Good Times

All good things will come to an end. And we have been honored to be work with so many wonderful and talented music souls in the studio. All the hard work was translated well with our carefully selected gears and equipment throughout the years and they have been very well respected and had a very special place in the studio and also in our hearts.

There is one particular brand that has really helped us grow throughout the years and we couldn't thank them for making such good and robust equipment, innovative nonetheless and always hit the right spot where music making( or audio) concerns. All the way from Hampshire, England- the guys that makes Audient. (although we didn't really have any contacts, but the support from our local dealer-Soundbuz was superb )

Audient ASP 008
It all started with a purchase of a 8 channel pristine, clean mic pre-ASP008 with AES/EBU option. Paired with our then Digidesign 003, it opened our horizon to take on larger track counts in live recording ( which is still what we do best). The mic pres are amazing on almost everything we put them through, and they were one of the few that has impedance matching that means a lot to us in getting the best signal into our recordings. Operation wise is easy and rock solid. Never had any issue with the clock, either with ADAT or AES/EBU. Just a flick of a switch and press of a button, it'll lock onto any sources given or taken from other units.
This unit was never replaced throughout times of studio upgrades and they always hold a place in our rack.

Audient Centro
With the confidence we had with the ASP 008, we then took a step up into getting the  Audient Centro, a really good monitor controller that has all the things we look for, clean signal, unhyped sound, multiple analog and digital sources (DA is surprisingly good). It has mute, remote controlled talk back. This made the studio more complete in our monitoring end. (bye bye extra aux for talk back)

This too serves us well, giving us more opportunities in learning especially when AB-ing speakers, converters, comparing mixes/ sound sources.. we had learnt and grown a lot since the arrival of the Centro. Better recordings, translated to better mixes hence more jobs and better value gigs were all coming in and finally one day, our dear friend Ganz from Soundbuz drop us news about the Audient Black Series.

Audient Black
The mic pres (love their led meter), offering a vast palate of sound shaping, thanks to their amazing HMX that you can have it clean without or crank it all up to have a rich and colorful tone, and it supercharged everything that has been put through it. Then we paired it with the Black EQ that has all the bells and whistles of high pass and low pass filters, their own "air" control which we love it so much when you need the sound to shine in the big lots of sounds in the mix, and the possibility is endless!
Comes our favorite fet dynamic leveler, which has fast response on attack and release," smooth "and "overcomp" feature which we find when engaged all it can give us the "thrust" character that is so much loved in tracking guitars, drums and forward vocals. To top it all, the illuminated VU meters are accurate and we can just stare on the moving needles the whole day.
To complete the box, we had the black ADC with master clock, which are instrumental in giving us additional 4 more AD into our working environment.
The Black Series Casing is robust and comes with a 2 U  Power Supply. As we know for similar 500 series lunch boxes, the power supply is the most important to all and Audient has got it covered!

Audient Zen
We were all excited with the Audient line of products and once the Zen Mixing Console was out, we were the first one in Malaysia to get them into our studio! Nonetheless, it looks good and fits right into our audio habitat, improving our workflow instantly. Finally we were able to do real analog mixing and summing on the board, with all the input and output options available, beautiful calibrated led meters on all channels including group busses too. The stereo buss compressor we called "magic button" made wonders to our mix buss. All the glue and width that we once longed for was right at our fingertips. Paired with HUI controllers from PTHD, 16 moving faders with full recall of automation can be done in real time for track preps and mix downs. The sheer joy of touching the responsive and well made faders brings wide grin on the face every single day.


As much as we love all the gears, it has come to the time that we have to let go these precious working tools.

Audient ASP 008                                            RM 3000 (approx. 750USD)
Audient Centro                                               RM 2500 (approx. 600USD)
Audient Black Series                                      RM 8000 ( approx. 1930 USD)
Audient Zen 16 channels mixing console       RM 30000 ( approx. 7220 USD)

We felt that this configuration will definitely help others, especially startup studio to have a total peace of mind to have a complete setup, hopefully learn and grow much faster in the field.
Feel free to drop us an email at info@starmountstudio.com. All are still in pristine working conditions and you can hear them in action and them home.

HEDD Type07 at StarMount Studio

StarMount Studio is really fortunate to be one of the few to experience the first things that reaches our shore (Malaysia)
Dennis Tan of  Roland Asia Pacific (RAP) offered us a trial to listen out to new speakers and without much hesitation and with great pleasure we got a pair of Heinz Electro Dynamic Design HEDD Type 07 active monitor speakers in the studio.

 1:1 box for the HEDD Type07

To be honest, this pair is not a show stopper. It appeared to be under powered when it was fired up alongside with ATC SC25, Solitaire 6a (which sounded very close to ATC SC25 at a fraction of the price) or even Axis Voicebox S passive ribbon speakers. We are used to a more open sounding, class A amps rather than enclosed bass reflex active speakers. Thus the underpowered impression was made when they were lined up together.

We always believe in 2nd chance, so we took great length into sweeping frequencies, adjusting speaker angle, and finding the best distance from the wall and to the sweet spot etc.

Here are some things we figured. The speakers sounded best in the studio when its about 1ft away from the wall, spaced in between is around 5m and about 3m to listening spot. The speakers are very directional, and we manage to widened the listening sweet spot with this arrangement. And listening to 78dB is quite comfortable as well. The mids and highs are very well presented without much hype or in your face especially on those sensitive 7k, 10k region. Its not muffled but much more comfortable to use and encourages explorations on the high frequency regions in tone sculpting.

Taking a closer look at what we have around us.

We've picked up some cables around the studio and decided to look further into the details of how they would work with different instruments, in general we patched them up with Keyboards, Bass guitars and Electric guitars for a quick comparison. 

Cables:

   1.    Klotz Titanium -Germany

   2.    Lava (Retro Coil) - USA

   3.    Lava (ELC) - USA

   4.    Vovox - Switzerland

At first glance

These cables look robust for serious audio work. The cables are of thick construction, so we can be confident that they have ample conductor volume to minimise losses and noise pickup while recording. The jackets also feel durable and robust which ensures that these cables will remain physically unharmed for many years. 

Klotz Titanium

The connector heads are also well constructed and provide good contact with the majority of inputs out there. The Klotz and the Vovox use Neutrik connectors. The Lavas use connectors from G&H Industries. Experienced purchasers of audio cables know that these manufacturers  of connectors are some of the best there is in terms of quality and reliability.

Each cable has its own interesting feature. The Lava Retro Coil is already visually distinct from the others. The real sweet feature is that the retro coil is  the most flexible among the others, providing a lot of mobility for the player should they be using it for guitar and bass. The way it is coiled also allows it to be stretchable, allowing less clutter should the player not require a lot of distance from the amp of interface. 

The standard Lava and Klotz are the most visually discrete among the group, with a basic smooth jacket which gives it a standard industrial look which serves its purpose. The Vovox cable uses a woven jacket and has a braided groove along its length, making it aesthetically pleasing.

How does it sound?

Midnight Express @ StarMount Studio

StarMount Studio started as the "24 hours convenient store" for recordings. We would get recording sessions at 3am in the morning, or go around the clock from midnight until the next sunrise for bands/ musicians that were so inspired to capture the spark of magic after a great gig (sometimes redemption after a bad gig works too)

StarMount Studio is Turning 10

We're celebrating our milestone with giving out BeyerDynamic DT770M headphones for every 10 hours of studio time. To make it a sweeter deal, you can choose between DT770M 80 ohm or 250 ohm, or even DT770 Pro 80ohm/250 ohm.

It has been such a wonderful journey, making friends along the way and most importantly growing and sharing experiences together with the music community are just priceless!

Interns wanted

The title is self explanatory. As the number of gears in the studio getting larger, so as the cable count, racks, and many thing else except the space and man power.

This is one good opportunity to experience different equipments that are being used in the studio, and getting to know the types and differences between different make of cables.

requirements:

1. Strong (not muscular) physics (able to carry a chair)
2. Hands and feet coordination skills ( can carry things and walk at the same time)
3. Understand at least one language (English, Malay, Mandarin)
4. Able to communicate with at least one language. (English, Malay, Mandarin)
5. Self Provided Transport. (close proximity to the studio location prefered)



Job Scope:
1. Sorting out  cables and organize them into respective categories
2. Sorting out  cables and organize them into respective categories
3. Sorting out  cables and organize them into respective categories
4. Carrying and connecting equipments
5. Labeling connections
6. Soldering of wires/cables (if you know how to do it would be great)
7. House Keeping (we're doing it already, an extra pair of hands would be great help)

"Dancing Shoes" Ryot Jones@StarMount Studio

Bright vibes follows wherever this band goes. Its precious that everyone is dedicated to make time, and get together to make music. These guys have hectic schedules and we manage to get them into one space for their debut single "Dancing Shoes"

Time was limited and we had only half a day to track the whole band. Got the rhythm section up through our trusted Audient Zen and bass direct into our go to Tree Audio Branch with little compression.

Guitars through the Vox AC30CCX, picked up with sE4400. Vocals were tracked with our latest addition of the Calrec Soundfield MKV. The voice captured was spacious and it sits very well in the mix even without any processing. Truly one of the best addition to the studio. 

The band was looking at a retro-ish vibe thus we sculpted the sound to be back at the 90's, especially with the synths and keyboard patches. 

Listening Party

The studio just got a major rewiring. We've got in some really nice ADDA converters as well.

CraneSong Avocet is the centre of monitor controlling, providing the links to Horus DA, Lavry Blue DA, Genex gx8500 and RME ADI 8 QS.

We are a strong believer on ADDA conversion quality affects heavily on the outcome and the sound of a production (make or break).

Now we have the opportunity to house these few world class gems and hear them out in a press of a button.

We're pleased to have a pair of HEDD speakers to try out (courtesy of Dennis Tan of Roland Asia Pacific). And also be listen to Axis Voicebox passive speakers.

NewSound "BEARING WITNESS" @ StarMount Studio

John Dip Silas brought NewSound over to track originals from his new band "NewSound". Talented band mates like Hor Chee Seng on the guitars, Icco Noel and Terence Ling on bass and drums, Hiroyuki Yagi and Scott Murphy on the  horns, and of course John Dip Silas on the piano and keys.

The sessions were all recorded live/simultaneously. Its challenging and exciting the same time especially when we're trying to achieve full sound recordings with minimum spills into each microphones. 

Both saxophones, tenor  (Scott) and alto, sometimes soprano (Yagi) were placed in the control room, and the rest of the band in the main tracking room where the grand piano and drums were at. 

Bass was tracked directly into Avalon U5, Guitars went into Radial JDI, tracking the direct signal and tie line into the amps (Mostly Fender Hot Rod)  in the booth, So we've got both DI(direct for re-amping) and amp sound captured in the room.

StarMount Live Sessions- A community service by StarMount Dynamics

Our StarMount Dynamics 2.0 is organising their first "StarMount Live Sessions" workshop, covering the topic of Music Publishing, Artiste and Event Management, Stage Crew Managements and Basic Recording Techniques. Its a community service where entrance is free. Just have to RSVP with our StarMount Dynamics staffs and you're in!

This is a great opportunity to see our StarMount Dynamics 2.0 perform. As their interests are into live sound and events, the studio supports them by providing the venue and equipments to make it happen. They've came from our StarMount Dynamics program and now its their time to shine.

Lets go Live! @StarMount Studio

When there's new toy or new space, we love to share it with our friends. Bell and gang came over to our new live recording venue for an impromptu jam. Well, it looks pretty good and undeniably fun!

The new space is to encourage bands to have more live performance recordings in both audio and more importantly video. Getting own content out could be costly at times, so we have come out with this idea of a produced live performance. Bands, artistes, singer songwriters, even stand up comedies can have their performance and get recorded professionally by our certified StarMount Dynamic engineers.

It's the season of piano recording

In support of our problem previous post of StarMount Dynamics series 1, the studio is giving huge discounts for Piano Recording with the StarMount Dynamics Crew.

It's the best time to get your piano tracks recorded at StarMount Studio!
We have been recording piano for close to a decade. With a plethora of microphone selections from small to large diaphragm microphones and outboard gears to match the sound required for your projects.

The tracks will be recorded in 96khz 24 bit, wav format by default. Feel free to let us know of your preferred sample rate prior to your session.

Best times for the ones preparing their audition tapes, getting some real piano into your songs or just wants to record your own musical journal.

JZ 11 and sE4400 microphones on the sound board of our Yamaha Concert Series C1 Grand Piano

StarMount Dynamics Series 1 "Learn and Earn" Daniel Yap

Daniel Yap, joined the first batch of StarMount Dynamics at the age of 19. Throughout the teaching sessions and hands on training, Daniel has got the knowledge and hands on experience to take on recording projects after 2 months of StarMount Dynamics training.

He started with recording piano, vocals to stereo track, and eventually handling his own band recordings. Daniel has done mixing projects and the works got nominated in Taiwan as well.

Apart from the audio engineering jobs, Daniel is also an aspiring composer. He has worked with another promising talent, LadyAnna in producing "Gone". With the help of StarMount Records, the track is commercially available in iTunes and Spotify.

As of now, Daniel has worked on projects ranging from local to international clients.
Enquire within, or check out StarMount Dynamics FB page for more details and bookings!

Daniel (right) with Yip Sai Wing 

StarMount Dynamics, is an incubator project initiated by Alex Tan of StarMount Studio. The main objective is to share the knowledge, essential tools of know how in audio production and industry practises, empowering music makers to build their career right away.

It starts with a 4 hour per week (4 weeks) in class session, where the basics of audio terminology, signal flow and audio production essentials were taught and demonstrated. Followed by a 4 weeks hands on, where participants will be starting their song production projects, in specific field of song composition, music arrangement, recording, mixing and mastering.

All sessions will be carried out in StarMount Studio, and participants will get to experience and have access to the microphones and outboard gears available in the studio.


There will be a maximum of 6 pax per StarMount Dynamics batch.

FUGU for Mrs K @StarMount Studio

FUGU, an improvisational music duo of theremin and violin was here to record music excerpts for "Mrs K" a film by Director Ho Yuhang.

Starting with the strings, we mic up the quartet players in a line formation from frist violin to cello. sE 3as were used for first and second violin, about 2 ft above the player's head, Akg C451B on viola and JZ V11 on cello. With a pair of sE RT1 in Blumlein for the overall ambient microphone, lush strings sounds were captured.

Jalan- Jalan @StarMount Studio

Songstress Yudi Yap is back with her KopiSusu series, introducing her new original " Jalan-Jalan", a concoction of Yudi's poetic lyrics and Tay Cher Siang's musical genius. WVC Trio provided the musical backbone, and we had Fresco, an international award winning harmonica ensemble to be featured in the song. Double MS technique was used to capture the harmonica, having them surrounding the microphone sets, the recorded result were rich and real.

Coffee at StarMount Studio!

A.M or P.M or back to A.M. there would be time that we just wanted to nose and taste a nice brewed coffee to get going.

Now, we have finally got what we wished for.. a coffee bar! For the time being, its only available to friends of StarMount Studio. Now freshly brewed coffee, and sometimes fancy latte art is available all day and night long! We have sourced our coffee carefully and they were air flown in to ensure its freshness for consumption.

Canopus Yaiba GrooveKit@StarMount Studio (Discounts inside)

Known for their exceptional craftsmanship and passion towards sound, Canopus Drums has been on our wish list of drums to be in the studio.Thanks for Drumstore Malaysia, we finally got the Groove kit from the Yaiba series into the studio.

The toms are so musical, responsive and lush. Its a breeze to tune up the kit, and the tuning range is very versatile for various types of genre.

It was put straight into music production across genres of Pop, Jazz and Rock music. Feedback from our fellow session drummers were very positive, and all were complimenting about the musical tones, the ability to control the resonance and decay of the toms, and the kit just encourage and inspires them to hit the drums more.

Axis VoiceBox S Loudspeaker @StarMount Studio

We are delighted to have a pair of Axis VoiceBox S in the studio, and it could never be any better to be able to meet the designer/ founder John Reilly from Australia.

The ones we've got are piano black in gloss finishing. These are passive speakers and they housed interesting vertical ribbon tweeters paired with 5 inch driver. 

Class outside Classroom@StarMount Studio

StarMount Studio hosted a series of class/education sessions for BMus and DBMI and CAP
students from International College Of Music (ICOM). We've covered the topic focused on music business and the students were getting some insights from working professionals, and having first hand experience from the "factory".

Peace x Shane @StarMount Studio

Male x male duet is quite a rarity in the pop music scene, more so for a love song. Through Universal Music Malaysia & Singapore, Peace and Shane came together for a duet " You, Its You".

Alex Tan, the producer for this project got Dennis Law of A9 Strings for music arrangement, "Sotong" on drums, AJ Popshuvit on Bass, Dennis on the keys and Alex"the lion" Koh on guitars. 

Its also the debut recording for our new addition, Canopus Yaiba Groove Kit. We spent a nice 6 hours on recording the drums. There are 4 different snare tunings throughout the song, 2 different OH microphones on the first half and 2nd half of the song, and also we used 3 different snares for tone as well. The tones from the Canopus drums were so musical, easy to tune and sounds great recorded. The signals were all patched into Audient Zen Console mic pres and into Horus audio interface.

The bass went direct into Tree Audio Branch. Loved the tone especially cranking it through the opto compressors, the sound was almost complete into the mix.

Guitars were layered with multiple electric guitars and pickups. It provides a subtle but important support throughout the song. Hybrid processing of GTR and real pedalboard effects, combining DI and amped signals, especially for distortion powerchords towards the last chorus of the song.

JZ 11 was surprisingly fitting for the vocals in this song. We alternate JZ 11 into Chandler and Portico compressor for the chorus and JZ 11 into The Branch during the verse parts. Shane was using mainly Gemini MK2 while Peace was having a good mixture of both JZ and Gemini microphones.

Here's the music video and behind the scenes for the song: