LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – DECEMBER 2014: West London’s KORE Studios installed an API 1608 console this summer, and could not wait to let everyone know how excited they were about their new gear. Not only did KORE post videos and photos of the console almost as soon as installation was complete, but studio owner George Apsion took time to talk with API about the studio’s new addition. Apsion considers the 1608 the natural choice for KORE to keep up their international reputation for high-quality recordings. They typically record rock and indie bands in their 2,000 square-foot studio, which includes a live recording space with two ISO booths, as well as a Studio B and lounge on the second floor. This state-of-the-art facility celebrated its tenth anniversary last year – and artists on the KORE resume include Florence and the Machine, Joss Stone, and Amy Winehouse. In 2010, KORE was awarded ‘Best UK Studio’ by the Music Producers Guild. Apsion said adding the 1608 was an intuitive direction for KORE’s prestigious history: “We are known as a great tracking space and we wanted a console that would reflect and enhance that.” When it came time to upgrade to the 1608, Apsion turned to Funky Junk, LTD., as they’re a leading expert in analogue mixing consoles in Europe.
Mark Thompson, the founder and owner of Funky Junk, explained that the process from sale to installation went beautifully: “KORE required a few custom modifications and we suggested others to enable the power supplies to be sited in a remote machine room. API liaised with us regarding these mods and together with Source, their UK distributor, we all worked to deliver the console bang on time, ready for the first session a few weeks after order. Commissioning on-site went smoothly, and the desk was installed and ready to start churning out the hits within two days of arrival.”
Since then, the 1608 has gotten quite the workout. Apsion said it makes everything they work on “feel like a record, straight away.” The layout of the console has particularly impressed him, especially the fact that no space is wasted. “The features are so well thought out – the sound is deep, wide, and glues everything together. The sound is the same as other API gear we’ve used, there is just more of it.” The biggest change Apsion notes is the ability to record entire sessions on API mic amps and nothing else, which he considers “a dream come true!” The console is truly becoming a centerpiece at KORE and is featured on all of the studio’s social media profiles.
But the 1608 isn’t just photogenic – it’s getting put to the test on multiple projects: “We have used it as a split console, with the expander section acting as sends to tape, using the 312 mic amps +550b EQs. We then use the first sixteen faders as tape monitors, with aux sends feeding a cue-8 mixer system in our live room. We use the aux return inputs in the center section for summing outboard mic amp signals together. The 1608 desk mic amps are always used for drums.” All that work is paying off in an album already recorded for the Australian rock band Short Stack, as well as an indie EP for the British group House of Lions. Once these projects are complete, KORE will continue work on a “top secret album project for an international artist.” While the artist’s identity may be a secret, Apsion’s feelings on the console are not. “It seems to bring out the best in the other gear we connect to it, as the headroom is so impressive. The 1608 is a beautifully engineered, reliable and astonishing piece of equipment.”
ABOUT API (AUTOMATED PROCESSES, INC.) Established 45 years ago, Automated Processes, Inc. is the leader in analog recording gear with the Vision, Legacy Series, 1608, and the BOX recording consoles, as well as its classic line of modular signal processing equipment.
