Big Bad Sound LA started as a small operation in 2013, but as recognition for the studio continued to grow, Owner and Chief Engineer Zach Fisher and Manager Jack Ruley realized it was time to move into a larger space and invest in some top-quality gear—specifically a mixing console that would set them apart. Enter API.

Nashville-based equipment broker Joe Bean helped Fisher and Ruley find a 48-channel 1990s API Legacy, which has become the centerpiece of Studio A's control room. Fisher comments that he can put almost anything through the console with great results.

"I've been going straight into the board," he says. "It's an API—it sounds great. It's punchy, fast and has a little bit of cool color."

"We didn't want to be another Neve room in L.A., so we had to differentiate ourselves. And API stuck out as the sound of America," says Ruley. "It's rock 'n' roll."