Lab Hardware

With the aid of the MB2 three-way passive monitoring system, our studio can hear all there is to hear from the original mix and all the subtle changes during the mastering process.

With the Unique McIntosh Autoformer transformer system, RSL has a signature method of driving our PMCs. Stay tuned. We are in the process of upgrading these to a fully custom amplifier system this year. 

Beyond the studio's Monitors and amplifiers, the next crucial step to a mastering studio's accuracy is incorporating the finest quality Monitor controller & transfer console. Regarding our Monitoring, we continue to spare no expense or cut corners. With the aid of the Maselec MTC-1x , we can fully isolate our I/O to hear between the lines and determine when the master is finished and ready to be delivered.

The focus and attention to our system's integrity begins and ends with our digital to analog & analog to digital conversion. Our goal isn't to flavor or color the sound in mastering but to represent it accurately and strengthen its ability to be heard and received.

We feel that the Cranesong Quantum lineup allows provides us the comprise free accuracy our client's content deserves

Regarding conversion in mastering, listening to all the stages simultaneously is crucial. With the aid of our quantum converters and the monitor controller flexibility of the Maselec Transfer Console, we can reference the incoming final mix signal, the analog return, and the Final hybrid digital final print, all within a switch of the onboard Maselec relay switches.

For a solid second opinion, RSL uses more converters than some may consider needed. However, it's far better to understand how the final mix and/or the final master will or would sound with different converters on our Transfer Console. We even have an additional complex hard-wired balanced system parallel to the transfer room we use to listen to the mixes and test masters using PMC Near Fields. That room is called the RSL Client Lounge 

These days we understand that digital software is available to mimic the Weiss digital hardware now authentically. We have the soft tube licenses for them. However, over the years of having both, there is nothing relatively as fast and agile as the real McCoy. Using the EQ-1 gives us an impeccable edge in surgical preparation and adjustment before and sometimes after the analog capture process depending on the source material. 

Eqs in the mastering process are rarely used to shape the signal's sound but instead to rebalance and optimize the already carefully crafted and cared-for final mix. That said, our mindset is only to use them lightly, if at all. When it comes to our client's material ranging in all types of genres from around the world, acoustic and or synthetic, we choose a precision EQ that is versatile and transparent while simultaneously providing the performance needed to bring the mix to life. There is no substitute for Maselec MEA-2 

With all the existing precision EQ tooling available, one might ask why the lab would consider integrating more. Well, we asked the same question of our studio for a few years, and it wasn't until we acquired the Gyraf Tilt Eq that we solved an essential mastering equation. The problem wasn't so much about frequency but more about consistency and efficiency. Unlike other BAX & all EQs, the Gyraff gives us unique versatility and texture to our clients, especially on a single basis and for album mastering. 

To quote Pete Lieman, "I don't really wanna let too many people know that I have these." These are my bread and butter. They are one of the most critical processors in my system. They are an essential aspect of any significant mixing or mastering studio. I strongly recommend Spectra 1964 to all my studio friends, clients, and colleagues. The V610s are specifically designed for mastering.

To people unfamiliar with Gyraf, this processor might be a mystery box capable of being a secret sauce. IMO, the Magneto represents the essential tool for finalizing the analog chain without affecting or disrupting time constraints. At first glance, this unit can be seen as a multiband clipper. However, with precision eq and dynamics, the magneto provides the cherry on top of each session. 

 Over the years, for whatever reason(s), music and post-sound continue to push the limits of loudness whether we like it or not. That said, no matter how loud or soft a song is desired, the last thing anyone wants a listener to do is to turn down your music because of listening fatigue or harm to their ears. This is where the Maselec MPL-2 saves the day. 

Much like the entire Maselec Line, the MLA-4 provides the lab with the flexibility and accuracy needed for many genres. My favorite use of this processor in many cases isn't as a compressor but more as a shelving eq and an opportunity to monitor the overall spectrum of a session in real-time. In many cases, with this processor and all the rest listed, I tend not to use them as signal processors but more as an opportunity to gain stage through their circuits without influencing much change to the signal. As a result, the signal improves as it is pushed through from one circuit to the next, regardless of whether it is digital, analog, or even a plugin. To quote Al Pacino, "It's a game of inches!"

What can I say about the Vacuvox U23m that I don't love? I can't think of anything. It's simply magic to the ears. And now, with the custom upgrade to the onboard dresser frequency selection and the low pass filter adjustment, The Vacuvox is the 21st Century Fairchild handmade and designed in Brussels. It provides more efficiency, a noise floor nearly undetectable to the human ear.  It has taken me years to scratch the surface of its wonder, and much like my full-range PMCs monitors, it will go to the grave with me.  

To be clear, this isn't for mastering but instead reserved for Signal processing work for my clients that need assistance with providing a signature flavor to their production tracks. This is a Fully restored and operated original Lexicon 244 Reverberator. It is the same model that Vangelis used to make the original Blade Runner. For the sake of music production, tracking, and mixing, I have always had a place in my heart for the original Lexicon 224. As soon as I understood the processor's significance in music and film sound, I have always wanted to acquire one and fully restore it to its glory and beyond. To the best of my knowledge, our is the only one that has been modded to efficiently run in (Silent Modee) using a custom cooling system; we can disengage our newly installed fan.