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music for media
ABOUT
Andrew Ross
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It has been a dream of mine, throughout my career as a professional musician, to own and run a recording studio. Who would have predicted the changes that have profoundly affected the music industry in the last 10 years could make this dream possible. Access to high quality recording technology is now universal.
Now the "cat is out of the bag", there is more product available than can be processed by the consumer. How can we choose with so much content on the market? It is imperative the industry now needs to look towards those who can genuinely demonstrate expertise. I am confident that my music speaks for itself in this respect.
If you are here to shop for a studio to record in, I am comfortable letting you make the creative decisions while I engineer. I am also very willing to take on production and/or arranging roles, depending on the project and how closely we can collaborate. Obviously, it is important to have clear roles such as these in place before starting a project.
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If you are shopping for music, that facility is available on the music player on my music page. All of my compositions are negotiable assets for licensing arrangements except for the Pedal Stroke demo video. Please feel free to contact me regarding any commissions for music for film, commercials, games, etc.
The Studio
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Having worked for much of my professional career in studio environments I have gathered some hard-earned experience about how creativity can best flourish in the unnatural context of a recording studio. Related to the task of creating a natural performance in an unnatural setting, is the decision of which equipment is best suited to provide a truly synergistic engagement for the performer.
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Studio tools need to be of high quality but not so intimidating that creativity is limited by them. Equipment needs to be used, not revered. It is with this philosophy in mind that I have chosen my equipment. Ultimately, It is all about the performance.
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Microphones
As always, microphones are a constant collectible for any studio. The microphones I have at the moment are of a high quality and are FUNCTIONAL. Having been a little intimidated by uber expensive mics placed in risky positions, I feel my performances may have been affected by the engineer's obsession with the tool rather than the performance.
Enough said; here's a list of the microphones:
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AKG C414XLS, Rode NH 55, Rode K2, Beyer M88, Shure SM57, Shure SM58, AKG D5, MXL 2010.
Input Stage
The primary aim is to be able to record whole ensembles, live. The Apogee Ensemble Thunderbolt interface provides 10 input channels whilst the RME OctaMic II adds another 8 mic inputs making 18 tracks in total. This is more than enough input for most ensembles but If more is required for your production, there's always the tracking or overdubbing choice. The cream of the input stage is a pair of UA LA-610 preamp/compressors. These valve powered channel strips are just glorious and provide their own versatile analog signature.
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Recording and Mixing
All processes after the input stage occur "in the box" (mixing, bussing and effect processing are all done within the computer). The DAW used is Pro Tools 12. Its effects and editing functions are further enhanced by a UAD-2 Satellite Octo. Simply put, this UAD unit is a library, chocka-block with high quality studio effects; digital indeed but accurate emulations of virtually every piece of cherished gear employed in flagship studios around the world for the last 60 years - Neve, SSL, API, Fairchild, Chandler, Lexicon, Eventide, Fender Marshall and Moog to name but a few.
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Monitoring
Monitoring is is by Genelec. The mid-field speakers are 8250A and the near-field, 8020A.
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Keyboards
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Wurlitzer 200a Electric Piano
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Nord Stage 2
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Korg 01/W
Percussion
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Gretsch Catalina Maple 5 piece, 22" kick
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Avedis Zyldjian crashes, K. Zildjian ride, Paiste Sound Edge hi-hats
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6' grand piano harp (great for sound effects)
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Sundry small percussion