Engineer Charlie Waymire talks about the fantastic sounding Toft ATB console and why it’s at the heart of Ultimate Rhythm Studios. That’s great but we all know that talk is cheap so Charlie brought in an awesome group of musicians to put the Toft ATB through it’s paces.
The band features Mike Avenaim (Emblem3) on Drums, Mike Torres (Selena Gomez, Macy Gray) on Bass, and James Kloeppel (Deuce) on Guitar. Charlie Waymire was the engineer, Scott Francisco was the videographer, and Lizzy Ostro was the 2nd Engineer. Everything was captured live in the same room including drums, bass, and guitar. The song was also mixed through the Toft ATB.
Charlie installed a Toft ATB 24 channel console to be the heart and soul of Ultimate Rhythm Studios. “I needed a console that not only sounded great but would be flexible enough to be the hub of my studio. The Toft ATB has exceeded my expectations.” says engineer Charlie Waymire.
When you hire great musicians you also get great gear! And this session was no exception. Here’s the breakdown.
Mike Avenaim's 1965 Ludwig Kit
Mike brought a beautiful set of 1965 Ludwig Super Classics featuring a 14″x22″ kick, 9″x13″ rack tom, & 16″x16″ floor tom. The snare is a 5″x14″ 1959 Ludwig Pioneer Duco Transition Badge.
All the cymbals are Paiste Cymbals including a 14″ Dark Energy Light Hats, 20″ Twenty Masters Dark Crash/Ride, a 22″ Traditional Light Ride, and a 20″ 602 Modern Essentials Crash.
Drum Microphone setup:
Kick In: Heil PR40
Kick Out: Audio Technica AT 4047
Kick 3: Cascade Fathead II (about 3 feet away from the kick)
Snare Top: Audio Technica Pro63
Snare Bottom: Audio Technica AE3000
Hats: Audio Technica ATM450
Toms: Heil PR30’s
Overheads: Audio Technica AT4047’s
Room Mic: Cascade X15 Stereo Ribbon Mic
James Kloeppel's Mesa Boogie Guitar Rig
James’ guitar rig consisted of a 1995 Mesa Boogie Dual Rectifier 2 channel with a Mesa Boogie Recto Cab. His axe of choice for the day was a 1980 Gibson Les Paul Standard. Man this thing sounded awesome!
Guitar Mic setup:
1: Audio Technica AE3000 towards the edge of the cone
2: MXL R144 Ribbon mic slightly off the center of the cone
Mike Torres' Ampeg Bass Rig
Mike Torre’s was rocking a classic Ampeg SVR VR and a 2×12 cabinet topped off with a fantastic sounding Lakland bass. This rig had some serious mojo!
Bass Mic setup:
Audio Technica AE2500 Dual Element microphone (one condenser element and one dynamic element).
Enjoy the full band performance video.
Have a look at some photos from the session. Enjoy!
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Mike Avenaim’s 1965 Ludwig Kit
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James Kloeppel’s Mesa Boogie Guitar Rig
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Mike Torres’ Ampeg Bass Rig
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Bass Rig Baffled Off In Room
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AE2500 on bass rig
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Front shot of the Mike’s drumset
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James’ guitar rig
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James’ guitar rig side
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ATM450 on the hats
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Cascade Fathead II in front of the kick
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Mike’s kit from the side
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AT4047 & Heil PR40 on the kick
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Drums from the back
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Heil PR30 on toms
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Cascade X15 Stereo Ribbon mic for rooms
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AE3000 for bottom snare
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Audio Technica Pro63 on top of snare
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