Vienna, Austria (February 27, 2019)—Studio engineer Thomas Jelinek, CEO of Balloon Studios in Austria, bought an SSL Matrix in 2009, but has now returned to analog with an SSL AWS 948 in his company’s thirtieth year.
“I missed direct recording to all channels and mixing with EQs,” he says, adding that it is already transforming the way he works, and will offer his multi-faceted music business way more flexibility. The console choice for Jelinek and his team was a compact 24-fader AWS 948, with its 48 line inputs, 24 SSL SuperAnalogue mic pres and stereo/dual mono channel strips.
“I used to have a 256-channel console before I changed to the [SSL] Matrix” reflects Jelinek. “It made sense for me to move to a controller work surface at the time, but as a true analog guy, I am very happy that at last I have the board I really want.”
Jelinek started his business in 1989 as a studio right after he finished school, and in the early ’90s, it started gaining traction as a label and then an agency as the company worked on a number of albums with BMG and Sony.
In 2019, the label is looking to sign more producers and DJs working within the club scene and for the first time in a long time, the studio will open its doors to live band projects. “DJ work has always been our specialty, but I am now offering bands recording and mastering sessions which I am only able to do because of the AWS,” Jelinek explains.
“I’m an old school producer from the ’90s who learned on analog with direct access to EQs and everything else, so I needed a great sounding console that allowed me direct access to the channels again. Now I have one.”
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