“I wanted to be able to give bands a better opportunity than I had, to make great sounding music,” explains studio owner Nick Diiorio, who bagged himself a classic ASP8024 for his recently opened Thunder House Studio. Based in Saint Lucie County out of a commercial facility that he has been steadily developing since late 2019, it is part of Thunder House Sound (THS) which comprises his live sound company, backline equipment rental along with the studio.
ASP8024: “the perfect professional desk to meet my needs and budget”
His numerous “unremarkable” studio experiences recording his own bands led him to target local, unsigned artists. “The local band may not always be local,” he rationalises. “They always have the most to learn about anything in the music world. I love being able to teach and help them evolve.”
This concept of offering better service, information and support mechanisms to these musicians is already bringing in business. Pop-punk band, Point of View is a regular Thunder House Studio client, recording one to two songs a month, and Nick has just started tracking the latest album for ambience pop-rock band Sandman Sleeps, due to be mixed by multiple gold record producer James M Wisman.
“The first time I had a console in front of me, I knew it was the way I wanted to work”
Nick’s own ‘audio journey’ began back in high school when he joined a punk band playing drums – or whatever instruments were lying around in his basement. Back then he would record their music using a cassette recorder with dual ¼” jack inputs with a couple of Radio Shack mics plugged in. “There was a lot of experimentation,” he confesses. “The punk world showed me there are no boundaries in music and DIY became my standard operating procedure.”
Time passed and he continued on the DIY route. He read about, bought and traded gear, starting out with an 8-channel interface. “The first time I had a console in front of me, I knew it was the way I wanted to work,” he says. “I have had analogue and digital consoles over the years and when I got my first look at an Audient console, I felt like it was the perfect professional desk to meet my needs and budget. I had been eyeing the ASP8024 with DLC for about seven years and when I found what I was looking for on the used market I jumped at the chance to bring it home.
“The punk world showed me there are no boundaries in music”
“My basic tracking setup is 24 bus plus the 8 subgroup busses for 32 in, and I use the additional x8p for any extras, like DI signals or other secondary signals that may not need to be heard through the console during tracking. I have a basic signal flow with outboard preamps and other analogue boxes pre-patched to most of the channel inserts. I am also running a few analogue reverb and delays,” he says, fully satisfied with how it has all come together. “My setup does exactly what I need it to.”
Although it’s still early days, Nick knows that whatever happens, there will always be a studio in the mix. “I think a part of me always wanted to do something with sound and music. From cassette recordings in my basement, to working on car audio, to finally running live shows and opening the studio, I think it was inevitable that I would end up where I am!” he laughs.
Audient is so pleased to hear that it’s worked out. To see what Nick is getting up to right now, follow him on Facebook and Instagram. Here’s wishing you all the best, Nick!
