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We're
Not in Kansas Anymore, Toto!
Phantom Recordings
opened officially in February of 2005 where the new Toto album is
being engineered and co-produced by Simon Phillips who also handels
all the Pro Tool programming. "Oh, and a bit of drumming too!
We have all enjoyed working here, it has a great vibe and the live
room has a great sound. We tracked most of the record live - sometimes
6 of us playing - and the room handles it well," says producer/owner,
Phillips. Centrally located
near Sherman Oaks restaurants, Phantom Recordings is built around
a Pro Tools HD3 system with 32 inputs and 24 outputs. The spacious
control room is 400sq ft (17' x 23'), Live room is 700sq ft (27'
x 26') with an Iso booth that measures 42sq ft The control
of studio A is spacious and can accommodate direct recording. Plus
the main room offers an Iso booth and large enough for several musicians
to play together. Phantom's studio B offers a 150 sq. ft space with tie and mic lines to studio A. It can be booked as stand alone ProTools editing suite or can double as an Iso booth when booking the main room. "We're
not competing with the major studios of the world. It is a medium
priced studio which has a good size control room, a great live room
and also enough hang out space to relax, eat and get away from the
work areas," says Phillips.
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Simon Phillips has engineered the last 2 Toto records and mixed a DVD for the band at Phantom. He also recorded and mixed Derek Sherinian and recorded drums for the new Joe Satriani and Stanley Clarke albums at Phantom Recording. The main room of studio A is suitable for every stage of making a record. Simon will also be mixing some surround material at Phantom Recordings. The studio is set-up for surround utilizes 5 Genelec 1031As, an M & K sub and M & K bass management. "My concept for monitoring was to have a pair of speakers which were compatible to a mastering room's speakers - hence the choice of the 801s. They may not be so good for one's ego but you certainly know what is being recorded. Material I have taken out of the studio translates well on other systems," says Phillips.
According to
Phillips who's particular about getting good drum sound, the room
is not the livest room but it handles volume well and has a pleasing
natural sound. "I use some interesting compression on ambience
mics to create a bigger space. All my mics are new apart from some
old AKG D12s. As much as I love old vintage gear I am really into
the new "retro" stuff as they are consistent and more
cost effective to repair and maintain. I have some lovely Røde
tube mics, a Royer R121 ribbon and quite a few Shure condenser mics,"
says Phillips. You ask what type of service one can expect when booking Phantom? Simon says: "We offer a professional atmosphere with old fashioned studio etiquette. I am passing on the lessons learnt by myself working in many studios in the 70's in London to my assistant - lots of English tea and biscuits!!!"
Gear wise, the room offers a well-propotioned mix of outboard and mics including a good selection of different mic pres like Neve, API and Focusrtie to suit different instruments. Steve
Macmillan is mixing the tracks on Toto's new album, "Falling
In Between." Fans around the world can expect a February 2006
release from Frontiers Records .
visit Phantom
Recordings: Bookings Contact:
studioexpresso
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