs of the producers or engineers who occupy those spaces on a regular basis. The full-service studio setup also helps to ensure music is not leaked out of a studio mid-production. “We do it all from production, recording, mixing and mastering, so there is little worry about songs being ‘leaked’ since it doesn’t leave the studio until it’s finished,” Zdanow continues.
With a world-renowned team of producers and engineers, including Just Blaze, David Frost, Omen, Tom Lazarus, Ariel Borujow, Joseph Pedulla and Ricardo Gutierrez, Stadium Red offers an experienced team to clients, ranging from Drake, Chris Brown, Nikki Minaj, Styles P, Eminem, Björk, Yo-Yo Ma, Thursday and San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, among other award-winning artists and groups.
“As a music creation and lifestyle company, we understand brand recognition is very important in our industry,” continued Zdanow. “The AKG brand sets industry standards. From the beginning, our engineers requested AKG equipment because they were the tools needed to make the best records. Stadium Red’s team signifies the best and we continue to be the voice of making music with the help of AKG and Harman.”
