The Studio
About Wise Tree Studios
The main space at Wise Tree Studios is a combined control/live room offering unparalleled communication between the artist and the engineer/producer. This allows ideas to be captured quickly and developed on the fly when inspiration strikes. It is situated in a generously proportioned, high ceilinged room, that has been extensively treated to control both first reflections, and standing waves. The wooden floor and acoustic diffusors ensure a rich, natural tone for recording. A high spec Mac Mini with an i7 processor and 32gb of memory, running Pro Tools and Logic Pro X, lies at the heart of the studio. Audio is captured by 12 Class A discrete microphone preamps from Audient with AD conversion by Burr Brown and Cirrus Logic. A Behringer X32 Compact allows for hands on mixing in the box if required.
Studio Equipment
Preamps:
- Audient ASP880, Audient ID44, Behringer X32 Compact.
DAW:
Pro Tools 2020, Logic Pro X.
Monitoring:
Neumann KH120 monitors, Genelec 8010A monitors, mono active Avantone Mix Cube, AKG K702 headphones, Beyerdynamic DT770, Beyerdynamic DT150 headphones, Sennheiser HD215 headphones, AKG K52 headphones, Sonarworks Reference 4 (loudspeaker and headphone).
Microphones:
AKG D112 MKII, AKG D130 x2, AKG D5, Aston Origin, Aston Spirit, Audix i5, Beyerdynamic M88, Beyerdynamic M201, Beyerdynamic MC930 (Matched Pair), GPO Rotary Telephone Mic, Vintage Neumann U89 (1981), Realistic PZM boundary, Sennheiser e904 x2, Shure SM57, Shure SM58, Shure SM7B, Tin Can Mic, Warm Audio WA-84, and more.
Instruments
Guitars:
1962 Reissue Gretsch Duo Jet, 2007 Gibson Les Paul Standard, Tanglewood Superjumbo TW55-H (steel string), Takamine GD30CE 12 string acoustic, 1960s Terada C103N (nylon string), Yamaha BB614 (2000), Fender Squire Precision Bass (2006), Ibanez M510e-BS Mandolin.
Amps:
Roland JC-40, Blackstar HT5 amplifier, Orange PC112 1x12 closed back cabinet, Marshall MS-2 micro amp.
Keyboards:
Nord Electro 5d 61, 1909 overstrung Erard upright piano (French), JAS Musicals harmonium (steel reeds), Minimoog Model D Clone, Korg Volca FM, 1979 Casio VL- 1, Arturia Keystep controller & arpeggiator.
Drums and percussion:
Yamaha Snare, Mapex 14 inch floor tom, vintage glockenspiel with tube resonators (German - tuned to 440hz/concert pitch), various handheld percussion instruments.
Wind and strings:
Buffet E13 clarinet (with Vandoren ligature), Aulos alto recorder, Yamaha soprano recorder, violin, celtic harp.
Pedals, effects and other sounds:
Vintage Akai GXC 46D cassette deck, Moog Minifooger MF Drive, E-Bow, BOSS CE-5, EHX Superego, EHX Superpulsar, EHX Holy Grail Plus, EHX Germanium 4 Big Muff, EHX MicroPog, Digitech Whammy V, Digitech Pulsar Reverb, Digitech Hardwire Delay, Mooer Trelicotper Tremolo, TC Electronics Nova Delay, TC Electronics Flashback II, TC Electronics Tailspring Vibrato, TC Electronics Forcefield, Dunlop Slash Wah (with Fasel inductor), violin bow, slides, various handheld percussion.
Plugins from Brainworx, Soundtoys, Izotope, Waves, Eventide and Valhalla, Sonnox, Arturia and more.
From Paris, to London, to Liverpool
The full-size upright piano that we have at Wise Tree Studios lives in our second live room, a recording space with an exposed wooden floor and high ceilings, left untreated to make instruments sound as exciting as possible (although gobos can be placed to dampen the acoustic if desired). It has a full-bodied tone, not dissimilar to that of a baby grand, although still full of upright character. The instrument is tuned to concert pitch and maintained regularly (at a minimum of every six months, although a new tuning can be arranged on request before a session) to ensure it is always ready to make music.
The piano was made in 1909 by renowned French piano manufacturer Sebastian Erard (whose pianos were famously used by Chopin) at his Paris factory, before being sent to their London shop for sale. It features a superior over-strung/cross-strung design (an unusual feature for upright piano's of this period which tended to be straight strung) built on a cast iron frame, allowing the use of longer strings and optimised placement of the bridge. This gives the piano a richer tone, with better resonance, greater volume and more stable tuning compared to more commonplace straight strung Victorian and Edwardian pianos. The mahogany case is finished in a Chippendale style, and in a 1902 English catalogue, similar models were advertised for about 70 guineas.
My studio assistants
My current studio assistants are called Tarot (tabby ginger) and Henwen (tortoiseshell). You will see them sitting in on mixing sessions, and on hand during tracking sessions to relieve any performance nerves. They look forward to meeting you!
