Recording - June 2020 - 70

-Review by Paul Vnuk Jr.

IK Multimedia
Sunset Sound
Studio Reverb

Studio 2, added in 1967, has a 31x24x15' live space, with
the tallest ceilings in the complex. Reviewing historical documents, IK discovered three favored mic positions, employed for
best capturing the sound of the space; all three are available in
the plugin. Position one is the full open sound favored in the late
1960s, position two was used for the 1980s recording of Toto IV,
while position three is the sound of classic Van Halen. Its 14x7.5x 8'

The sound of an iconic American
studio, in your favorite DAW
Located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, Sunset Sound
opened its doors in 1958. Since then, artists including The
Doors, Prince, Van Halen, Led Zeppelin, Neil Young, The Rolling
Stones, Rage Against The Machine, Beck, Elton John, and even
Mary Poppins, have all graced its legendary recording spaces.
The new Sunset Sound Studio Reverb plugin from IK
Multimedia sets its sights on the 'sound' of Sunset Sound.
Using its proprietary Volumetric Response Modeling
(VRM™) technology, IK has captured Sunset Sound's three
iconic live rooms, attached isolation booths, legendary
echo chambers, plates, and spring reverb. IK also
modeled the signal path of each studio's recording desk
and appropriately selected microphones from the studio's
extensive mic collection.

The Studios

Studio 1 was the first room, commissioned in 1958, and
home to early Disney soundtrack work and classic mid-1960s
recording artists. It features a 44x19x10' live room, with
unique sloping floors and adjustable dampening panels on the
walls. The three most popular panel setups are selectable in the
plugin. Studio 1's 13x8x10' iso booth was a vocal favorite for

Jim Morrison, Mick Jagger, and Janis Joplin. Its control room
features a custom, one of a kind discrete recording desk. Its
mid-sized echo chamber is hidden behind the control room.
Listen to the first two Doors albums for an idea of this chamber's
sonic signature.
70 RECORDING June 2020

iso booth is both controlled and open sounding, famous for vocals, acoustic guitar, and cranked guitar amps. Again, think Van
Halen or Led Zeppelin. The Studio 2 echo chamber is the baby
of the bunch and is the most lively and reflective. The desk in
Studio 2 is a modified Neve 8088 console.
Studio 3 measures 38x18x12'. It went live in 1980, and like
Studio 1 features adjustable sonic treatments; three scenarios are
available in the plugin. Measuring 16x14x8.5', its booth is the most
controlled and dry of the bunch. Here we have the studio and iso

booth sound of Purple Rain and 1999; this was Prince's favorite
80s-era room. The echo chamber here is the largest; Its midrangefocused and the least reflective. The console is the legendary API/
Demedio custom board, with a big punchy sound, still in use today.

Plate and Springs

The Sunset Sound vintage plate reverbs modeled for the
collection include an original EMT 140 plate with nine decay
options, and a rare Echoplate with three decay options. Also
included is a model of the studio's AKG BX-20E spring reverb
(installed in the 1970s) with three decay options.

Recording - June 2020

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