TBR Studio is the high end of the home studio market.
Check out a real case story of Ready Traps in action.
Learn About TBR Studio
A superlative characteristic of any great studio is its willingness to accept nothing less than the best for its clients. And with that; fantastic gear, great engineering skills and phenomenal acoustics.
Nestled in the comfortable suburb of Burke, Virginia lies an oasis among mid-level recording facilities; TBR STUDIO. Just like your studio, this wonderful facility grew out of a cool home project studio. As time passed and (owner/ engineer) Chris Andrews’ engineering skills solidified, TBR started taking on other artists who’d heard (via the internet, and word of mouth) about this great place to break new bands.
The studio boasts some very impressive outboard gear, top of the line musical instruments and is moreover regarded for its super comfortable atmosphere, and its amazing sound. Add to this the look and feel of a high end recording facility, and you’ve got the best of both worlds: Pro quality recordings at a very attractive price point. What’s more, TBR have their FIRST priority exactly right: make the mix room’s acoustics so deadly accurate, you can use any piece of gear and hear EXACTLY what it is supposed to sound like.
We sat down with Chris Andrews from TBR Studio to see what was cookin’ at this cool musical fun factory and to see what Ready Acoustics has done for them:
Q: TBR Studio is one of the really cool, medium sized places on the central east coast where an artist can really make a great product. What do you do as a studio owner/ engineer/ producer to maintain that small and comfortable studio feel, yet produce such high quality recordings?
A: The big three part question. I designed the studio around the space that I had when I first moved into the house. It is a small space, but as a good close friend once said, it is a great “focused” space. I used what I could and then designed the rest of the studio around a comfortable home environment. I really tried to keep the vibe of a modern townhouse in mind. Furnished the upstairs with relaxing couches and chairs and setup the sound room with laid back partial recliners to enhance production thought. I really wanted to have the studio feel in the basement where we can bang out the music and then relax upstairs when a break is needed, and it has worked great so far!
Q: What have you worked on recently?
A: There is a local funk/rock band in the Washington D.C./Northern Virginia area that I have worked with for sometime now, Baba G’ Nush. They recently came back to do a new EP and so far it is great. The “Ready Acoustic”panels I put up have really helped the overall sound and quality of my mixes. Ethan Janke is a new client who has been working on vocal tracks with me in the studio. His music is being written by Dean Garcia (The Eurhythmics’, Curve) and has a very Radiohead/Interpol like feel with a definite Euro sound. It has really been a blast to collaborate back and forth with him and Dean who lives over in London. Tom Rothman has been back to start some pre-production things for his new full length we are starting in August. Some really good emotions come from this guy at the young age of 20. I am always very impressed with his ability at such a young age.
Q: What is the most important part of your mix process?
A: I tend to try to use my outboard gear to get the sounds into Pro Tools with little to no extra EQ. That way I can really rely on my ears and ability to capture the best, natural sounds that the group offers from the start. The little tweaking in the end saves time for me, money for the band and processing power on my DAW. Lately my new favorite thing seems to be shooting the mix out to my API 3124 + MB, cook it though that, shoot it back into the Apogee Rosetta 800 and then back into Pro Tools. The resulting sound is sick! The API just seems to add a nice punch and analog warmth into my mixes that digital leaves out
Q: How have Ready Acoustic panels helped this process?
A: Ready Acoustic panels have cleaned my lows up in my space and added that extra sweet vibe I was going for before with the ones that I made. They are so much nicer looking than I ever expected. Easy to install and immediately I noticed a difference in my room and more importantly my mixes translate so much better. Ready Acoustic panels are just simply a high quality acoustic solution at a great cost. Ready Acoustics have “FIXED MY MIX!”
