Indiana’s Sweetwater Studios upgrades with API

Sweetwater Studios in Fort Wayne, Indiana has overhauled its set-up with an array of API gear.

A commercial studio for Grammy award-winning artists, independent singer-songwriters and musicians from various genres, Sweetwater has provided complete production services for over 35 years.

The studio decided to make the upgrade in an effort to offer a warm, classic sound for its high-profile clients, which include Ricky Martin and Garth Brooks.

Each piece that was added to the gear list, including 527 compressors, 512c discrete mic/line preamps and a 525 compressor, was handpicked based on the engineering team’s previous experience with the products.

“Our award-winning production team is one of the most experienced and diverse in the business,” said Mark Hornsby, director of music production and artist relations at Sweetwater Studios. “These are pieces that team members, including myself, have been using for years – be it through rentals, borrowing, or units we had in our personal production rooms.”

Hornsby couldn’t be happier with his purchase. “The gear is versatile, it sounds great and it’s easy to use. It sounds perfect as soon as you plug it in. There’s not a whole bunch of knobs and features that only work well on certain things.”

The studio is now able to offer a 2500 bus compressor as well. “The 2500 has been a favourite of mine for years. It’s typically a go-to for me on the drum bus, or sometimes part of the two mix processing chain. It sounds warm, punchy, and you can hit it really hard, which is great for rock or a more aggressive piece of material,” Hornsby continued.

“I also really like the 550As on electric guitars. Something as simple as just flipping the filter (FLTR) switch can quickly help carve through a mix. I know the word ‘classic’ gets thrown around a lot these days, but I think API is one company that consistently captures that ‘classic’ vibe in all the tools that they make.”

The new modules will be used for a variety of upcoming productions, including an EP for independent Nashville artist Abby Lane and a new album for veteran guitarist Carl Verheyen.

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