Fast Trax Recording Studio – West Michigan Recording Studio
Recording Mixing Mastering ~ Audio Video Web
A shiny new Soyuz 017 FET microphone has been added to our mic closet. Hand made in Tula, Russia, Soyuz designs are drawn from the best that both Russian and German microphone traditions have to offer. While amazing on vocals, the Soyuz 017 FET provides an openess and robust clarity to any source.
Just arrived – a shiny new matched pair of Austrian Audio OC818 multi-pattern mics! These incredible mics are designed by former AKG engineers to offer the beauty of the CK-1 capsule as found in the coveted AKG C-12 plus adds the ability to change the pickup patterns AFTER THE AUDIO HAS BEEN RECORDED. Truly astounding!
The Heiserman H-251 is an absolutely stunning 1:1 recreation of the legendary and highly coveted Telefunken ELA M 251 Vintage Tube Microphone. In development for over two years, with multiple “shoot-outs” with an original 251 owned by Dolly Parton, we have received one of the very first H-251 microphones in the world and it is phenomenal! Deep, rich tone with a silky smooth air like no other mic can achieve, the 251 sounds great on everything and everyone.
The latest version of Nuendo 12 is now installed featuring lots of new and exciting features.
Steinberg has released a major update to Nuendo. Loaded with new features, this Digital Audio Workstation keeps getting better!
Just added, a brand new Locomotive Audio 14B Vari-Mu tube compressor that will make your vocals sit perfectly in a mix! A state-of-the-art Vari-Mu design inspired by the past from Gates Sta-Level, UA 175B, RCA BA-6A and Collins 26U, this new classic is the best of old and new. It also sounds incredible on instruments such as bass and guitar adding a richness and weight to the sound. We’re excited to have it in our rack next to our other vintage tube gear!
Added to our ever growing mic collection, the new Heiserman H-47tube! This new mic takes its place beside our original Telefunken U-47 tube mic and offers much of its big bold sound. Certainly a worth successor! We are one of the first studios in the world to receive this amazing new “vintage” microphone.
Found a 122 Leslie in great shape, so it was added to our collection to compliment our recent Hammond B-3 addition. This will be hooked up along side the PR-40 tone cabinet with an ensemble switch.
What’s better than a Hammond B-3 and Leslie? TWO Hammond B-3s and Leslies! Added this showroom condition 1956 Hammond B-3 to the collection. It will be hooked up to a PR-40 and 142 Leslie.
We’ve finished adding MIDI to the bass pedals of our Hammond B-3! Now any sound from our expansive MIDI sound library and virtual instruments is available on the pedalboard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJisBpvikyg
A company in Bulgaria claims its possilbe to add MIDI output to the bass pedals of a Hammond B-3. We shall see. Time to engineer a 25 note switch assembly.
After over 1.5 years in development, Steinberg Nuendo 10 arrives. This major update takes Nuendo 8 all the way to Nuendo 10.
It was a fun day producing Left Handed Rollers recording a live performance in the studio. No overdubs, no studio tricks, just a great live performance at Fast Trax! Here’s a piece captured with my phone.
Fast Trax was excited to record organist extrordinaire Bobby Rice on the Hammond B-3 for a new holiday recording of “Let It Snow”! It even has a dancing cat, so you know it’ll be good!
I was recently asked if I could restore an old analog 2 track live recording of the group “Powerhouse” that was recorded at the Shamrock Lounge on Bridge Street in Grand Rapids, Michigan on October 27, 1972. While no pictures exist of the night that we know of, this recording preserves that night in all its glory. What a great band! It was billed as “Powerhouse featuring Nancy Westbrook” and included Nancy Westbrook on vocals, Jeff Beavans on bass and vocals, Gerald Williams on drums and vocals, Wilton “Mache” Machem on tenor sax, Tim Hackenberger on trumpet, Dave Diefendorf on trombone, and John “Johnny Mac” McDonald on guitar and vocals.
New DAC digital to analog converters feature the latest state of the art DUAL SABRE ESS9038 chips providing amazing audio detail like never before!
Our original Demeter Tube DI (1990) gets a new Mullard 12AX7 for the win. Big, lush, and open!
Experimenting with additional transformers for our legendary Hammond B-3 and 122 Leslie speaker to provide additional direct out options for special effects. Everytime I’m inside the Hammond B-3 organ, I marvel at the incredible electro-mechanical engineering that made all this possible!
Bought three new Audio Technica ATM230 mics . They give our venerable Sennheiser 421’s a run for their money on toms. Big, punchy, warm, and able to isolate well, they are going to find a lot of use here.
Our editing suite gets a new 43 inch 4K monitor custom color profiled, and the control room gets a new 30 inch custom color profiled monitor. Lots more detail, accuracy, and information for mixing, mastering, and editing client photos and videos!