Precision Sound Studios wired with Sommer Cable

Engineer/producer Alex Sterling, owner of Precision Sound Studios on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, recently hired the Malvicino Design Group to totally upgrade his facility with a new console, film screens and an elaborate new patchbay and cabling system from Sommer Cable.

Sterling explained, "I’ve always wanted to create a working space for music production that has the comfort of a person’s home or living room but with the technical and professional capabilities of a larger commercial facility. I provide a full range of engineering and production services at my studio, focusing on vocal and instrumental overdubs, music production, editing, mixing, and mastering."

Sterling chose a 48-channel SSL Duality console for his new Control Room A. As a result, the renovation called for uniquely complex cable connectivity.

Studio designer Horacio Malvicino decided to use the Sommer MC-Mistral analogue/digital combo cable for the Precision project. The wire pairs of Sommer’s Mistral cable have a pre-twisted drain wire and another shielding made of AL/PT compound foil. For added protection against corrosion and oxidation, both the conductors and the drain wire are tinned.

"Alex has a lot of equipment that requires a lot of both analog and digital wiring," explained studio designer Horacio Malvicino. "In the past we used separate cables for analog audio and AES/EBU digital gear, but Sommer’s Mistral cable serves both purposes. We wired the whole studio with just this cable, which made our job a lot easier.

“Wiring the Precision Sound Studio was quite a challenge, because we not only did the patchbays; we also did the complete on-site installation of the console and outboard gear,” he continued.

"We specialise in audiophile-quality acoustic music recording and mixing, using minimalist mic techniques to make hyper-realistic recordings. I want the listener to be transported into the music. I also do a substantial amount of work in pop, electronic, and hip-hop,” added Sterling. “The sound quality and high frequency clarity of the Sommer cable adds to my work in these areas as well. Transient detail and impact are preserved even with long cable runs and complex outboard gear patching needs."

Bending the twenty-four pair snakes at multiple 90-degree turns in the cable troughs at Precision could have resulted in conductivity issues. "Another thing I really like about Sommer cable is that it bends really well," noted Malvicino. "The cable performed superbly and if you look at the many angled turns they’re very nice and neat, and everything’s lined up. It was a perfect installation. To me, this was a big test, because it was the first Duality installation where we did everything completely by ourselves with Sommer cable."

"Horacio’s work is truly excellent and he has a very thorough attention to detail," Sterling concluded. "I was very impressed by the level of care and precision he takes to design and assemble his cable assemblies and patchbays and it has become clear that Sommer cable was a great choice for my studio through its flawless function, reliability, and clear detailed sound quality. As a creative business owner I rely on my tools to serve my clients needs and long term reliability and robustness is very important to me."

http://www.sommercable.com/