Who:Benjamin Johnson

What:Owner, Engineer, Producer and Musician

Where:Berlin, Germany

API Gear:[2] 512cs

"The API 512c is great for a clean, crispy, quick response and energetic tone. If that is what I want, I look no further."

"The simplicity of the 512c is my favorite part. There are no 'special features' or wingdings. I like how it sounds and that it is always dependable. Vocals, especially, are immediately more a 'finished product' directly upon recording. If the singer is good and I have the right mic I need only minimal EQ and can forget having to use any kind of 'vocal exciter' plugin."

"The 512s are simply a great product, they perform as they are supposed to and have a subtle yet distinct coloring that I was looking for. After I got to know the sound better I was able to pair them well with specific microphones to achieve a more exact and tailored sound."

Benjamin Johnson says that Hominid will record any genre, with one caveat: "as long as a human plays the instrument, I am happy. I am not one for samples." Hominid records from folk to hard rock, and Johnson says he went looking for API when he wanted a "standard that would offer a contrast" to his digital gear. Now he uses the 512cs on "vocals, drums, overheads, guitars, xylophone, trumpet; often with some kind of stereo setup, X/Y or M/S, but also separately."

Johnson has been busy in the studio, finishing a full-length album for A Seated Craft (currently on tour throughout Germany), completing an EP for his own group Sloppy Johnson and the Boiler Boys, and currently working on his first solo CD "Hominid".

More: hominid-music.com
Contact: studiohominid@yahoo.com