The control room at Omnivox Studio, Sweden.

Technology and gear

The ambition at Omnivox is to provide the best conditions for the artist regarding environment, feel and technique.

The final “music product” – the song, the record – is the result of a chain of events and conditions that include:

– environment and mood. Time and place. Weather. Hunger and thirst. Day form.
– how well-rehearsed the artist is.
– the performance itself.
– decisions surrounding the recording: the producer’s thoughts.
– acoustic conditions.
– choice of microphones and microphone placements.
– quality + settings of preamps and mixing console.
– quality of monitor- and foldback listening
– choice of recording media – digital or analog.
– choices made in the mixing process.
– choices made in the mastering process.

To optimize every detail in the chain, the right conditions, knowledge, and careful preparations are needed. Whether it’s about rehearsals before recording or the quality of microphones and cables, we’re talking about investments in time and money that need to be made.

Keepers and upgrades

Certain aspects of the studio have proven to work excellently over the 15 years the studio has been in existence. Other parts have been replaced. New (and old!) equipment is continually acquired, and Omnivox is constantly upgraded.

As of now the analog chain is very straight forward. On the digital side we are using UAD Apollo 8 +16 using the AMEK mixing consoles pre-amps along with Logic Pro.

If you will be here working as an engineer or producer and want to use your own DAW, you are free to hook up your gear to the studio.

CONSOLE

The mixing console has been changed a couple of times. Most recently, we had a Trident Series 65, which was later replaced with the current AMEK TAC Magnum. Re-capped and upgraded with Langley preamps in the summer of 2022.

The console has tape returns, which facilitates analog recording. It also has a built-in bantam-patch where all outboard gear is connected.

ANALOG OUTBOARD

Regarding analog outboard, there are compressors, reverbs, echoes, and effects. Among others: Roland RE-501 and Roland RE-201, Stocktronics RX-4000, Lexicon PCM-70, Yamaha SPX 90 II, Tube Tech LCA-2B, Ashly SC-50, UAD LA-610 and Eventide H 910.

STUDIO MONITORS

Soffit-mounted Urei 813 and Genelec 1030A.

Calibrated with Sonar Works, Reference 4 Studio Edition.

MICROPHONES

The studio has a range of nice to amazing microphones to bring out the best from every performer and instrument.

FOLDBACK LISTENING

During recording, you are in control of your personal foldback mix with your own Hearback mixer.

STUDIO TAPE RECORDER

A keeper in the control room is the studio’s Otari MX-80 2″ tape recorder!

Owned by producer Douglas Carr and used for recording artists like Ace of Base, Meja and Leila K.

Happy to say it is used extensively here. Especially for recording basic tracks, drums in particular, but occasionally also entire productions.

For detailed tech information, please contact us.

What about analog recording?

Tracking to tape differs somewhat from recording digitally. Firstly, there’s the sound, the much appreciated saturation, the warmth. And then there’s the process. For some reason, a tape recording feels more “real” than a digital one. Which more often than not results in more focused and good takes!

You can borrow tapes from us – free of charge

One tape only holds around 30 minutes of music so we will most likely need several tapes during a couple of days recording. Today, one single tape roll costs around €500!

But don’t despair: you can borrow tapes from us for free! After recording, the tapes are digitized. They are then erased and reused.