www.psneurope.com
June 2014 l 19
studionews DENMARK Carpark North studio is just the ticket
Danish electro-rock outfit Carpark North has built a recording studio in Copenhagen. Band member Søren Balsner gives PSNEurope staff writer Murray Stassen the lowdown on the new facility
LAU HØJEN, Søren Balsner and Morten Thorhauge formed electronic rock act Carpark North in Aarhus, Denmark, in 1999. Balsner and Højen met at school at the age of 16 and were later joined by drummer Thorhauge. “We knew from the beginning that we wanted to combine rock and electronic music. Carpark reminded us of rock, containing metal, concrete and hard surfaces. North reminded us of electronic elements, containing stars, northern lights and ice,” explains bass and synth player Søren Balsner.
After more than a decade of chart success and a major signing to Sony Music, the band has now built its very own studio called Apparat, based in Christianshavn, in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. PSNEurope caught up with Balsner to discuss the location, layout, contents and purpose of the studio. “It’s 50m from canals and parks, but also in the middle of cafés and restaurants and close to the legendary free community, Christania. So it’s a unique calm and airy place in the middle of Copenhagen,” explains Balsner. Balsner says that construction started in the summer of 2011, and that the completed studio now contains a large live room with six-metre high ceilings, as well as a lounge which can also be used as a ‘B’ studio. The facility also features a kitchen, bath and a basement, which Balsner says is “ideal for an amp room”. All the rooms in Apparat are connected to the control room.
“We had our friend Esben Thorlacius, who is an architect, help us draw up the studio together with acoustic engineer Jakob Nygaard. The construction was done by Morten Asby and his company under supervision of Esben. We did most of the cabling ourselves, and my wife, Eva, was the interior decorator.” All the recognition the act has received since its formation in 1999, in addition to being signed to a major label, would suggest that the band would be spoiled for choice when it comes to professional recording studios to make use of, so why invest in the construction of a private studio at this time? Balsner explains: “In Carpark North, we have always produced a big part of the music on our own. So we wanted to do the next album completely on our own. But we also spend a lot of time on doing it. “We needed a place that was bright and central. A place you want to work in every day for a long period of time. But
The live room with its 6m high ceilings and a staircase leading to a lounge, which can be used as ‘B’ studio; inset: the control room with Genelec and Yamaha monitors, various outboard and several keyboards
building such a studio for our purposes would only be a waste. So we went full on and built it ‘top professional’ in order to rent it out after our album was done.” In spite of its commercial success, the band is still concerned about local Danish music and built the studio with this scene in mind. “As we don’t have to make a living from being studio owners, we can set the price really low. We hope that this will appeal also to smaller acts, so they can have a chance to record their music properly and in inspiring surroundings. This is actually the main philosophy behind the studio: To help the massive potential [of] underground [bands] … who may not have the resources.” “In order to be able to rent it out as cheap as possible, we needed to think creatively,” says Balsner. “This means we don’t have a big expensive console. But we have an ATB 24 from Toft Audio, which has all the features you need in an analogue latency-free recording session.” In addition to the ATB 24 console, the studio is kitted out with outboard from NTP, Summit Audio, API, Tube- Tech, Clariphonic, Drawmer, DBX and external preamps from Neve, API and Tube-Tech. “Conversion is done by Lynx, Crane Song and Apogee, providing around 50 in/out via MADI to the computer, which runs Cubase 7 and Pro Tools 10 and all the plugins you could wish for,” adds Balsner. Monitoring is provided by Adam S4X-H, Genelec 8050B and Yamaha NS-10s. The studio’s microphone collection includes classics such as the Neumann U47 tube mic and the Coles 4038 ribbon microphone, but also modern mics from Opal, Beyerdynamic and DPA.
Balsner says that he has been particularly impressed with the DPA mics in the studio. “My favourite DPA mic must be the 4015. You can use it on almost everything, and it’s very easy to place. Just point it towards the sound source and you get everything you need. It’s very open and detailed – especially in the top end – which makes it perfect for overheads, hi-hat, snare drum, acoustic guitars, piano, and even for snappy and clear electric guitars and drum ambience.” “We’ve actually recorded our recent album with all DPA mics except a few parts. Bo from DPA challenged me and put a DPA mic next to my favourite microphone on all channels and had me A/B. And I chose DPA over my classics on 20 out of 24 channels. That’s how versatile they are.”
www.apparatstudio.dk www.carparknorth.com www.dpamicrophones.com www.toftaudio.com
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