In San Antonio, Texas, the team at Harter Music is hard-pressed to choose their favorite part about their 1608 console; installed just under a year ago. Studio owner Keith Harter works along with Jonathan Harter (producer and engineer), Jorge Infante (sound engineer) and Joshua Harter (Composer) at the studio, where they have carved out a permanent place in the uniquely diverse culture involved with Texas music. Keith and Joshua's composition work gives them an equally diverse role in the studio, which they say had a huge impact on the decision to go with a 1608. "We write everything from stripped down ukulele tunes to full-on orchestral film score pieces. A lot of our favorite work is scoring to picture. Now the 1608 gets used for all our commercial music. When it comes time to maintain or repair something, we know API is going to be very easy to work with."
Before the 1608 arrived, the studio was already well-stocked with our gear, but the Harters wanted one cohesive unit. They didn't want to move away from the gear they already had, as Keith explains, because "The pre-amps and the EQs sound so good! The console format just makes it easier to record and mix." Keith got in contact with Darrin Fendley at Vintage King for a solution. Ordering the 1608 unloaded "was a huge part of what made the console affordable for us." While price and reliability were essential elements when making the decision to upgrade, Keith says that what cinched the deal was "the sound, most importantly! It's a great feeling when you're sitting behind that much API. We couldn't efficiently run all analog sessions before. Now we can record and mix all on tape if we want."
Harter Music has seen George Strait and Cheyenne Jackson, among other celebrity artists, record in their studio. They also just wrapped on the score to the film The One I Wrote for You. "It was an intensely musical project where lots of actors sang songs. We spent over a year recording and mixing—it was such a blast." If you want to keep up, or are interested in a project of your own, check hartermusic.com or facebook.com/hartermusic for updates.
