Andy Bowenkamp at Giant Leap Studios

Giant Leap Studios

Who:	Andy Bowenkamp
What:	Co-founder and Engineer, Giant Leap Studios
Where:	Bloomington, MN
API Gear:	3124+ Mic Pre

Briefly:
     Giant Leap Studios was founded in 2006 with two main objectives. The first objective was to have a studio that was strictly dedicated to the creation of positive music, and music that can influence our culture in a positive way. Giant Leap's second objective was to compete with "A" studios in the greater Minneapolis area. Recognizing that a great front end for recording would require an investment in great audio gear, Giant Leap researched and did A/B comparisons of all the big names, and little names too.

From The Street:
     "We definitely liked the all around clarity and "phatness" that the API's delivered.
     "I love hitting signal hard in the pre just before the red. It just gets fatter and fatter, and warmer and warmer the more you drive it, with loads of gain and headroom.
     "I like the way the API shines on the Fender Rhodes, and on our baby grand piano, too. It's also excellent for the detailed acoustic guitar mixing, and the "in your face" saxophones. The top end sound is so clear and smooth in these pre's it's just completely amazing. The four-in-a-row design is great, as well as the eye-blinding blue L.E.D. power light on the front...
     "Plus I love how the 3124 has everything I need on the front: phase, pad, 48V phantom, and mic buttons for easy use. Each button lights up so you know exactly what's on, which is especially great for us, because we use our Royer microphones with these babies, and we need to know that the phantom power is off! We use our 3 racks of 3124+ (12 pres total) for virtually all of our drum tracking needs. They are my "go to" Mic Pre for drums and for vocals.
     "It is actually hard to make anything sound bad with API 3124+ Mic Preamps."
     www.giantleapstudios.com
     www.myspace.com/giantleapstudiosusa

More Word from the Street...