Rarefied Recording Full Studio Tour

SEE THE UPDATED VERSION OF THIS VIDEO HERE:
• Rarefied Recording - F...
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An extensive tour of Rarefied Recording. Includes details of the studio design and all of the gear/instruments.
Note: This video is accurate as of 8/20/2016. Availability of gear and instruments is subject to change at any time.

[@aldrian2381]

when im grown up im going to build my own studio...my dream is to be a Composer!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hey Aldy, a worthy dream and goal! Build your equipment up slowly and save (save, save!) and plan for your studio build out one day. You must be patient, but if you really want it, you can do it. Best of luck!

[@rot_studios]

Same here! Though, it probably won't be as big as this one hehe

[@RarefiedRecording]

I don't want to divulge a specific number, but it's less than that.

[@stpworld]

Hey is there anyway to check if youve got a lost recording of something that was not released to the public?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Well, I'm getting a new board soon. After that it will probably be in that range! Stay tuned...

[@spike3505]

Thanks for the tour. You have a wonderful working space and facilities, i love the way you've utilised the hard and not so hard panels in the live room. I love the way that the control room has been laid out, clean lines with no clutter, a place for everything and everything in its place. You must have your new board in by now, have you done a video yet to show it off? Thanks again for taking the time to give us all the guided tour.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, Steve! Yeah, I definitely adhere to the "a place for everything and everything in its place" idea! I do have the new board and I filmed an update to the tour as well as a more detailed video about the board itself, but it's being edited. Hopefully I'll have something to share in the next couple weeks.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hey Steve, check this link for an update video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppfOfaB3pdJkoLc

[@ArthurStone]

Great tour; thank you. Really nice studio and gear. Congratulations : -)

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, Arthur!

[@VintageTexas59]

Very nice studio and gear, impressive !

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you!!!

[@VintageTexas59]

You welcome, good luck with future recordings.

[@rot_studios]

"voice of god" haha, some of these companies really have fun naming their products

[@RarefiedRecording]

haha, yep. I think there are stranger examples out there even.

[@BlackenedNL]

You must be religious

[@bb-of3qz]

Impressive.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks! Glad you like what you see.

[@studiofusionmoranhat8364]

first of all congratz for having such a wonderful studio. can u suggest one thing..i hav a RME fireface 802 which have 4 mic pre. but i need more 4 pre to record vocals and drums..which brand and model will be better ? thank you

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you, Rajiv! My recommendation for you would be the API 3124+, but get the new version that has the output attenuators on it. You really can't go wrong with the sound of API mic pre's. They sound modern and classic at the same time and they are definitely great on vocals and drums. Best of luck!

[@studiofusionmoranhat8364]

thank you so much for your suggestion

[@zacharyseabolt4434]

You guys should make shirts "if you need a banjo we got that too"

[@RarefiedRecording]

haha... I really should just make some Rarefied Recording t-shirts period.

[@highsierrabassplayer]

I so agree! How bout t-shirts with your incredible bays and respective gear! I'd buy!

[@RarefiedRecording]

I'm thinking to start with the logo, but yeah... maybe!!!

[@divinodayacap3313]

wahahahaha

[@briansnc2008]

Props on all the gear but there was a long time in music where none of that was around and great recordings were made. Sometimes letting people “play” and not tweak everything is the way to go

[@RarefiedRecording]

Certainly! Just because the gear is there doesn't mean it has to be used. I'm not tweaking just to tweak on stuff. If I'm using a piece of gear it's to achieve a desired result or effect. But some projects are just better to be kept straight-ahead and simple. Thanks for watching!

[@Only1Science]

One of the best studio tours I've ever seen. Detailed, simple and to the point. Thanks!

[@RarefiedRecording]

MixedByScience thank you for watching! Make sure you check the updated video tour.

[@mamojula]

Wow, you have a great studio, but even more impressive is the fabulous collection of instruments and other equipment. You for shure know what's it's all about! Greetings from The Netherlands!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you! Yeah, I think as a studio it really makes sense to have some cool instruments that most people don't have. It inspires creativity. Thanks again!

[@EvLoutonian]

Wow. Very impressive stuff, and nicely presented. Good work chaps. (:

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you so much!

[@Pentoute45]

Definitely a great place with great audio gears. Tho, being a drummer, I was a little left with my thirst regarding the studio's drum gears. Ok, there's one kit in the mic closet and... ....that's it Not even a little Ludwig Supraphonic snare hidden somewhere ? Oh I got it, the drum topic was mistakenly removed during the video editing phase. All good then, show us what you've got in another video !

[@RarefiedRecording]

Sorry man... we just don't have a lot of room for drum stuff. I would love one or two more snares, if I can figure out where to stash them.

[@voborny]

YOU HAVE A DOPE SETUP. I hope I can create something half as dope. Thanks for the vid 🤘

[@djvartan]

Really surprised to see the Toft board and im not saying that in a negative way.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Haha... yeah, the Toft was one of those calculations at the time where it was like, "where do I put my money right now? Into the studio build out or a console?" I figured the studio build out only happens once and you want it to be as good as it can be, while you can always upgrade your console later. So I got the Toft and it's been good. I actually had a 16 channel version in my bedroom studio I used to work out of, so I was very familiar with it. All this said, I'm nearing the point where an upgrade is needed. I like the Toft quite a bit, but for a commercial studio it has one major drawback- ease of maintenance. It's not really built for easy maintenance so it's a real pain when I have to get in there and clean some pots or swap in a new card or something. It amounts to a lot of downtime and lot of my time and energy just to do something simple. Anyhow... stay tuned to the KZbin channel for an eventual announcement of the new console. I haven't quite made up my mind yet, so I'm not spilling any beans yet... Thanks again!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Check the updated video for a look at the new console! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppfOfaB3pdJkoLc

[@AquashiiMusic]

Dream Studio! Thank you for sharing all this. I love the mid speakers that move up and down... brilliant solution!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Aquashii Beatz thank you! It is a dream come true for me. Yeah those Sound Anchor motorized speakers are a trip and very handy.

[@greengo9]

Wow. Impressive!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you, sir!

[@3star2nr]

Hammond B series, fender Rhodes, Wurlitzer and referenced King Tubby... You're a hard core dub and reggae guy aren't u lol Dont hide it the melodica was a dead give away haha

[@RarefiedRecording]

3star2nr definitely an influence! I think he also was a big influence on other engineers that I’ve been influenced by. So it just carries down the line.

[@mbukademagezi4357]

Money money money !!!! That's a dream studio thanks for sharing!!!!

[@RarefiedRecording]

mbukade magezi thanks, man. Dreams sometimes do come true!

[@veryveryold]

Man, you are living my dream. Thanks for the tour, the place looks amazing! Naturally, I have some questions. How long did it take to put together? And how big is your team? You're clearly doing amazing work, thank you! :)

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hi Eric, Thanks for watching and for the kind words. The studio was a 3 year process. 2 years were spent in the design, permitting, planning stage. 1 year was spent in the construction phase. So as you can tell, quite a process. The "team" is really just me. I'm the sole owner and I take care of everything from cleaning toilets, gear maintenance, promotions, accounting, scheduling, you name it! This is one of the ways that I keep the overhead low and the hourly rate affordable for the average musician. Now, what makes the business work so well is that I am a big supporter of the freelance engineering community. So there are well over a dozen different engineers that book time at the studio. They are completely independent, bringing in projects they find on their own (mostly) and charging whatever they want for their fee. I have a very affordable "freelance" rate for renting to these engineers. Sometimes, when I'm not available or don't feel like I could do a project justice, I will hook up an engineer with a project that initially came to me (the studio). Otherwise, I'm the house engineer and take on clients who approach the studio directly. Always happy to answer other questions if you have them. Keep the dream alive! Roy

[@experiment0003]

Folks have been making pultec clones for over a decade! Nothing new!! That Ampex preamp is KRAY!

[@RarefiedRecording]

True, but none have taken it to the extremes that Steve Jackson has. From the pulsetechniques.com website, "In early 2000, when first considering a recreation of the Pultec design, Ph.D. Electrical Engineer and Materials Scientist Steve Jackson committed to faithfully recreate Eugene Shenk’s original Pultec with no compromise or “enhancement” of the original design. When it was impossible to source an original component, Steve painstakingly and meticulously conducted electrical, mechanical and chemical characterizations to precisely determine the original component’s specifications to build custom replacements." The Ampex pre-amp is definitely very cool. Also nothing new, though! People have been converting the 350/351's and 600/601's into mic-pre's for awhile. Thanks for watching! Roy

[@gtamaster989]

Have you recorded LPSD, back at ya with the realness?

[@RarefiedRecording]

gta master 9 I don’t know what/who that is... so... no?

[@olafwagner]

All of that awesome gear.... and a set of 'cellphone speakers' (at 2:45) to monitor the mix on - oh my, what an age we live in.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Olaf Wagner haha I know. It’s sad...

[@brianlee5455]

Can I bring my 63 strat and just move in and live in the corner? I can be a live in watch dog! I can't promise I won't record at night though! I'll bring a cot!

[@RarefiedRecording]

You're killing me! :-)

[@danielfernandezmontes4875]

What a pice of art you have there, It´s a super well designed studio, bravo!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, David! I appreciate it!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hey All, I've finally updated this video tour with a new version that includes the new console at Rarefied, a Neve Genesys! Check it out here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppfOfaB3pdJkoLc

[@tanner-rh6oo]

what, no tascam portastudio?

[@RarefiedRecording]

That's what I started on! I actually do have one still , but I lent it out.

[@13exousia]

Could you send me a list of the equipment that you have? The new stuff is nice but the old analog equipment is a good add to my studio. I have not built a studio before but I have played with some of the equipment before. I have some friends that have worked with other studios before and we decided to work together.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Everything I currently have is at www.rarefiedrecording.com. Check the gear page.

[@brianlee5455]

The outboard gear was enough to melt my face. Then you kept going and eventually got to the mics. Liquid face!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Haha... and that was just a small sampling of the mics. Thanks, Brian!

[@aarona.dubzperson8245]

Have you ever heard of chaining an LA3a behind an 1176, or is it just LA2a they chain?

[@RarefiedRecording]

I know people who chain compressors like that together, yes. Over here I've seen a lot of the Skibbe (LA2A) going into the Distressor.

[@nguoichitrich6927]

I have a question? Totally how much costs for your equipment studio

[@RarefiedRecording]

Jason Johannesburg Let’s just say a lot! I’m not going to divulge an exact number...

[@oceananalog]

Cool studio, great gear! Only thing i'm not feeling is the console. Mic pre's are really crappy on that board. Also ribbon cable hell if you ever have to work on it. Put an API or something in there and your the man!!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks! Stay tuned for news on that!!!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Check out the updated video to see our new Neve Genesys console! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppfOfaB3pdJkoLc

[@MatthewNash92]

where can i learn about where the cables and leads get connected ?? thanks!

[@RarefiedRecording]

get born can you be more specific please? Are you wanting to know more about how to make your own cables? Or how patchbays work and how you might go about setting one up? Or something else?

[@MatthewNash92]

hi, i was just curious about basic inputs such as guitars etc . are they going into a big interface ?? or is the interface part of the mixer ?? and then all these effects are post or pre mixer ?? im a bit of a noob in this area

[@RarefiedRecording]

get born ok a lot to explain here. My interface is separate from the mixer. I have two Apogee AD16-X’s and two DA16-X’s hooked up to my computer via their Symphony system. So that’s that. Signal flow is generally like this: the mic is connected to what’s called a mic tie line which is simply a bank of xlr ports in the live room to connect up to. Those mic tie lines appear at the patchbay and are full normalled to the mic pre amp inputs of the console which are also wired to the patchbays. You can always patch to an external pre if you want. But if using the board pre’s it goes through there and then optionally you can patch rack gear in via an insert. Each channel has two inserts and both are on the patchbays. This is usually configured in a way that it’s pre conversion, meaning the outboard effects are applied to the recording. You can reconfigure so that it’s post recording, though. After the optional inserts (and board eq!) the signal comes out of the direct out of the mixing board, goes to the patchbay and is half normalled to the converter input which has also been brought to the patchbays. So it goes into the DAW and then to hear it back you assign it to some converter output which goes to the patchbay and is half normalled to the DAW return inputs of the mixing board which have also been brought to the patchbays. That signal, by default, goes to a fader on the board so you just raise up the fader and you can hear the signal that’s been recorded. You can also then send that signal to the headphone system via an aux send which have been brought to the patchbays and half normalled to the inputs of the headphone unit. So it’s pretty slick cause if you’re using the board pre and no outboard gear you don’t even have to make a single patch and you can get signal into the DAW, out of the DAW, and to the headphone system. Guitars, if recorded direct, can be plugged into a DI and then to a mic tie line and then treated just like a mic. Or you can go into any external pre that has a 1/4” input and then patch that to a line in on the board or just directly to the converters. Same for bass or keys direct. Where do you learn this stuff? I don’t have a specific reference, but I’m always willing to do 1 on 1 instruction via Skype or in person if you’re interested (for a fee, of course). Me and another engineer also put on a 3 day workshop from time to time so let me know if you’re interested in that. Thanks!

[@vib_di]

wow. I think that this guy had done a PHD in acoustics. After doing so much research work, he is claiming the room with reflective surfaces as "Reflection Free Zone". Maybe he is reflection blind/deaf. LOL

[@RarefiedRecording]

wow... LOL... a quick google search will show you that Reflection Free Zone is a common term to describe a particular type of control room design. You're right, no room can be truly reflection free. The closest would be an anechoic chamber. But the idea here is that in a certain spot in the control room, reflections are minimized so you can hear the sound of the speakers with little room influence. I have studied acoustics a little as part of my degree in Audio Engineering from the University of Miami. I am no PhD. But neither did I design my room. It was designed by Wes Lachot. Check out www.weslachot.com. RFZ control room design is common to his rooms. It's certainly not the only way control rooms are designed and some people much prefer other ways of doing it, but it is legit and does give you a much more accurate listening experience in the sweet spot (the Zone in RFZ). Anyhow, thanks for watching. I hope my comment was useful to you. Roy

[@vib_di]

@@RarefiedRecording All the best with your projects in " MINIMUM REFLECTION ZONE" I think your sweet sopt will help with the reflections captured by the microphones.Common sens is the GURU of all. Sabins and Helmholtz even used that. Great design and Great STUDIO.☺ Also, a quick google search will show you that, Any smooth surface like console and wall mount loudspeakers which is less than 3Mtr of distance from loudspeaker and wall will induce reflections that will finally result in Combfiltering. Reference Floyed E Toole and Sean Olive.

[@officialWWM]

Ok, those motorised speakers are pretty awesome!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Haha yes indeed! Sound Anchors. Thanks for watching!

[@officialWWM]

Rarefied Recording that's an outstanding facility you have there. I would love to record in that place!

[@RarefiedRecording]

@@officialWWM thank you! Maybe one day!

[@officialWWM]

@@RarefiedRecording Lol, I can dream...

[@mwdollar]

Nice to see someone else using the Toft ATB mixer...I really like mine for hybrid mixing.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Michael Dollar it was nice while I had it! Check the updated video. Ended up selling it and getting a Neve Genesys. The Toft is amazing for the money and I did some good work on it. The Genesys is a whole other level, though, of course. Not really fair to compare. Thanks for watching!

[@attaboakye6668]

I like that...I'm planning to get my own studio,,,,let ur shirt come out

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, Atta! Do it! If this is a commercial endeavor for you I recommend researching your local market to figure out what you can realistically charge and how you can create something different that will get people in the door. I will work on that shirt!!!

[@MdeezyisG]

what is the purpose of having multiple preamps and compressors? Does it ultra-compress the tone to make it extra buttery? Or does each have its own purpose? And if so, are they being used simultaneously or just in post? Great vid btw! Very jealous of your legendary gear and just studio overall!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Good question. Each pre-amp and compressor has its own tone. Any of them can be used on any source, but some seem to excel at certain things. They also can have certain characteristics that you may want (like smooth or aggressive). Some people do like to chain compressors together. They may use a "slow" compressor like the Skibbe Red Stripe (LA-2A copy) first and then a fast compressor like the Distressor second. That way you get something that really keeps the overall level consistent and doesn't let any stray transients by. It's also not uncommon to use a little compression while recording and then some more during mixing. A lot of times when you're recording you don't want to back yourself into a corner by using really heavy compression. Compression is hard to undo. Of course, there are times when you know you want to crush something so that's ok too. You just have to remember that you are committing to that sound. Going lighter on the compression on the way in gets things in the ball park of where you probably want them and lets you make the final call come mix time. Of course, there are some signals that really don't need any compression or maybe you just really want to hear the full dynamic range the instrument has to offer. It's really up the engineer. Pre-amps aren't usually chained together. You usually just pick one and go with it, but there are no rules and if you wanted to use one for a bit of gain and another for some more, I say go for it! Of course, the other reason to have multiple preamps and compressors is so you can record many things at once! But that goes without saying... Glad you liked the video!

[@ngocemnuyenthi9503]

Rarefied Recording

[@medabroud9855]

So much gear , how yoou make decisions and what you choice decision is baded on whene you have many peices of gear for the same fonction

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks for watching. It takes time to learn how one piece of gear sounds compared to another. But if you do this enough you start to get a sense of what each one excels at or which sound "hard" or "soft" or "punchy" or "warm" or "neutral" or "colored". It's hard to put words to these things. You can research each piece of gear and see what people have to say about it, but ultimately you just have to use it and experience it for yourself. And do that over and over and over. It's a never ending education of the ear.

[@antigen4]

for others watching this and inspired to build their own studios - putting glass so close behind your loudspeakers is one of the WORST things you can ever do for your sound quality - use a video camera if you need to see into the next room. You should avoid having glass anywhere in a monitoring room ... just saying

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks for watching! I think all you're seeing in this video in this regard are those Avantone's that are in front of the glass. My main speakers where I do all my critical listening are soffit mounted so don't have any sort of back reflection. Soffit mounted is the best way to go, but most people won't be able to do it or do it right. Definitely work with a pro if you're going to. While glass behind your speakers isn't ideal, it certainly has been done in many studios (I'd say most!) and great records have still been made. A more common and probably worse thing you'll see are speakers on the meterbridge. This causes a strong reflection off the desk or console. My desk (including the updated Neve Genesys one) has a slanted top and I put my speakers on stands behind it. That's a much better way to go. But again, tons of great records have been made with speakers sitting on meter bridges. Engineers just adjust, ya know?

[@sushirollusa]

We have electric curtains .. But that does not stop u from making great records .. Done a few thousand records don't let the glass bother you . just use your ears especially if you great laminated glass antigen4 .super great studio and cool gear !

[@davidunruh9540]

I've got a Lomo product but had no idea they made mic's!

[@RarefiedRecording]

David Unruh yes they did! Not anymore, but for a time they made some really interesting mics. I know Steve Albini is a fan of them. I think now they are more of a camera company?

[@underpressureman]

just curious what made you choose theToft ATB Console other than the EQ? Also how often do you find yourself using the mic pre's in the Toft, or are you just mainly using it for its routing and EQ's?

[@RarefiedRecording]

James Cassidy so the Toft at this point has been sold. See my updated Studio Tour on KZbin. But at the time with the Toft I liked the routing, I liked the overall vibe with the Trident thing, and the price point was great. The mic pre’s didn’t get used much. They’re ok, but I felt I had better outboard ones.

[@underpressureman]

Right. Thats what I though! Ill check out the new one! Thanks for chattin!

[@derickmiller4224]

I do appreciate the video...but time has changed my brother, with modern technology all those racks aren't necessary anymore..with a good studio engineer and some inspired musicians the sky is the limit

[@RarefiedRecording]

Of course, my man. It's always been a) the song, b) the performance, c) an engineer good enough not to fuck up a and b. The rack gear are tools that I personally enjoy using and get the job done for the way I work. I use plug-ins too. Basically I see my approach as the best of both worlds. I use hardware and analog tools where they make sense to me and where I feel they have an advantage over plug-ins. I use plug-ins when I don't have hardware that can do the same job or if it just makes more sense in my workflow for that particular task. Certainly, the plug-in tools are orders of magnitude cheaper than the hardware and one can easily make a case that from a business or pocket book perspective it doesn't make sense to buy all this gear. I wouldn't necessarily recommend someone just starting out to pull out their credit card and fork over mega $$$ to acquire what I have. What I have was built up slowly over time and paid for in cash when I had it. Not everyone is so fortunate, but not everyone busted their ass as an electrical engineer for a big tech company for 14 years either! Personally, one other reason I prefer to buy hardware when I can is that it actually has resale value. If I decide I don't like something or it just isn't getting used for some reason I can sell it and get something else. Not the case with plug-ins... I'm also in a position here of trying to attract musicians and engineers to my studio and just having a computer, some speakers, and a bunch of plug-ins isn't going to cut it in my opinion. If that's what anyone can have at their home studio it diminishes the attractiveness of coming to a professional spot if that's all I have too. If a plug-in gives you 90 something percent of the sound a piece a gear offers, I'd rather be able to offer the real thing with no excuses. I'm not sure what to say other than this approach has worked for me. In the end, these things are just tools to get the job done. Some of my tools might be considered “old fashioned” by some. To me they are exactly what I want and what I know. This is a personal choice that every engineer must come to on their own. Thanks for watching!

[@3star2nr]

That's not true. Plugins are great but they aren't a replacement for the analog gear... Not by a long shot. Especially for mic pres and doing mastering. The analog gear can really make a track sparkle.

[@RANGDAP]

Beautiful studio. Thanks for the tour

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you very much!

[@521Life]

Very Nice Studio indeed. I've actually been considering the Toft. It was the most noticeable piece in the studio to me. :0

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you! For the money, the Toft cannot be beat. It's in a custom desk at Rarefied, so it might look a little different than most. I'm actually planning to upgrade to something else, mainly because the Toft is hard to maintain since you can't easily just take a channel out. For a non-commercial studio that isn't so concerned about down time, I would definitely recommend the Toft, though.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Check out the updated video for a look at the new console! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ppfOfaB3pdJkoLc

[@RiotHomeRecording]

Great set up and awesome room, that tape machine sounds like it needs and alignment you can hear the metal flange hitting the tape on cycle. If this studio was close I could calibrate and set it up to run like butter.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Steve Antoniazzi thanks! I had a local tech help me align that better so all is good. The machine is working fairly well, but there’s always something that could be improved...

[@clearthought9736]

Does anyone know what the iPhone reference speakers are called? @ 2:47 thanks!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Those were actually custom little boxes that I no longer use now, but at the time I had acquired them via my work at Qualcomm, Inc.. I used to be an Audio Systems Engineer there and helped develop audio chips for cellular phones. One of my projects was the tiny speaker amps that drove the small speakers on phones so we were often making little speaker boxes like these for test purposes. Sadly, driving these small speakers is tricky as you really need the right type of super low wattage amplifier and some sophisticated software to get the volume up without destroying the speaker itself. So when I did have these in the studio, I had to run them very quietly to avoid breaking them and it just wasn't really practical.

[@MystiK570]

Hey man, Not to be a pest or anything but I've been trying to find the motor monitor stands for the longest time ever since I seen Bob Horn use his. Would you be kind enough to tell me where you got them so I can head over there to pick up a pair? Thanks in advance. Amazing studio by the way!

[@RarefiedRecording]

I thought I replied to this already, but maybe I didn't... You're looking for this: soundanchors.com/ And thanks!

[@Djnitrane]

Such a cool setup. What are those tiny tiny mobile speakers you had in what looked like glass squares? Those are pretty cool. And would really make mixing and translation a breeze.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hey there. Thank you! I got those when I used to work on cell phone audio. I was an "audio systems engineer" and helped develop the audio portions of mobile phone chipsets used by many of the major players in the industry. They are custom speaker boxes with some typical speakers you would find in cell phones. The boxes are actually a lot bigger than the real back volume that the speaker sees. Most of it is filled in plastic. There's actually only 1cc of back volume per speaker, which is a typical amount used in cell phones. I drive the speakers with a little Class-D amplifier that would also be used in cell phones. The only problem is that I have to pad down the output of the mixing board a lot because the amp runs off of 5V and will actually break if I present a voltage to its input much above that. So I'm not able to get them very loud, unfortunately, but they are still pretty cool for checking how things translate down to that level. All this to say... you can't buy them in stores. Someone should really make some, though!

[@Djnitrane]

Very cool. If I manage to manufacture them. I'll send you a new pair to use :)))) Got a few geeky electronics friends.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, man. The speakers themselves are fine. The issue is that I wanted to use one of these little Class-D amps like they use in the cell phone world and they can't take an input much greater than 5V peak voltage without breaking. Since Pro Audio stuff can go to like 30 something volts I played it safe and padded down the output of my mixer output to make sure the amp never see's more than 5V. Unless you're playing out a slamming mix, it tends to be pretty quiet because of that. To protect the speaker itself, I also put in a fixed high pass filter around 800Hz. Little speakers like these can break if driven with too much bass. That's not actually a "state of the art" way to deal with that issue. The new way to do it is to use an algorithm that selectively removes low frequency content that would potentially break the speaker. When I worked in the industry that was the latest thing and took a lot of research and time to implement correctly. Each speaker requires particular tuning of the algorithm because each has its own characteristics. The industry was also moving to higher voltage speaker amps when I left. It was topping out around 10V. It may be even higher now... who knows. So a better solution, if I could get my hands on it, would be an amplifier that runs off a higher voltage and includes one of these "speaker protection" algorithms inside. There are eval boards for something like this, but last time I looked into it using one would require a USB port to program the chip. So it was just too complicated to implement in a studio environment like mine. Anyhow, probably too much information, but if given a chance it's fun for me to get all enginerdy. :-)

[@chuckjuice1317]

Love love love your studio, the full bath is nice touch.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Chuck Juice thank you! Haha yes. A sweaty drummer or two has certainly agreed. Pre-Covid the whole lounge space made for a good overnight crash pad for a visiting solo artist or engineer as well.

[@joshj392]

good Lord... those Dynaudio speakers alone are $30,000....

[@RarefiedRecording]

Joshua Jesse I was lucky enough to get them for half that! Mine are the last few M3A’s they made before they changed the design and doubled the price.

[@Fix_My_Mix]

Are those cellphone speakers custom?! If not, where can I get a pair!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hi John. They are custom, yes. I wouldn't be able to make another pair for you. I also have them driven by a little 5V Class-D amplifier similar to what is found inside a cell phone. I used to work in that industry so I know quite a bit about it.

[@HiredGoonage]

So is the recording business a profitable business in 2018?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hired Goonage yes! But you have to be smart about it. A low overhead is necessary in my opinion.

[@rafaelcarmany463]

I watched part of this Tour and then watched your updated "Genesys Tour". You seem like a great guy. Very detailed and interesting. I can see that you put a huge amount of thought into all of your equipment appointments, instruments, and room designs. You are like a really big studio in a compact package! A Mini-Record Plant! I've worked Big Rooms since 1972 - NYC to California and a lot of places in between. Neves, Harrisons, MCI Consoles, Studer, Ampex, MCI Tape machines, Radar, ProTools, Digital Performer, Symphony Orchestras (many, many concerts), Rok N Roll, Jazz, Country, Big Band, Gospel Choirs, Classical Choirs, Spoken Word, Forensics for the FBI (Really). And I really dig what you have going on there. Thoughtful. If I need a place to record in SD, I'll look you up! Congratulations and the best to you!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Rafael Carmany thank you so much. That means a lot coming from someone that has been around the block. I would certainly welcome you here as a guest engineer once all this virus stuff blows over. Take care and thanks for watching! Roy

[@lml1501]

Wow. . .How do you wire the patch bay to all the units behind the mixing position. How does it not pick up interference or lose signal quality

[@RarefiedRecording]

lml1501 first of all thanks for watching! Well, it helps to work with a professional wiring guy. I worked with Thom Canova who wires up most Wes Lachot studios. Good quality cable is of course, important. At Rarefied it’s a mixture of Gepco and Canare (and Mogami for patch cables and mic cables). They need to be terminated properly too. The patchbay side is DB25 with metal hoods. The equipment sides vary between XLR and TRS. Neutrik connectors were used. All audio cables from console to the credenza are run in dedicated conduits integrated into the concrete slab. We keep power and digital lines out of the analog conduits to be safe. When this is all done carefully and properly there is minimal to no degradation to signal integrity. It helps that basically every signal run is a balanced line, of course. Balanced signals are very good at rejecting noise pickup.

[@lml1501]

Thanks you for this. What an eye opener. . . The process of professional wiring , is not to be taken for granted. .

[@RarefiedRecording]

lml1501 no prob! Yeah, definitely not an area to skimp on!

[@myrio1]

My question is when your tayloring a sound for someone how do you keep from getting lost in all the choices?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Danny Cuevas haha good question. Over time as you learn the sound of each piece and experience what unit is good for what instrument or type of sound you’re after it becomes easier to narrow down the choices. But it can be fun to try something you’ve never done before just to see and keep it interesting. Another tip when you’re tracking is to use a “track sheet” which is basically a single piece of paper where you write down the source (instrument), mic or DI used, mic tie line you’ve plugged into, mic pre used, any outboard gear used, converter channel, and headphone send. This makes it much easier to keep track of things during the session.

[@myrio1]

Thanks!

[@hartleygabolinscy3152]

WOW !!! Still looking but full blessings for a hell of a great tour and explaination of the gear. Thank you for going through every musicians ...what is that? moment. Fantastic. BEST WISHES. 👍👍👍🎙🎙🎙👍👍👍

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks! Glad I could provide some insight.

[@distortionclubla]

excellent excellent vid.. thx for ur time, energy, and effort ...

[@RarefiedRecording]

Distortion Club LA thank you for watching!

[@MrTacoToy]

I'm a good musician and I have a good ear for mixing but I have almost no experience. I recorded and mixed two albums of 14 songs with a friend and I was able to make them sound pretty good, but I only really utilized equalizing and reverb, hardly any compression or limitation or anything. And anything I used was purely digital, through Cubase 9.5. The combination of the art and the technicality of mixing really intrigues me and I'm not familiar with some of the things and concepts he mentioned in this video. Any advice on how to learn more and dive deeper into mixing?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Jonah Nelson , thanks for watching! Mixing is a complicated subject and the best thing to do is practice. There should be some stems out there that you can download and practice with. Reading books like Mixerman’s Zen and the Art of Mixing or Bobby Owsinksi’s Mixing Engineer’s Handbook may give you some ideas to try out. Good luck!

[@JewelzFin]

What part of SD is this located in? I lived there for 8 years while working in a well known, yet smaller studio. I will be coming back to do some tracking at that studio, but am looking for one in SD to do my mixing due to the acoustics of the other studio is not suitable for optimum mixing; great studio nonetheless. Thanks for the video!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hi Julian, You're most welcome! The studio is located in the North Park area. Hit me up via e-mail at [e-mail] for the full address. Rarefied would be an excellent place to mix! Thanks, Roy

[@SDH2023]

Nice. Thanks for the awesome tour.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Sixth Sanctum Media thank you and thanks for watching!

[@K0noz]

I've been building my own studio for the past 2 years. Your setup is basically what I am working towards.. So thanks for the tour, and giving me some renewed inspiration and energy to keep at it! Loving the Toft desk btw

[@RarefiedRecording]

Kevin De Cuyper thanks and good luck! Mine was a 3 year process. Only one of those years was construction, but yeah it takes awhile! If you like the Toft desk did you see the updated version of the tour with the Neve Genesys? I had a custom desk made for it as well.

[@franciskiniti9324]

I am lost of words, i believe that one day my bedroom studio will become big like yours...encouraged by your advice to slide85 and that's what i heeded. i will make it to your level one day

[@RarefiedRecording]

If there's a will, there's a way. What is this slide85 you mention, though? Best of luck!

[@DaveZoOm]

Just watched the video in full, thats a great setup you have there dude. Greetings from the UK :-)

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, Dave! High five from across the pond.

[@Mo-sk7xo]

from the ground up how much did it cost to build this studio?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Not gonna say specifically, but some other comments on here allude to a ballpark number...

[@mixc8]

Very nice hook up! I also own a Toft ATB 32. I am looking to upgrade my current studio setup to something similar to yours.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Cool. Yeah, great board for the money. I've since replaced it. Updated video coming soon. Good luck with your studio upgrade.

[@cardbored_]

Love to see all that killer outboard gear and then so many straight trash guitars.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Haha... well, it's a studio not a guitar store. That said, recently my Alvarez acoustic saved the day on a session where the guitarist's guitar just wasn't cutting it and my Kay classical absolutely floored me in the hands of a college student studying guitar. And people always want to take that P-bass home. It's really quite nice.

[@cardbored_]

Hah, sorry I just realized how dickish my comment came across. That bass is definitely nice, I was just a little surprised after seeing so much good gear to see some lower end guitars in comparison. But I'm also a guitar player, so there's that. Nice studio!

[@RarefiedRecording]

No worries! I do want to get some better guitars. Especially an acoustic. I am expecting a Gibson Les Paul to be coming my way soon too. On loan from a family member... Glad you like the studio, though, and thanks for watching!

[@WarrenBey]

Thousands of dollars in vintage compressors and EQ's. Couple hundred bucks in cheap guitars. LOL.

[@RarefiedRecording]

I assume you mean the acoustic guitars? Yeah, I know! :-p Trust me, I want at least one bad ass acoustic, but you know... my philosophy on spending money on the studio is to focus on the studio gear. Most musicians like and bring their own instrument.

[@bonwana2275]

Good on you for spending all that time to put this video together. I have learnt alot. Thankyou. How is business going?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you! Glad to hear it was educational. Business was quite good until the pandemic, of course. It looks like I'll be opening back up sometime in June 2020. Hopefully things will bounce back!

[@JamrockVybzTV]

Great tour.. 14:25 King Tubby is my mentor! 🤘

[@RarefiedRecording]

JamrockVybz TV nice! Thanks and thanks for watching!

[@underpressureman]

Also when you say that you like to go to the Burl converters of the board what do you mean? Just that you monitor the mix through it?

[@RarefiedRecording]

James Cassidy I use the Burl mainly for capturing the mix off the board. You can also track into Pro Tools with them. But yeah, when mixing I have the main output half normalled to the Burl and then I listen back through the last two outputs on my Apogee’s which feed the two track return. In this way as you mix you are always hearing any coloration due to the Burl. All your decisions are therefore filtered through that lens which means no bad surprises at then end. What you capture at the end of the day as your mix is exactly what you’ve been hearing all day long. I have a similar arrangement still with my new console.

[@underpressureman]

Sweet! That's awsome! Im basically trying to figure out which interface/Converters to get! So when using something like the burl or the Rosetta's do you just slave to an interface or are you actually linking to an external clock, or both?

[@RarefiedRecording]

James Cassidy I have the Burl clocked by the Apogee’s. You could also use an external clock for everything, but I never bothered to do that. The Apogee’s have a nice clock and it automatically changes with the Pro Tools session so it’s more fool proof than using an external clock. In case of a situation where you want to capture the mix at a different sampling rate than the Pro Tools session I also have a little two track flash memory recorder from Tascam. I’ve got one of the Burl’s digital outs feeding it. So in that case I set the Burl to internal clock and can use a different sampling rate than my Pro Tools session and just save the mix to the Tascam and transfer it later to my computer via an ftp web interface the Tascam has. Fairly slick, but rarely needed. Haha

[@underpressureman]

Oh, I see. I forgot the Apogee's had a clock, I dont know why I was thinking they were just converters! Whoa, that Tascam / Burl setup does sound slick lol. Honestly, I have a real passion for recording/mixing/mastering and feel I have a good ear and knack for it, but the biggest challenge Ive come across so far other than the music side of things, is all the options of workflow and the interconnectivity of everything! Im really at a roadblock deciding and more than that understanding all the ways to hook everything up and what to go with for converters/interface/patchbay's etc. I have a few in mind but still its confusing at the end of the day!

[@watsonvisuals5261]

Who made the pultec clone and the la-3a clone?

[@RarefiedRecording]

The Pultec is technically a re-issue as Steve Jackson, the designer, acquired the rights to the name. From the Pulse Techniques website: "In early 2000, when first considering a recreation of the Pultec design, Ph.D. Electrical Engineer and Materials Scientist Steve Jackson committed to faithfully recreate Eugene Shenk’s original Pultec with no compromise or “enhancement” of the original design. When it was impossible to source an original component, Steve painstakingly and meticulously conducted electrical, mechanical and chemical characterizations to precisely determine the original component’s specifications to build custom replacements. Thanks in part to numerous conversations with and guidance and encouragement from Eugene Shenk over the 10-year process, Steve finally achieved the goal of faithfully recreating one of the “Holy Grails” of professional recording equipment, the Pulse Techniques (Pultec) EQP-1A3 Program Equalizer. Steve’s determination and hard work have been rewarded through the acknowledgement by many of the major players in the recording industry that his products are indeed real Pultecs." The LA-3A is also not a clone. Universal Audio temporarily re-issued the LA-3A the mid 2000's. This is one of the re-issues.

[@watsonvisuals5261]

Rarefied Recording Excellent! Thank you for taking the time to answer. Love your videos.

[@bachelorgamer8001]

Whats the name of tgem cell phobe speaker's

[@RarefiedRecording]

Bachelor Gamer they aren’t a product for sale. It was a custom job made from a prior life working on cell phone audio technology. They’re not in my setup anymore. It was too hard to drive them with any appreciable volume without destroying the speakers. Actual cellphones use some advanced signal processing to control the low end and so forth to keep things loud but not damaging and I just had no way to do that...

[@ZipSnipe]

You really don't have enough compressors !!!

[@RarefiedRecording]

I know! Never enough!

[@ZipSnipe]

@@RarefiedRecording lol. I was really being sarcastic

[@RarefiedRecording]

@@ZipSnipe oh I’m dead serious! Haha!

[@Sasketchejuana_man]

Holy shit, I recently just saw that circuit board table (the one in the lounge) in a furniture/thrift store in Asheville, NC. Wonder if it was made by the same guy?

[@RarefiedRecording]

I actually saw one like mine in Chicago and then stole the idea and made one of my own much later. But it's the only one I ever made.

[@RarefiedRecording]

What strikes everyone about it (me as well), is how you can visualize the boards as a large city from the air. That idea had first been made to me in the film Koyaanisqatsi which has an awesome score by Philip Glass. That and many other interesting connections between man, nature, and technology are made in that film which has zero dialogue, just imagery and music. Check it out if you haven't. Definitely worth it.

[@Ssspaceform]

It's a hardware tour

[@fridafeline]

haha This guy is so awesome! "So, if you wanna give it a go, we have it - big smile" :D

[@RarefiedRecording]

Haha! Thanks Frida!

[@evatakagi3622]

how much does it cost you to build this ?!

[@RarefiedRecording]

I'm not going to divulge, but obviously it was quite a bit... :-) I will say it took me 10 years of working a corporate job as an electrical engineer and very diligently saving.

[@CarsonHoy]

Explain the cellphone speaker setup!!! I’m obsessed!!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Carson Hoy ok let me explain then! So before I built Rarefied and worked full time as a recording engineer I worked at a company called Qualcomm that designed chips primarily for cellphones. I was part of a team responsible for designing audio chips. So in that capacity I became very involved with cellphone speakers which are these little tiny things with limited bass and power handling. We used to build up little speaker boxes with popular speakers like this to test our amplifiers. They have a very specific sealed back volume of 1cc which at the time was a common requirement. Things may have changed now. To be honest, I decided to abandon these cellphone speakers in my studio setup and if you watch the updated video you’ll notice they aren’t mentioned. Why? It’s complicated but I’ll try to explain. Basically it came down to not having the ability to drive these speakers with enough volume. Just like with a real cellphone I was using some tiny Class-D amplifiers to drive these speakers. These are 5 volt devices and it’s important to limit the input signal to them to 5V max . This meant I had to pad down the output of the mixing board considerably before it hit the amps. The result of this was usually to make the level out of the speakers very low. In a real cellphone it’s normal to use compression and limiting to keep the signal relatively loud at all times. It also became common practice to employ algorithms that made sure the speakers were not damaged from over excursion of the diaphragm (due to too much low end) or from overheating of the voice coil (due to too much power driven for long periods). My setup was not sophisticated enough to incorporate these compressor /limiters and fancy algorithms that keep the speaker loud but safe. So in the end, although it was a good idea, in practice the speakers always played too quietly to be useful. Thanks again for watching!

[@thechannelitrollwith1645]

You got a huge collection of smart investments. I worked on the ATB at school; we learned the basics on it before we got to touch the 5088. Beautiful sounding EQ, and it made for a really great experience. Nice video, thanks for the in depth tour!

[@__Leon__]

my school is getting the atb 32 in two weeks, and i get to set it up :D

[@RarefiedRecording]

Well thanks! I did carefully consider every purchase. The ATB is definitely a great mixer to start on. I agree, the EQ is excellent. I have some very exciting news coming next year in the mixing board department. I can't wait to share it with you all!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Cool! Have fun! An important tip: Follow the guidelines in the Toft manual about only connecting the grounds at the mixing board side. Meaning, anything you will have connected to the Toft, needs to have its ground connection floating. Otherwise you get a hum as soon as you connect the gear to the Toft. I don't know why this is, but it's definitely true for most gear. Some things seem to be ok without lifting the ground.

[@VlogTito]

How much are recording sessions here?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hi Tito, I don't publish the rate, but send me an e-mail to [e-mail] to discuss.

[@PeterChunmusic]

Love the gear collection!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, Peter!

[@weltfremd]

i love the r880 the best reverb for kick

[@RarefiedRecording]

weltfremd you know you’re on to something there. I don’t put verb on kick drum very often, but I have a strong memory of one song in particular that I did and I used the R880 and it was glorious! Thanks for watching!

[@ferramirez4570]

best place i´ve ever seen!. how long have you been collecting all that gear?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, Fer! I got the recording bug when I was about 16 or 17 years old. That was 20 years ago! So I started collecting stuff then. I still have a few pieces from back at the beginning, like my Fender Strat and my Fender Bandmaster.

[@jrockexclusivez]

They must charge $200/hr

[@RarefiedRecording]

I wish! haha. It's quite affordable actually. I want to work with all types of musicians, not just the few that can afford that kind of rate.

[@xXxAmadeuzxXx]

this guy knows his stuff. Very detailed tour and one of the best studio tour in youtube. good job

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you, sir!

[@rahmund87]

Great video, man! I can't see Pro Tools interfaces, where did you hide them? Just curious)

[@RarefiedRecording]

There is an Apogee Symphony 64 PCIe card in the computer. That connects to the Apogee converters and serves as the interface.

[@RarefiedRecording]

And thank you!!!

[@rofascolas]

Why does your audio sounds weird?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Not sure what you mean... Someone else commented "Yay, a video about a recording studio that doesn't use the crappy built in camera mic!". We used an Audio Technica AT4050. A lapel mic probably would have been better, but I don't own one because this is a recording studio not a hotel conference room. haha! Maybe you just think my voice sounds weird. I agree. ;-)

[@evygil]

Thanks! let hear what something sounds like from the studio.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Evy thanks for watching. On my KZbin page there is a playlist of music videos that were recorded at Rarefied. Check them out!

[@prestige2000rider]

Nice studio man ! good work

[@RarefiedRecording]

Many thanks!

[@EwenBates]

Clean your kit! It's filthy.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Ewen Bates I know! Haha. Rest assured everything is much better now that I found someone to help me out with cleaning around the studio. It was really falling by the wayside. It’s hard when you wear all the hats to keep the overhead low and the rates affordable. But now I’m doing a trade with an engineer who doesn’t mind cleaning and things are much better kept. Thanks for watching!

[@EwenBates]

Good to hear! Geddit, hear?

[@redbird726]

I’m from Minnesota and when I bought my Great River preamp I was able to visit their lab. Just a small front office space and in the back was three rooms. One where a few people were hand wiring and soldering, another where they package and ship completed units, and the coolest one that was a very pristine lab with equipment that I couldn’t begin to guess what they did other than for testing and where the creation that amazing sound is engineered. Very warm and friendly people.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Supxhier that’s really cool. They make great products. I’ve since sold my NV2, but only because I now have a Neve console and it was too redundant to have that pre. See the updated studio tour for a look. I do however have their Harrison eq on loan from another engineer for now. Thanks for watching!

[@redbird726]

I get that, makes sense. And congrats on your new board! I’m in the studio in Colombia working on a project. Mauricio (oi recording) has nice outboard gear but dreams of a neve board. I was in SD last fall and loved it. Stayed in North Park. Maybe I’ll have a project at Rarefied someday. I can’t imagine needing anything you don’t have. Love the ability too for having some sunlight in the studio 🌞

[@RarefiedRecording]

Supxhier you’re welcome here! I’m right in North Park! Yeah I got pretty much everything you need. There’s actually some new stuff I need to do a video for. I’ll get to it at some point!

[@redbird726]

Fantastic! And what a great neighborhood. You just may hear from me. Looking forward to to the video. Thanks for the convo!

[@ryanguerra9316]

Never really understood why people go to or have really fancy $500000 studios. I mean they’re nice and all but my home studio costs no more than $10-15k and my music sounds just as good

[@RarefiedRecording]

Ryan Guerra good for you, man. Maybe it comes down to what you’re recording and the overall aims of your studio. Are you just recording vocals and maybe some instruments one at a time at your place? Rarefied is a commercial studio that caters to musicians, singers, and bands. When you’re recording a full band all together it’s great to have a lot of gear. I’m also available and very busy with guest engineers and to attract them I need something beyond the typical home studio setup. I don’t know what to tell you beyond saying that clearly people still see value in “expensive” studios. I’m not the only one around and I’m not the only one who is busy! Also you can’t discount the fact that people pay me for my experience as a recording engineer/mixer. I’d say that every single project I work on totals way way less than $10,000. So if you were a band looking for professional results and you had no experience recording and a limited budget what would you do? Probably go to a studio...

[@frankgerrits]

That's a very well thought through studio setup that you have there! Very nice!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks, Frank! I have to give a lot of credit to my studio designer, Wes Lachot. When you hire Wes, you get way more than an architect. He has so much experience with studios (he operates one himself, even) that he brings a ton to the table with respect to equipment, workflow, etc. You have to put your trust in someone when you venture down this path, and Wes has never let me down.

[@eguy2450]

Where is this studio located?

[@RarefiedRecording]

In the North Park area of San Diego, CA.

[@logansdrums]

just one of those speakers costs more than my whole bedroom studio lmao

[@RarefiedRecording]

Logan Newquist I know! It’s crazy. And those were actually a steal. The new version Dynaudio makes that replaced those are even more expensive!

[@malcolmpalm]

Thanks for the tour, great studio and gear. Thanks also for the tip on the Tonecraft DI !!

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thanks for watching, Malcolm! Yeah, no prob. Love that thing!

[@CrackaLackTV]

This is beautiful.

[@RarefiedRecording]

Why thanks!

[@torindavies1176]

Do you guys own your own label?

[@RarefiedRecording]

Hi Tiege, No, Rarefied Recording is not a label. Strictly studio over here. Thanks for watching!

[@HighFlown]

Amazing studio mannn

[@RarefiedRecording]

Thank you!!!