Customer Spotlight: Studio 101 (and 16x Newton Channels)
We recently heard about one of our customers who’d racked up sixteen Newton Channels together, and (obviously) wanted to learn more about this amazing rig. Enjoy!
Hi! Can you please tell us who you are, and a bit about the studio?
My name is Ian Guthrie and I’m a music producer at Studio 101, primarily specializing in Rock, Americana, and Folk/Country music.
Studio 101 is a commercial recording studio located in Woodruff, South Carolina. The owner Brad Phillips and his father built the facility in the year 2000 and has just gone through a recent renovation that includes a spatial audio mix suite, a new 2-room “B Room” studio for smaller projects, along with 16 channels of Rupert Neve Designs Newton channel strips for the “A Room”.
Roughly 6 years ago I was looking for a place to set up shop after moving out of the previous space I was in. Around that time, I had met Brad through a mutual friend and we hit it off great. Next thing I know he offers me a place to work and bring in artists and I’ve been there ever since. Studio 101 has been very good to me and it's a great place to work.
How did you first hear about Rupert Neve Designs, and the Newton Channel in particular?
I’ve been in and around studios for most of my life so the name “Neve” is a very familiar one. Regarding the Newton Channel, I believe I saw an ad in Tape Op magazine. From there we sort of went down the rabbit hole of YouTube videos and talking to other studios.
What inspired such a large Newton rig? It’s the most we’ve seen in one place before!
Brad and I both cut our teeth recording on large consoles and getting the majority of the sound on the way into tape or Pro Tools. With the new renovations to the studio, we agreed we wanted the sound and workflow of a console for the A Room but weren’t crazy about the lack of quick recall for today’s workflow, possible need for a machine room, and obviously the price tag. We figured a desk full of Newton Channels would be a great compromise, plenty of options tonally but not so many that you can’t recall accurately. Plenty of nice, clean headroom but can also provide saturation and character. Very musical compression and EQ sections as well. Everything you would want in a great recording console.
What sort of differences have the Newtons made in your setup, compared to what you used previously?
To me it seems that everything I record comes together much faster and sounds more cohesive with much less effort. Like it almost sounds “finished” on playback. Naturally, that makes the mix process a little easier too which is great.
What’s your favorite thing about the Newton? Your favorite section?
My favorite thing about the Newton is the EQ section. The EQ as a whole sounds harmonically rich and interesting and the 4 frequency bands chosen for the low end and top end parameters are practical and musical. I also love that the compressor can be inserted pre or post EQ which is a nice touch and gives me even more tonal options.
Question: Silk Red or Silk Blue (or both!), and why?
Obviously it depends on the intention of the recording but generally I use the Silk Blue for drums and bass, and Silk Red for guitars, keys, vocals, etc. with the knob turned all the way up. That isn’t a firm rule I have, I just love how the blue circuit emphasizes the lower harmonics on the drums in our room, the same way I love the way the red circuit gives some more character to the upper/mid harmonics in the guitars and vocals.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with RND?
Just that I love RND products and they make making records so much fun. Thanks for the opportunity and thanks for making truly great equipment!
