API FOUND IN LIQUID GHOST

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Proving the adage that variety is the spice of life, Phil Plaskon and the crew at the Boca Raton-based audio facility, Liquid Ghost, bounce between a blend of assignments that include audio post production work for commercials, movie and commercial scores and recording music in any number of genres.

Indeed, walking through the doors of the facility recently could have landed one in the midst of a post production session for a Paul Mitchell television advertising campaign where Liquid Ghost handled the music composition and audio post production. Or one could have popped in on the Heather Mills McCartney's "Adopt a Minefield" documentary with live video footage and field audio being mixed down with sound effects and underlining bed music. One could have even happened upon Matchbox Twenty guitarist, Adam Gaynor working solo on new music for soundtracks and animation projects. The possibilities are seemingly endless.

When it comes to recording gear, Liquid Ghost finds API 312 mic pres to be at the core of their operation. "Working on his second set of sessions with Matt Sabatella and a folk music group recording vintage settler songs a la "Oh Susannah," Plaskon turns to a variety of mics from Neumann and AKG to capture the trio that includes an upright bass, vocals and banjo and then runs it all through the API 312. "We're doing everything live - vocals and instruments - right here in the studio," says Plaskon. "The API gear puts a presence into the sound - a presence that gives the recording life with an uncompromising smoothness."

All tracks go into a Digidesign Pro Tools HD3 system. But it's the API mic pre, Plaskon believes that is crucial to give the tracks a touch of warmth and body before they hit the digital domain. "What I'll do when we are creating the spots is route the outputs of the samplers and the sound boxes that we use through the APIs before it gets to Pro Tools," he explains. "To me, it just gives it a little more 'oomph,' edge and attitude, versus just going straight in through a line input or a lower-end pre."

In fact, by doing that he finds that he doesn't have to add much EQ to the tracks when mixing and that helps the process from beginning to end, saving time and money for his clients. "It's all about time. Time is money," he admits. "The faster you are able to execute for your clients and make it sound really good, the more time you have for other projects. My thing is to make sure the sound is captured right through a great mic pre, that it sounds good with the music, and has a great performance. That's it - end of story."

API remains the leader in analog recording gear, such as the famed Legacy console, the TEC award-winning 7600 channel strip, and the acclaimed 2500 stereo bus compressor.