Recording studio & in house instruments
The studio is located in a quiet residential area in the suburbs of Cividale del Friuli (UD), a really nice small city with a rich historic and cultural heritage, since the Romans founded it!
We have three rooms: a 20sqm control room and two 30sqm recording spaces.
There’s also a small relax area for breaks between sessions - and a cup of coffee!
The acoustic treatment is carefully designed to have the best sound in the specific room’s destination:
- the CONTROL ROOM hhas linear and even acoustics, with no reverberation in the sweet spot.
- the PIANO ROOM has lively and diffuse acoustics, but always under control. It’s perfect for acoustic instruments and classical music.
- the DRUM ROOM has a mixed acoustics: one side is more absorbing and the other side more diffuse, to simulate an ambience that is ample and live - where that matters.
All the rooms are cabled with balanced audio lines, speaker level lines for amplifiers and cat6 network for an easy and smooth signal management between rooms.
All the rooms are climate controlled, with constant air replacement that’s really quiet and makes the rooms really comfortable, without interfering in the recording or listening.
Studio gear
FAZIOLI F278
FAZIOLI F278 Grand PIano is of the best quality, with great sound and versatility in every kind of situation, it really shines with acoustic and classical music in general. The piano action is precise, reactive and technically perfect, the sound is noble and ample and has an almost infinite color palette, down to the smallest detail and nuance.
The pitch and tuning of the piano is curated exclusively by our thrusty piano technician Luca Bonutti, who has a long time collaboration with the Fazioli company and a great proficiency in this type of instrument. LThe piano pitch Fazioli F278 is really stable and the room has constant temperature and controlled humidity so the piano is always in optimal shape even between different sessions.
The piano pitch is lowered from the factory 443Hz tuning to 442Hz, both to keep freshness and brilliance on the sound and to be more versatile in non classical music.
YAMAHA C6 CONSERVATORY
Semi concert grand piano with brilliant sound and fast action, very well suited for Pop and Jazz, but really versatile anyway, with the classic Yamaha sound. It resides in the “B2 room and thanks to his good sound projection and volume it’s perfect for acoustic playing in pop ensemble or piano trio - even with the drums located nearby in the room.
KAWAI UPRIGHT
Nice sounding upright, useful in recordings and warm-ups of the pianists before recording on the studios’ grand pianos. It has a rich and full timbre, perfect for Pop and Indie music, and we often capture it with ribbon mics or other experimental techniques.
MOOG MINIMOOG MODEL D
The king of mono synths, with unmatched sound.
The example in the studio is one of the first ever built, in 1971, and was Danny Sembello’s own Minimoog.
This particular Minimoog was custom modified by Studio Electronics, with added Midi functionality, dynamic VCF and VCA and an independent LFO.
SEQUENTIAL CIRCUITS PROPHET 5
Legendary polyphonic 5 voice synth created by Dave Smith, now again in production after 40 years. Our P5 is an early 80’s rev 3.3.
KORG MS20 KIT
Modern reissue of the classic Korg mono semi modular synth, with Midi and usb interfaces.
DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS POLY EVOLVER KEYBOARD
Analog 4 voice poly synth (with added 4 voice poly evolver rack expansion, so 8 voices in total!) with a unique and versatile sound, thanks to the analog and digital wavetable oscillators and many realtime controls to shape your sound.
DAVE SMITH INSTRUMENTS PRO 2
Mono/paraphonic synth with digital oscillators and analog filters. A sound designer’s paradise with a very versatile and easy to use sequencer.
MOOG LITTLE PHATTY
Modern mono synth with the classic Moog sound, the last creation of Bob Moog himself.
KORG KRONOS 73
Top Japanese workstation, easy to use and with any kind of sound you can imagine. Our Kronos is full of custom patches and additional libraries.
NORD STAGE 3 COMPACT
Versatile stage piano, with many electro mechanical and sampled instruments. The waterfall keyboard is perfect for Hammond and Funky playing.
EXPRESSIVE-E OSMOSE
Revolutionary synth with an innovative action that lets you control the sound in a new way.
ROLAND D50
Digital ‘90s synth, a revolution of classic sounds now and then!
RHODES 73 MK I
Electric piano, perfect for Jazz, Fusion and Pop!
HAMMOND ORGAN C3
1967, with Leslie 145 and 251 amplifier, selected NOS tubes, plenty of character and growl as needed!
SOUND MODULES
ROLAND INTEGRA 7
More than 6000 patches in any kind of style, instrument and genre, with all the classic Roland patches and much more. The Super-Natural synthesis system allows faithful recreation of acoustic and classic synth sounds.
ROLAND JV-2080
Classic 90’s expander, with “Keyboards of the 60s - 70s” and “Vintage Synth” EXP.
KORG TRITON-RACK
2000s sound module with FULLY expanded with all optional EXB libraries and MOSS synth.
KORG TR-RACK
Korg Trinity in a rack.
- Neumann U87ai
- Neumann U47i FET
- Neumann M147 Valve
- Neumann TLM 103 pair
- Neumann Km184 pair
- Akg 414 B XL-II pair
- Akg C460 – CK61 capsule
- Schoeps CMC6 Colette systems – MK4, Mk2s, Mk21 capsules
- Schoeps Active Cables
- Studio Electronics R1 Ribbon pair
- Sennheiser MD 421
- Sennheiser E906
- Shure sm58
- Shure sm57
- Shure Beta 91
- Audix D2 – D4 – D6
- Other mics available on request.
- Millennia STT-1 Origin
- Universal Audio 6176
- Amek Channel-in-a-box by Rupert Neve – pair
- Manley Force
- Api A2D
- Neve 1073 DPD
- Grace Designs M108 remote system
- Warm Audio WA-412
- Other available on request
- Avid Pro Tools 2024.3
- Ableton Live 10 Suite
KIT
LUDWIG Vintage ’60s Drum Set
- Size 20×15”, 12×8”, 14×14”, with Super Sensitive 14×5” snare drum.
- Supraphonic 14×5” snare drum
Gretsch Vintage ’70s Drum Set
- Size 18×18”, 12×8”,13×9”, 14×15”, 14×8”snare drum.
Mapex Saturn IV Series Drum set
ADDITIONAL SNARE DRUMS:
- Pearl brass shell 13×3”
- Sonor steel shell 14×5”
- Tama 14×6”
- Drum Sound maple shell 14×6”
- Timbales Matador
PEDALS:
- DW 5000 and 9000 series
- Axis
- Speedking
Guitars
- FENDER STRATOCASTER American Professional 2 SSS
- FENDER TELECASTER 1967 Vintage, Maple cap, with Gibson P.A.F. Humbucker neck pickup, fitted in the ‘70s.
- EKO VL480 “Les Paul”
- EKO “Super strat” HSS prototype
- EKO s300 HSS with Humbucker JB and single coils AlNiCo 5
- MARTIN D28 Acoustic
- EKO RANGER FUTURA Acoustic
- Yamaha G235 Vintage classic guitar
Basses
- FENDER JAZZ BASS American Vintage Reissue ‘62
- FENDER PRECISION BASS American Special
- MUSIC MAN STINGRAY5 strings, 2003
- MARSHALL JTM45 MKII
- MARSHALL 1974cx Handwired 1×12 speaker
- EVH 5150III
- EVH 2×12 speaker
- ROLAND 408 combo 4×8
- SWR Super Redhead bass combo 2×10
Distortion, overdrive and boost:
- MXR Distortion+
- MXR Wilde Overdrive
- MXR Dime Distortion
- MXR Custom Audio Boost/Line driver
- Ibanez Turbo Tube Screamer TS9DX
- Boss BD-2 Blues Driver
Modulation:
- MXR Phase 90 Phaser
- Arion Stereo Chorus SCH-1
- Electro Harmonix Nano Clone Chorus
- Boss TR-2 Tremolo
- Boss BF-2 Flanger
Delay:
- Electro Harmonix Deluxe Memory Man Bucket Brigade delay
- Strymon El Capistan Tape Delay
- Boss DD-3 Digital Delay
Others:
- Boss CS-3 Compression Sustainer
- Moog Moogerfooger MF-104 Low Pass Filter
- Dunlop Jimi Hendrix Wah
- Heil Sound The Talk Box
- Eventide Space Reverb
- Eventide H90 Harmonizer and multi FX
Control room
The control room is the heart of the recording studio, the place where you control and direct all the recordings and the musical production and recording, ‘till the last note.
Its layout it’s comfortable and ergonomic and has different “zones”:
- A central zone with the main control station, all the outboard and patch bays on reach, so you can quickly configure the cabling when needed.
- A zone where all the synths and keyboard are located
- A “guitar and bass” zone, with all the instruments, heads and pedals on reach
- A comfort zone with a small sofa for guests and musicians
The control room’s acoustics are tailored for the best listening experience, with neutral, uncolored sound, no evident reverberation.
The main speaker system is the Audio Factory AS29, custom installed and calibrated to ensure the best possible critical listening experience. It performs great in every task, from tracking to mixing to sound design.
The main system is Pro Tools, with converters from Avid, Grace Designs, Neve and API, we could use other DAWS on demand, mainly Ableton Live.
The preamp choice is between the more clean Millennia and Grace Designs to the more coloured Neve, Api and Amek to the tube based Universal Audio and Manley.
The keyboards are a strong point of the control room: there are vintage synths like the Minimoog (1971) and Little Phatty and Prophet 5 (Rev 3, 1981), Korg MS20 and modern ones like DSI Pro2 and Poly Evolver Keyboard, Korg Kronos, Nord Lead 3 and Nord Stage 3 and several sound modules like Roland Integra 7 and JV2080, Korg Triton and Trinity Rack. The last acquisition is the Expressive-E Osmose, a revolutionary keyboard, synth and controller that uses polyphonic expression to control the sound in a new way.
The guitar department has all the standard electric and acoustic instruments represented: Gibson and Fender basses and guitars, Martin and Eko acoustic guitars, Music Man ecc. There are also a few carefully selected heads and combos, Marshall, EVh and Fender, all of them are pre cabled from the control room to iso booths to crank them up for a louder volume.
The choice of pedals and effects for bass and guitar is also rich, with pedals from Dunlop, Eventide, Boss, moog Strymon, Electro Harmonix.
Piano room
The A room, or piano room, is close to the control room and has visual contact with it.
There are two grand pianos available, a Yamaha C6 Conservatory (210 cm, B room) and a Fazioli F278.
There are also a 1969 C3 Hammond organ with Leslie 145, a Rhodes MKI electric piano from 1978 and a 1964 Hohner Clavinet I.
The room’s acoustic is alive and pleasant, perfect for piano solo, chamber music and acoustic instruments in general.
Drum room
The B room, or drum room, is perfect for drum recordings and much more!
It has constant air change and the balanced acoustics, so it’s perfect for rehearsals or full band recordings.
The acoustics are more absorbing in the drum zone, so you can capture a dryer direct sound with the close mics, while the rest of the room is more diffusive to enhance the “air” and go beyond the room’s dimensions. Ambience mics are very effective in this room.
There’s a Kawai upright, a small PA, guitar and bass amps connected to the control room with power audio lines.
The in-house instruments are all of prime quality and constantly maintained.
