Max Gilkes upgrades to SADiE 6 and Prism Sound

Producer Max Gilkes has upgraded his Brighton-based mastering and post-production facility 1 Sonic by installing SADiE 6 software for mastering and a Prism Sound Orpheus FireWire audio interface.

“I was previously using Peak as a playlist editor and doing most other things on Pro Tools,” explained Gilkes, who founded 1 Sonic eight years ago. “But as it was time for an upgrade I decided to go with a company that I knew I could have a good working relationship with, and one that was also based in the UK.”

The facility itself is mainly used for mastering and mixing, but it also boasts a live room with eight tie lines that is large enough to record drums.

“The outboard in the studio is primarily for tracking, so there are some nice pre’s and compressors,” Gilkes said. “I also have a master section by Audient, PMC and Yamaha monitors, Pro Tools, various classic guitar and bass amps and a range of microphones.

“It’s always hard work making the transition from one system that you are particularly well versed with to a whole new environment, but SADiE 6 is very intuitive and easy to use. I’m really enjoying the facilities it provides. The editing facilities, in particular, are great and I like the PQ and DDP tools. However, the sound quality is the most outstanding feature and I am really impressed by that.”

Sound quality also played a part in Gilkes’ decision to buy a Prism Sound Orpheus FireWire audio interface.

“It was a no brainer, really,” he said. “The studio needed to make a significant step up in convertor quality and Orpheus delivered the transparency and clarity I was looking for, both as an A/D and a D/A converter. It has great sounding pre’s and I like the interface features for multi-tracking in Pro Tools.”

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