November 2015; Nashville, TN:
Zac Brown, of the three-time GRAMMY Award winning Zac Brown Band, has taken delivery of an API 48-channel Legacy Plus console at his Nashville studio. API built the Legacy Plus according to Brown's specific configuration requests, which included API's acclaimed automation. The company recently sent a team to Music Row to commission the console at Brown's personal studio, Southern Ground Nashville.

Formerly a Presbyterian Church, Southern Ground stands out among other legendary spaces on Music Row partly because the building itself is over a century old, and partly because of the sheer number of talented artists who have mixed and tracked at the location. Explains API Sales Director Dan Zimbelman: "The sound of Nashville is synonymous with API. Nashville has come to rely on the world-class API sound—there are more API consoles in Nashville than anywhere else in the world."

The Zac Brown console is amply supplied with API mic pres, compressors, filters and of course EQs, all of which combine to provide API's trademark warm, analog sound. As it turns out, this is exactly what Studio Director and Chief Engineer Brandon Bell was looking for when Zac made the decision to order the console, and he makes no bones about expressing his enthusiasm now that the API is installed and operational.

"Very few companies are building large format consoles with the facilities that API incorporates into the Legacy Plus," explains Bell, adding, "I also prefer the sound of API to other brands, especially for acoustic instruments. We're very excited to have the new Legacy Plus at Southern Ground and we think our clients will be also."

The console was sold by Rob Dennis, owner of Rack and Roll, one of API's Nashville dealers. Dennis noted that "Zac and his amazing crew have been clients for a long time now. I told them years ago that if the studio wanted to be taken seriously as a commercial room in the Nashville market, they needed an API. The API and big tracking room combo is a winner here in Nashville, and Southern Ground is the most unique and vibey room in town. I can't wait to hear the music that comes out of this already legendary studio."

Bell agrees, highlighting efficiencies and workflow opportunities that the Legacy Plus has already provided in its short residency. One major change? "I'm not afraid to use the console for the entire band. It's solid, and I don't feel like there's any sacrifice to using it for all the instruments on a session. It's fast in all facets, the signal chain is clean, routing is quick, and the automation is a breeze. We now have a console that matches the vibe and caliber of our tracking room."