Synergy SoundwerX is a small recording studio that provides a variety of services from multi-track recording and mix-down to commercial voice-overs and professional photography.
Recently, the studio upgraded to an Allen & Heath digital console from American Music & Sound to prepare for growth.
When its 1990’s-era analog mixer became unreliable and studio owner Shawn Helton began to search for a replacement. He wanted a digital mixer with “scenes” to store setups for repeat customers and a digital patch bay to simplify studio wiring.
He wanted versatile DSP for the many different instruments and voices he records. He wanted multi-track recording and mix-down capabilities with simple connections to his iMac computer. And, he wanted the kind of audible quality normally associated with an analog mixer.
After online research and discussions with other engineers, Helton chose Allen & Heath’s new QU- 32 digital mixer.
“Even though I seldom use more than 18 microphones, I wanted the 32-channel model for future expansion,” he said, “and the QU -32 has features like its ‘Qu-Drive’ direct multi-track recording and 32×32 USB audio interface that gives me a one-cable connection to the recording software on my iMac.”
The QU -32’s built-in DSP replaced a 4-foot rack of analog signal processing. “It really cleaned up my studio,” Helton said. In the future, he wants to add an Allen & Heath dSNAKE to further simplify the studio’s wiring.
Helton, who is also a musician and front of house engineer, has a critical ear for music and sound and his studio enjoys a reputation for excellent acoustics and recorded sound quality. He says the QU- 32’s audible sound quality was a key factor in his purchase decision.
Listening to recent recordings over his Rokit 8 control-room monitors, he commented, “I’ve never heard it sound so good. The QU-32 makes me want to go back and remix everything I’ve done in the last ten years.” He added, “The QU- 32 has everything I need for my recordings and voice-overs and I feel like I’ve entered the true digital age.”
