Hundreds of industry pros turn out for open house, session demos, gear giveaways and networking at OC’s premier AV facility
Santa Ana, CA (February 4, 2015) – Hybrid Studios, Orange County’s premier recording studio and sound stage, opened their doors for a special event during this year’s NAMM Show in late January. Dubbed the “Hybrid Happy Hour” and sponsored by industry heavy-weights Mercury Recording Equipment, Audio-Technica, Focal Professional, Ratsnest Solutions and The Blackbird Academy, upwards of 200 guests were treated to food, beverages, recording session demonstrations, gear giveaways, and industry networking.
“It was great to see old friends and welcome new ones to Hybrid Studios,” said Hybrid co-owner Billy Klein. “We wanted to create an opportunity for everyone at NAMM to see the studio, be in our world-class control room, and experience our sound stage up close and personal. We feel the party was a complete success.”
Among attendees were industry notables Hanson Hsu, Warren Huart, Ronnie King, John Nettlesbey, Fabrice Gabriel, Bruce Millet, Dave Malekpour, Sam Martin, Ari Judah and more.
“We’ve only been open for a year but the night’s high-quality attendance shows that Hybrid is the go-to choice for producers, engineers and artists who don’t want to deal with the hassle of Hollywood, yet be close to L.A.,” adds co-owner Patrick Akhamlich.
One of the highlights was a vocal recording session featuring Grammy-winning producer/engineer Philip Allen, who has worked with Adele, Areosmith, Miley Cyrus, and Pink among others. Guests packed Hybrid’s spacious control room to get an up-close look at Allen and recording artist Michael Patrick Vitale, tracking vocals and sharing valuable techniques using Mercury’s M72s Studio Microphone Amplifier, EQP1 & EQH1 Studio Program Equalizer, and Mercury 66 Studio Limiting Amplifier.
A second demonstration followed featuring recording/mastering engineer John Schimpf, (Sheila E., Jonathan Butler, Liz Story, and more) who engineered an acoustic guitar session with Vitale. Schimpf demonstrated his use of Mercury’s G810 Rack System I, G8 Sum-It Summing Mixer, M76m Microphone Amplifiers, Grand PreQ15s and much more.
Generous prizes were raffled of during the evening, including an Audio-Technica AT4040 microphone, a pair of Focal Spirit professional headphones, and more. Recording engineer Kyle Griffin won the grand prize of a Mercury Recording Equipment G8 “Sum-It” Summing Mixer.
Audio gear demonstrations were provided by industry sponsors Ratsnest Solutions, and the Blackbird Academy.
Being just minutes from The NAMM Show, Hybrid Studios is aiming to make this an annual event. “There is a ton of great gear on the show floor,” said Klein. “By bringing it into the studio, we offer the opportunity to hear it in a more controlled environment, and have a great time!”
For more information about Hybrid Studios, visit www.HybridStudiosCA.com.
About Hybrid Studios
Hybrid Studios is fully integrated multimedia production facility in Orange County, CA. Not only does Hybrid feature a state-of-the-art analog & digital recording studio; it also boasts a massive sound stage, including a pre-lit cyclorama. Equipped with the best gear and an experienced staff, Hybrid provides a variety of products and services to clients across the creative spectrum from recording, mixing and mastering to video and photography.