El Cortijo - 'Record in Paradise'
"It is a simply fantastic place to take a project. The studio, the surroundings and the Mediterranean culture all contribute to making it one of the most enjoyable places I have ever worked in" - Markus Dravs (Producer)
El Cortijo - The Studio
The studio itself can be found at the heart of the house. Its large and airy control room looks
out over the mountains and beyond to the Mediterranean. The room is based around a Trident
Vector console, chosen for its very open sounding mic amps, classic trident "musical" EQ, and
pure signal path. In order to maintain ultimate flexibility, most racks and equipment are wheeled
and extendable to accommodate any amount of additional equipment being brought in.
To the right of the control room through two sets of double sliding doors is the main recording area. The largest room is split into two with a dividing wall and screens, or can just be left open as one big space if preferred. The room has been built with an emphasis on achieving great acoustics, and Trevor has designed one end of the live space for the specific purpose of realising a fantastic drum sound. There are two large sound locks between the control and live rooms, which are ideal for use as amp booths. The layout of all the recording areas has been designed to maintain perfect visibility throughout the studio.
To the front of the control room is the main vocal booth. Again benefiting from floor to ceiling
glass walls this has to be one of the most inspirational recording spaces in the world, but at
the same time drawing the curtains can make it feel warm and homely.
The studio comes with a fully loaded HD3 Protools rig with 24 outputs and plenty of plug-ins. For those wishing to stick to analogue recording there is a 24 track Studer A820 with Dolby SR. The outboard racks feature a good selection of vintage compressors and EQs, plus all the usual gates and modern effects processors. There is of course a comprehensive microphone selection.
Available backline includes a drumkit, Ampeg B15 Portaflex, Fender twin, Marshall head and cab and a selection of keyboards. Comfy sofas come as standard!
Closely working in association with FX rentals in the UK, we are able to hire any piece of
equipment you require, usually delivered within 24 hours. With the help of FX, we have also
handpicked a variety of custom-selected racks that can be hired at special rates.
The studio also has a resident maintenance engineer who is available to give 24 hour technical support, as well as assisting in setting up at the session's start, if required. Should bands or artists need to travel to and from the studio, we can assist in arranging transportation to both local airports, Malaga and Gibraltar.