Colima Estudios and the 5088
The following is an interview with studio owner JC Vertti, shown above at the console. All photos by Rafael Lührs.
Hello JC! Can you please tell us a bit about the studio?
Our studio is called “Colima Estudios” conveniently located in one of Mexico’s most popular neighborhoods, Roma Norte. Surrounded by hotels, restaurants, bars and walking distance from some of the coolest spots in the city. The studio lives in a 3 story building that also houses a wonderful 120 sq mtr rehearsal space, a restaurant and a basketball court, all for our clients’ convenience and leisure.
We have our main room, Studio A with a 50 sq mt live room, full 9.1.6 ATC ATMOS System and a beautiful 32 ch 5088 console. The system was calibrated by the Dolby team and it was fully integrated by me. I was also in charge of selecting our Outboard gear collection and our monitor controller.
We also have two smaller rooms each with a vocal booth that can house a small drum kit comfortably. Those are equipped with 7.1.4 Atmos systems (Neumann) and soon will be expanded with more RND 500 series equipment.
Who was involved in the studio’s design & build?
The studio design was fully developed by JHS studio design, an amazing design firm in Mexico, specialized in architectural acoustics. They were careful to shape the rooms in very aesthetically pleasing ways while retaining our top priority which was to have great sounding rooms. They definitely took care of the vibe and comfort of our clients.
The equipment config and installation was all carried out by me and my integration partner Israel Rodriguez, who carefully studied my integration plan and soldered the necessary cables to fully customize my install. All studios are interconnected both analog and via Dante. The most challenging part was integrating the 5088 in the most practical way possible, making it super easy for visiting engineers to jump in and get to work without too many workarounds.
I was very keen on making the studio workflow simple yet powerful and flexible since modern workflows require a lot of mobility and many producers carry their laptops with them. This integration allows any producer or engineer to bring their laptops and still retain full access to our outboard gear, monitoring system and of course the sound of our 5088.
Is there any particular style of music that you specialize in, or any particular part of the music production process?
We work with all genres. Our space is designed to make anyone feel welcome and inspired. It’s also equipped to cover the basics of all genres and we will be adding more gear depending on what route the studio takes in the future. It’s a great space for tracking but also for mixing stereo and Atmos as well as mastering!
How did you first hear about the 5088? What made it the right choice for you?
I heard about the 5088 a while back since it was released. It was a dream of mine to have one… even a smaller version. I love the sound of the pre amps and just the look and feel of it. When the opportunity came I realized we needed a lot of flexibility but most importantly we needed to focus on having a great sounding board. I am used to traditional work flows but I am familiar with modern needs so the 5088 tied it all together making it super simple to put together, set up, integrate and get to work. It seemed like the best option in the market for us.
What is your 5088’s configuration?
We have a 32 ch board with 16x 5052 preamps and 8x 5051 compressor / EQ modules. 16 channels are dedicated for tracking, and the other 16 are dedicated for mixing and bringing external signals into the board. It’s been a great way to work…at least until we decide to add more 5052 or 5053s…
It sounds absolutely wonderful…from the get go the sounds is warm and rich in harmonics but clear and faithful to what we have in the room. The preamps are super sensitive which allows me to work with all sources with minimal tweaking. When I add the EQ I have to make minimal changes…yet it seems like every little tweak makes the sound so much more precise and lively.
It’s really hard to make this console sound bad! The richness of the transformers brings so much life into the sound. I’d say it ties everything together nicely. The 5088 has made my workflow so much faster… I’m making better recordings in less time. Sometimes I open my mics and go…wait, what? Because things sound just as I wanted already. My clients often ask: oh did you add this or that piece of gear cause that sound is perfect… and I’m just like: nope, that’s just the mic going into the pre. That’s a wonderful feeling.
On Silk: are you Team Red or Team Blue? Why?
Oh they are both incredible! If I had to chose one…Team RED for sure. The content it adds to the low end…it’s sooo nice. Super flattering, no mud, just body, richness, heft. Even when I crank it it’s just nice beefy goodness.
Elisa Berthe (the studio’s interior designer) and Jhasua Núñez of JHS Custom Design.
What does the name ‘Rupert Neve’ mean to you?
“Neve” has always been in my mind. Since my first days at school… and also coming from Mexico where it wasn’t easy to come by a Neve console… it was always regarded as the pinnacle of recording gear. Mr. Rupert designed some of the most awe inspiring gear. At least to me.
The name “Rupert Neve” is synonymous with perfect craftsmanship, elegance, sophistication, excellence. It really does put a spark in my eyes. EVERY single time I mention we have a Rupert Neve console to my clients, they react in such a positive way… stripping down insecurities and inspiring them… almost assuming their records are going to be in the best hands. So, yeah…that name holds a lot of power among engineers and musicians.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
Walking into a room and sitting in front of a 5088 every day is a huge responsibility but it’s also a joy and an absolute honor.
To me, this is the dream … one I’ve had since I was a young assistant engineer. I plan on honoring this console and showcasing its wonderful attributes. Thank you for reaching out and making amazing products.
Saludos from Mexico!
