Downtown Studios upgrades with SSL
Published: MEA
SOUTH AFRICA: Johannesburg’s Downtown Studios has recently undergone a major upgrade, adding new Solid State Logic Duality and AWS consoles. The studio has been a long-term user of SSL and opted to stick with the brand for its recent refresh.
‘The decision to upgrade Studios 1 and 3 was fuelled by the board’s desire to stand out as the number one state-of-the-art recording facility in Africa,’ said Darryl Heilbrunn, general manager of Downtown Studios. ‘While we considered other options, SSL’s international legacy and reputation led us to Duality and AWS.’
The Duality’s 72 channels of dual SuperAnalogue and VHD microphone preamps in Studio 1 reportedly give Downtown the flexibility to record groups of any size or genre. While the more intimate Studio 3, largely used for electronic music production, takes advantage of AWS as a hybrid console/controller, catering to clients with a variety of styles of workflow.
‘SSL has allowed us to fulfil our musical mandate in a big way,’ noted Mr Heilbrunn. ‘The Duality studio appeals to international recording artists; and the sonic consistency between the two consoles enables us to achieve the same results for electronic music on the AWS. Additionally, the sonic quality of both consoles is superb, crisp and warm. Our clients have been blown away by the remarkable clarity and depth provided by the SSLs.’