Production Room
Taylor built his production studio after years of working out of a single combined room for both the mastering and music production halves of his career. With completely different gear sets, workflow arrangement, and ergonomics the combined studio became more and more cluttered and difficult to manage. Separating the studios not only allowed him to create an optimal and inspirational room as his writing environment but freed up space and imbued the mastering room, in which he works daily, with clarity and focus.
The focal point of the modestly-sized studio is a wall of three large floor-to-ceiling glass panels that face up the hillside and into the woods that surround the property. Tying the outdoors to the inside in this way is a vital source of inspiration for Taylor’s music and provides ample amounts of natural light. A covered deck that wraps around serves as a downtime spot to clear one’s ears and head when needed.
Both the natural light and mood of the studio were equally as important as the acoustics of the space. Headed by Jim Keller of Sondhus (who also designed Taylor’s mastering studio), they struck an important balance between vibe and accurate sound utilizing flush-mounted and unobtrusive acoustic treatment along with a muted, natural color palette.
The studio is centered around an Apple Mac Studio running Pro Tools and an API-1608 mkii analog console which serves as the heart of the studio and connection point for his collection of hardware synthesizers and outboard effects. While he utilizes a variety of digital/plug in tools they are often relegated to more utilitarian tasks, rather than creative ones. His love for physical, hands-on instruments carries over from his early years of music creation and firm belief that physical instruments are more important than ever and often carry stories and souls of their own that can find their way into the music.
Taylor’s creative space is the culmination of over 30 years of sonic exploration and an undying fascination with music technology. It is the heart of his music world; producing his own work, collaborations with friends and mixing projects for outside clients. The studio itself is, above any other, what he considers to be his main instrument, one that he views as a connected and organic environment where the collection serves as an organism that is deeper and more immersive than the sum of its parts.
Mastering Room
Taylor’s mastering studio acoustic design is by Jim Keller at Sondus and the studio is centered around a pair of Geithain RL901K monitors with an analog chain running via a Crane Song HEDD Quantum AD/DA convertor. For more information and to inquire about mastering services click here.
