Audient Desk Records Chiwoniso and Award-Winning South African Freshlyground
An Audient ACS8024 recording console was the desk of choice for Sugarfoot Music studio, where the latest album from Chiwoniso was recorded earlier this year and recently reached number one on iTunes ‘World Music’ section. Next up, 2008 MTV Base Award nominees and recipient of four South African Music Awards (SAMA), Freshlyground will be setting up to record their newest album at the very same desk.
Owned and run by producer Keith Farquharson, Sugarfoot Music is a brand new independent studio used mainly for the tracking and mixing of album projects such as these, as well as music for film and television, where the 24-channel console fits perfectly. “The plan was to have a decent sized live room, where bands could plug in and record all at once,” explains Farquharson. “With the ACS8024, it allows me to set up several different headphone mixes for the different musicians very easily, as well as eliminating latency issues.”
The decision to go for Audient wasn’t difficult, as he had owned an ASP8024 before leaving Zimbabwe five years ago. “When I moved back to Southern Africa last year, I promised myself that as soon as I found suitable premises, I'd look at getting another one,” says Farquharson. “I heard about the Anniversary version with Jensen op amps on the mix bus and decided the time was right.
“What particularly impresses me about the 8024 is the way the board is so thoughtfully laid out and the 'clean' sound that it has, which exactly suits the type of music that I record. It’s just amazing what you get for the money.”
Audient’s ACS8024 expands on the sonic clarity and full-featured control of the ASP8024 console, bringing integrated workstation control right where it's needed: at the listening position between the speakers. Fitting either a Digidesign Command 8 or Mackie Control Universal control surface into any of the console bays, the ACS allows instant ergonomic control of transport functions, software mixing and plug-ins.
Farquharson has been working with Zimbabwe-based Chiwoniso on her album, Rebel Woman, for the last three years, and shares her pride of the rave reviews received on both sides of the Atlantic, on its release in September of this year. “There were a couple of mentions of how 'beautifully recorded' it was, which kind of makes it all worth while,” says Farquharson. Find out more by visiting http://www.cumbancha.com/albums/rebel_woman.
For more information on Sugarfoot Music, contact Keith Farquharson by email on keith.farquharson@btinternet.com or visit his website at www.sugarfoot.co.za
2006 MTV Best African Band Award winners, Freshlyground can be found at http://www.freshlyground.com/
