Southwest Sun at Mesa Recording

Mesa Recording offers you a well rounded selection of the best in professional analog and digital audio equipment.

The AC power to the studio comes from an Equi-tek 10kva Balanced Power transformer which is wired to the PG&E mains, providing balanced AC power to all the audio and computer equipment in the studio. This substantially improves the noise floor in the audio gear, as well as minimizing hum problems in guitar amps and glitches that affect digital equipment.
Recorders
  • Digital Performer 4.5x running on three HD 192 192kHz/24bit interfaces (with 3rd party converters listed below) clocked by Apogee Big Ben
  • Bias Peak 4.xx 2-Track
  • DSP-Quattro X 2.x.x 2-Track
  • Tascam 302 dual well cassette deck
Converters & Clocks
  • MOTU HD 192kHz/24bit converters 36 channels
  • MOTU 1296 96kHz/24bit converters 12 channels
  • MOTU 2408 24 channel lightpipe/spdif inteface
  • Apogee Big Ben Master Clock
  • Universal Audio 2192 Master Audio Interface - 2 channel ADA
  • Mytek Workstation 24 - 2 channel ADA
  • Waves L2 Ultramaximizer - 2 channel ADA
  • Aardvark Aardsync II Master Clock
  • Benchmak DAC-1 DA Converter
Software
  • Mac OS Tiger
  • Radikal Technologies SAC-2K software controller
  • Digital Performer 4.5.x
  • Altiverb 5.x
  • Bias Peak 4.x.x stereo editing/mastering
  • Toast Platinum 6.x.x and Jam 6.x.x
  • Waves 5 Platinum Bundle
  • Melodyne 2.6 Studio Edition
  • Antares Autotune, Tube, Kantos
  • PSP VintageWarmer, MasterQ, Mix Pack
  • Spin Audio RoomVerb M2
  • UA UAD-1 with Studio Pak and newest plugins
Mixing Console
ALBINI'S CHOICE. . .
The Neotek Elite 40 X 26 X 40 with Optifile 3D automation.


"Simple, very clean signal path. The Elite is like a direct line between microphone and tape machine. It sounds great."

--Steve Albini

Monitors
  • Dynaudio BM 15a's
  • Yamaha NS 10m's
  • Realistic Minimus 7's
  • Velodyne VLD-18 subwoofer
Computers
  • PowerMac G5 with dual 2.5 gHz processors & 5 GB RAM
  • PowerMac G5 with dual 2.0 gHz processors & 4 GB RAM
  • PowerMac G4 with dual 1 gHz processors & 1.5 GB RAM
Mic Preamps / Channel Strips / EQs
  • Universal Audio 2-610 Tube Preamplifier
  • Millennia TD-1s (2)
  • Avalon Vt 737sp Tube compressor/mic pre/EQ/DI (2)
  • Neve 9098 EQ & Mic Pre (2)
  • Hardy M-1 mic preamps (4)
  • Sytek MPX-4A 4 channel class A mic preamp
  • Aphex 107 Tubessence 2 channel mic preamp
  • Aphex 207 2 channel mic pre with MicLim
  • Aphex 109 Tubessence EQ's (2)
  • ART PRO MPA 2 channel mic preamp
  • ART Digital MPA 2 channel mic preamp
  • Behringer - Vintager Tube Ultrgain 2 ch. mic-pre
  • M Audio - DMP 2 2ch. mic pre and DI (2)
  • Rane PE - 17 5-band Parametric EQs (2)
Dynamics Processors
  • Empirical Labs - Fatso
  • Urei 1176 LN Peak Limiter (2)
  • Joe Meek SC2 Stereo Compressor
  • SPL - Transient Designer 4
  • Summit TLA-100 Tube Leveling Amplifier
  • TC Electronics Triple C Compressor (2)
  • ART Pro VLA Stereo Tube compressor
  • Drawmer DL241 Stereo compressor
  • Aphex - 661 Tubessence Expressors (2)
  • Aphex Exciter Type III
  • Aphex 9721 Dominators (2)
  • Aphex 9301 Compellors (2)
  • Aphex 9621 Gates (4)
  • dbx 902 de-esser (2)
  • Waves L2 Ultramaximizer limiter
  • Behringer - Edison Stereo 3D Processor
  • Peavey Kosmos (2)
Reverbs & Efx
  • accutronics - Accuverb Tube Spring Reverb
  • EMT 140 stereo tube plate with Cunningham pickups & Ron Holmes amp modification
  • Lexicon 480L with 4.0 software
  • Lexicon MPX-1
  • Lexicon Vortex
  • TC Electronics M3000
  • TC Electronics M2000
  • TC Electronics D-Two Delay
  • Symetix 606 Delay/Efx Machine
  • Roland SRV-3030D 24bit Reverb Unit
  • Alesis Wedge Desktop Master reverb

Fred Lipsius playing Mesa's Yamaha C-7, which is one of the finest playing and recording pianos in the Bay Area.




Mesa's pre-CBS & pre-USA Strats		 Instruments
  • Yamaha C7 7'4" concert grand piano
  • Hammond B3 organ with Leslie
  • Fender Stratocaster (pre CBS) electric guitar
  • Carvin SH225 semi-hollow body electric guitar
  • Guild D-35 acoustic guitar
Microphones
AKG
  • 2 - D112
  • 3 - C414B-ULS
  • 1 - C414 w/ C12 capsule (Klaus Heyne modified)
  • 2 - 460B
  • 1 - D224E
Audio Technica
  • 1 - 4033
  • 2 - 4041a
Audix
  • 2 - SCX - 25
  • 1 - D6
Blue
  • Baby Bottle
  • Ball
CAD
  • 1 - VX-2 1.25", 2 tube, condenser
  • 2 - E300 (large diaphragm condensers)
  • 1 - VSM- 1 large diaphragm tube condenser
  • 2 - M179 multi pattern large diaphragm condensers
Earthworks
  • 1 - SR 69
  • 1 - SR 71
ElectroVoice
  • 1 - RE55
  • 2 - RE10
  • 1 - RE15
  • 3 - RE16
Heil Sound
  • 1 - PR-40 large diaphragm dynamic
Lawson
  • 1 - L47MP Gold Tube Mic
Marshall
  • 2 - V69 Mogami Edition Tube
  • 1 - 2001
Neumann
  • 2 - U87a's
  • 1 - U67 (Klaus Modified)
  • 1 - KM86i (Klausified)
  • 1 -KMS 105
Royer
  • 2 - SF-12 stereo ribbon
  • 1 - R-121 mono ribbon
Sennheiser
  • 2- MD421
  • 4 - e604
Shure
  • 1 - VP88 (MS stereo condenser)
  • 4 - SM 57
  • 1 - Beta 57
  • 1 - Beta 52
  • 2 - SM 58
Direct Boxes
  • 2 - Millennia TD-1s (2)
  • 1 - Behringer - V AMP amp and speaker cabinet modeler
  • 4 - Radial JDI direct boxes
  • 2 - Raven Labs APD-1 direct boxes
  • 3 - Custom
  • 1 - PS Systems Power Tool (speaker emulator)
  • 2 - Hafler T2 Multi-tube preamps
  • 1 - Sans Amp Bass DI
Headphone System & Headphones
  • 1 - Furman Sound HDS-16/HRM-16 Sixteen Channel Headphone System with eight HRM-16 sixteen channel remote mixers with talkback
  • 1 - Grado RS - 1
  • 1 - Grado SR 325
  • 1 - Grado SR 125
  • 8 - Audio-Technica ATH-M40fs Precision Studio Headphones
Other Gear
  • Yamaha C7- One of the best pianos you'll find!
  • Hammond B3 with Leslie 122, 1968 edition
  • Alesis Qs7 synth
  • Alesis D4 and HR16B drum machines
  • EMU Proformance +1 module
  • Fender Princeton Reverb guitar amplifier
  • Carvin "X" Series III guitar amplifier
  • SG guitar amplifier



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