Historic Village Studios Adopts Neve Technology

The iconic Village Studios has created a new studio at its West Los Angeles premises with Neve® technology at the heart of its design.

The facility converted one of its private production suites into a new studio utilising the massive Genesys Black console for T Bone Burnett, Mike Piersante and Zach Dawes. With 64 faders and 48 analogue channel strips, the desk mixes 32 channels of vintage 1084 Neve EQ with 16 channels of contemporary 88R-style 4-band EQ to create an exceptional console that is truly one of a kind. This mammoth console was also delivered with Neve mastering-grade AD/DA MADI conversion cards across every channel, delivering internal AD/DA conversion for 48 channel direct outputs, channel digital line inputs, and digital monitor returns over optical MADI connection.

"It is a fantastic compromise between old and new ways of recording because it delivers the great analogue sound of Neve, while easily enabling modern hybrid workflows," said Jeff Greenberg, who has owned the Village since the mid-1990s. "It is also a perfect complement to the Neve consoles we already own, which include our much loved vintage 8048 in Studio A and two Neve 88R consoles with full Mix Recall in Studios B and D."

As well as four main commercial studios, the facility also has a large Auditorium and the Moroccan Room (formerly the old Masonic Meeting Room), which are used as live and concert spaces. Spread throughout the building are various production and writing suites that are occupied by an eclectic mixture of artists, producers and composers who like having their own space within this extraordinary complex.

The new studio for T Bone, Mike Piersante and Zach Dawes is housed in one such suite, as Studio Manager Tina Morris explained: "The suite was previously occupied by John Alagia who had it for about 16 years. He had it set up with Pro Control and it was completely digital with the exception of a complement of outboard gear. The space consisted of a control room and an isolation booth, both of which we incorporated into this refurbishment.

"We spruced it up with new acoustic treatment advised by George Augsberger and, of course, the new Genesys Black console. It is a dual purpose room for mixing and recording, and we have added tie lies to the Moroccan Room so that it can serve as a control room for that multipurpose room when it is available. This is ideal because it is literally right next door to the Moroccan Room and having the analogue aspect of the Genesys Black console, as well as its integration with Pro Tools, is a great addition to the facility."

The specification of the new studio was very much a joint effort between Mike Piersante and Tina Morris, as Mike explained: "Tina and I consulted regularly on every small aspect of the space and all technical aspects because, in essence, we wanted this to also be a 'Village' room. On that basis, I thought both factions should have input into the design and equipment."

"Right from the beginning, my thinking was to have a console with vintage qualities but also one that would bring the room and the Village a step into the future," Mike said. "The Genesys was always my first choice for this particular space."

"The sonics of the analogue path, combined with vintage reissued preamps and EQs, is a feature we all love," he explained. "This desk delivers a lot of flexibility and gives us options we didn’t have at the studio we co-ran in the past."

Mike has added to the equipment list by bringing in a vast array of vintage and modern outboard equipment from the likes of Neve, Manley, Universal Audio, Empirical Labs, Teletronics, Alan Smart, GML, API, Retro Industries, Altec and others. The studio has also been set up to handle Dolby Atmos mixing, with a monitoring system that delivers full immersive audio.

www.ams-neve.com