09/05/2011
Tom Rowlands, a member of the popular and innovative Grammy-winning duo The Chemical Brothers, is using a recently acquired 48-channel Duality SE console as a creative tool in his private studio, Rowlands Audio Research.
Duality provides the signal routing, input capacity and DAW integration that The Chemical Brothers' new projects need for their composition, production and mixing work. Duality also provides the SSL SuperAnalogue sound used by The Chemical Brothers on their previous work.
"As we got into longer creative sessions, it became clear that we needed a 48-channel Duality instead of the AWS900 we'd had until now," explains Tom Rowlands, studio owner and member of The Chemical Brothers. "Duality has the same integrated DAW controls as the AWS, so we didn't need to learn how to operate a completely new system. Essentially, it gives us a lot of what we already had with the AWS, but with the extra channels we need to do our work."
Since installing the console, the duo has been working on soundtracks and on their new album. The Duality was used for The Chemical Brothers' contribution to composer Clint Mansell's score for the film Black Swan, and for the entire score of the upcoming film by director Joe Wright (Atonement, The Soloist, Pride & Prejudice).
"It's a very powerful console, yet simple and easy to use," says Rowlands. "We don't need a dedicated machine room, since the console draws little power, so it fits perfectly into our current facilities. The transition from the AWS to the Duality has been comfortable and easy and has allowed us to use it on our projects right away. Besides the two soundtracks, we've mixed new Chemical Brothers material and the result has been fantastic."
"We like to play with outboard gear, combining sounds with plug-ins in Logic and using lots of channels on the console," explains Rowlands. "Duality gives us more routing options and the multitude of mix buses we need, so we're really using it as a creative tool. That's essential for us to get the right sound for each track we produce."
"We spent a lot of time looking for the console that would replace the AWS900," says Nick Clarke, owner of Tech Nick Clarke, the company handling systems integration for the Rowlands Audio Research project. "Tom can now patch in his favorite keyboards wherever he wants, while keeping the option of using submixes to handle banks of keyboards. Duality is capable of handling the extremely complex mixes needed to complete The Chemical Brothers' productions."
