The Limehouse puts Matrix & X-Rack at the heart of its creative workflow

THE LIMEHOUSE PUTS MATRIX AND X-RACK AT THE HEART OF ITS CREATIVE WORKFLOW Matrix is a great way to bring together summing and a collection of analogue outboard. LONDON, UK The Limehouse recording studio has installed an SSL Matrix SuperAnalogue mixing console with inbuilt signal router and multi-layer DAW control as the creative centrepiece of its control room alongside an accompanying range of X-Rack processing to enhance its favoured hardware/software mix modus operandi.

The Matrix is a great way to bring together summing and an extensive collection of analogue outboard, with considerable workflow improvements. says Studio Manager Rupert Pfaff. Pfaff's love of all things SSL stretches back to sitting in on an ear-opening session at London's legendary Abbey Road Studios as an impressionable teenager: I became more aware of SSL in the late-Eighties, reading avidly about recording and working on a couple of SSL consoles at that time. Consequently, I've always associated SSL with having a very high-quality audio path and clean' sound.

One thing led to another, and having taken a sales job at a leading West End recording retailer to fund further recording activities on the side the naturally business-savvy Pfaff unintentionally ended up managing said retailer for the next 15 years. Sales success proved time-consuming, yet recording remained Pfaff's true calling. I decided to set up my own studio and managed to find a live/work development that was ideal to build it in, this meant I could continue to do my other work from home. This way, I could continue to earn a living while keeping the studio running with minimal day-to-day involvement.

The studio overlooks East London's Limehouse Cut canal, has a welcoming control room and live room featuring natural daylight and excellent line of sight to the scenic sights of London beyond. The Limehouse made a name for itself within Londons production community as an audiophile recording, mixing, and mastering facility with a very reasonable rental rate. Building a great team has enabled Pfaff to pursue his preferred managerial role and it include engineers James Aparicio formerly Mute Records' house engineer and prolific TV composer and mixer Neil Williams.

Weve spent much time with measurement software and making custom-tuned bass traps to really fine tune the acoustic of both the control room and the live room. But as nice sounding as those rooms clearly are as testified to by the likes of Cat Stevens, Spiritualised, A R Rahman, and Julian Lloyd Webber, when it came to replacing their DAW control surface, SSL was where it's at.

The Matrix met and in many areas exceeded our expectations, posited Pfaff. As well as being a mixing console with Solid State Logic written on it, which never hurts a commercial studio, its transformed the studio. We also invested in an X-Rack, which gave us the ability to add some great quality outboard at a reasonable price, all with Total Recall. I chose the VHD pres primarily because they have the Listen Mic Compressor on them, which is great on drum room mics; the E Series EQs for their classic sound; and the Dynamics modules as they are the only thing around of that size that combines a compressor and gate in one unit great for toms, especially.

Pfaff & Co.' sound satisfied so much so that no more gear purchases are currently on the cards. Me and the engineers who work here are happy with the new setup to the extent that it really does feel complete. If we can't make a decent record now, it's not the gear's fault! www.recordingstudiolondon.co.uk

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