How to Build a Hybrid Home Studio

What is a hybrid studio setup and how does it work? Mitch Gallagher talks with hybrid enthusiast and Sweetwater Sales Engineer Chris Finton about how to easy it can be to enhance your DAW-based studio with outboard analog gear! Analog gear doesn‘t have to break the bank, and outboard options such as channel strips, EQ modules, and compressors offer up a much more visceral experience when it comes time to mix, master, and record! Watch Mitch and Chris tweak an old Sweetwater jingle using some of Chris‘s favorite outboard gear as they tell you everything you need to know to get started with a hybrid setup of your own. Check it out!

#Sweetwater #FocusRite #Scarlett18i20

[Tatted-netu]

Chris Finton is my sales pro and has been for a while. Cool dude who has helped me score some great gear at the drop of a hat. Kinda cool to see him showing off his skillset.

[PurpleMusicProductions]

Hybrid is definitely the best way to go for the home studio.

[matthewwolf]

I’ve found using a 500 series lunchbox in the home studio really useful in building a chain/strip. Gives you so many options to choose from and mix and match to your exact taste… with a smaller footprint!

[roscius]

Yep, a big part is the pressing buttons.
And the limitations of old gear gets more music done.

[nolarocks]

The part that never gets covered for a setup like this is the requirement that Focusrite Control be used when signal routing. (For the Focusrite interfaces, specifically!) I never see this topic covered in any videos related to using outboard gear. Avoiding feedback loops is such a common issue.

[bbbro]

I still record on tape. I had already bought ART's Pro VLA II, and liked it so much for mic inputs/recording and then bought another just for mixing/mastering so I wouldn't have to repatch. Really great sound at that price. Warm, transparent and really brings up the parts I need more compression on for mixdown. I do a NYC-style compression on mixdown. Works really well.

[shawnrose]

Here at Loonz Recording and Music Studio here in Nashville Tennessee we are a Analog/Digital Hybrid Studio and what Mitch is saying is very true. Andrew Plassmam at Sweetwater has been our go to source for over 5 years. Our entire studio is from Sweetwater. Thanks so much Sweetwater and all the staff for making Loonz Recording and Music Studio the Studio it is today.

[dspoet]

This is my sales engineer. Good stuff!!

[thegroove]

Like having a digital camera with analogue lenses that I have. Best of both.

[Maulleygxxx]

I recently built my hybrid setup. All of the analog units I bought have remote plugin control. I couldn’t be happier.

[TuckOfIron]

The timing on this is impeccable because of the fairly complex hybrid setup I'm in the process of building right now.

[professorjustinmedia]

Routing my 828es with Logic has been a nightmare. Thank God for Sweetwater Tech Support!

[bobgulian]

Good stuff, I love the Art VLA for tracking. I’ve been using two KT Eqps for their amber lights. Maybe I’ll try it on bass mix again! Mitch is good on the knobs. Refreshing to actually hear stuff instead of listening to someone’s philosophy.

[flipnap]

bought the artII and swapped out the tubes and put some carnhills in there and it sounds sublime

[CloudObsolete]

The worst part about all of this, is that these videos would've been handy years ago.

[RichWarrenOFC]

Personally, I run an analogue hybird system and I LOVE IT! Even bought all my stuff through you guys! However, just my humble opinion, Klark Teknik is just not something worth promoting in this video. I just went with the 6176 and haven't looked back. Ol' Glenn at Spectresoundstudios made a pretty good display at it's inability to function well. The VLA on the other hand was awesome!

[happysoul]

That sweatshirt is incredibly appropriate

[HOLLASOUNDS]

Your doing the classic idea that there is Analog and software and that's what hybrid is however using digital gear and software is also hybrid. For example if I plug My Novation Peak into My laptop and use My DAW, I'm now using a hybrid set up.

[SoundGodzStudios]

As someone who is in the process of opening my first recording studio I have gotten so much backlash from my peers for wanting to use analog gear in my setup. I always get told "There are plugins for that!" and I just think imagine a recording artist goes into a studio and only sees a computer, audio interface and mic? Would they even take me seriously? Analog gear also creates that studio vibe and I'm also the type of engineer that likes to get hands on with my work. Just clicking around on a computer is boring!

[Zero_thehero]

Chris can get you anything you need if it wasn’t for Sweetwater he’d be wanted by interpol❤