Inside The Vault | Vol. 1
At The Vault, our mission is to develop an ecosystem of engineers, producers and aspiring artists in both music & film.
By providing them access to a world-class recording facility, educational programs and industry resources, we will elevate the experience and enhance Pittsburgh’s music industry profile on a global scale.
Vintage Neve 8058 Console
Making Great Music. Making more history.
Originally owned by George Harrison (Beatles) and Pete Drake (Record Producer and pedal steel guitar player) and housed in their Studios in Nashville, this vintage Neve 8058 is one with an amazing history and pedigree.
Pete Drake was not only one of the most sought after musicians in the 1960’s, working with hundreds of artists including Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, The Beatles, Peter Frampton, Dolly Parton, Elvis Presley and more, he was also the inventor of the talk box and produced both George Harrison and Ringo Starr’s solo works.
The desk was subsequently purchased by legendary Producer/Engineer Scott Litt whose work on six R.E.M. records was followed by a remarkable career working with the likes of Nirvana, Bob Dylan, Bon Jovi, and the Indigo Girls, to name a few. It was transferred to his studio in Los Angeles, where is was used by Litt until its reconditioning by Vintage King Audio in 2017.
Ask any experienced engineer or producer…” if there were only one desk you could work on what would it be?” The overwhelming response would be… “a Neve”. The most sought after “Class A” Neve consoles are: the 8058 and the 8068. This 8058 has (24) 1073 modules which are considered the undisputed champ of the mic preamp. The most hi-fi offering, with an ‘airy’ full-bodied sound (think Fleetwood Mac, Nirvana, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan, and most of the classic UK recordings of the 1970s). When you think of Neve Studios – Capital Studios, Ocean Way, Sunset Sound, Sound City, and Electric Lady immediately come to mind. There’s something magical about what they do to signals running through them. These are fantastic for acoustic, jazz, classical, ambience and rock. Nothing in the world sounds quiet like them.
Restored by Vintage King Audio in 2017, this desk has been through pain staking detail to completely recondition all of its modules, faders, compressors and the overall aesthetics, while being mindful of its history and originality.
As of May 2018, this amazing desk now finds its new home at The Vault Recording Studios in Pittsburgh, PA where it has now begun a new chapter in its life.
Studer a800 mkiii
The Studer A800 Mkiii marked a new generation of professional multi-track recorders when it was introduced in 1978. Over the years, a lot of classic albums have been recorded on it, by artists including Metallica, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty and Jeff Buckley, to name but a few. And although two inch tape is increasingly scarce and expensive, and tape machine maintenance is time consuming, studios around the world still rely on the performance and the sound of analogue multi-track recorders.
Recording to tape yields a subtle coloration and compression that is often described as ‘warm’ and ‘cohesive’, with solid low end and overall presence making instruments glue together in a musical way. No longer limited by track counts in a digital environment, tape machines are often used purely for these sonic qualities, to record drums, bass and guitars. These are then transferred to digital, to combine tape sound with the freedom of editing.
This specific machine was housed at the famous London Bridge Studios in Seattle, WA between 1989-2000. It was used on countless projects including Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, Nickelback, 3 Doors Down and Candlebox, to name a few. Now owned by multi-platinum recording engineer Dave Hillis who engineered Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains and Candlebox. Dave and The Studer are now here at The Vault Recording Studio in Pittsburgh, PA.
Tour our studio
The Vault Studio offers state-of-the-art recording studio equipment to meet your audio recording, finalizing, and mastering needs in the greater Pittsburgh region. Our world-class recording facility welcomes engineers, producers and aspiring recording artists on a national and global scale.
continue reading
Rhythm19Fund: “Where Words Fail, Music Speaks.”
