Console Atlas
Large-format desks get sold, split and moved. The Atlas tracks every console family we index, and every desk a studio has documented: where it was built, where it has lived and who has it now.
Featured desk
The Sound City Neve 8028
A custom 8028 built for Sound City in Van Nuys. It became the subject of Dave Grohl’s 2013 documentary, Sound City.
- 1970sInstalled in Studio A at Sound City, Van Nuys.
- 2011Bought by Dave Grohl when the studio closes. Moved to Studio 606.
Console families
16 rooms indexedNeve 80-series
1970s
Class-A discrete preamps and EQs in every channel. Rooms built around one tend to book a lot of full-band tracking.
SSL 4000
1980s–90s
The built-in bus compressor and Total Recall made the 4000 the default mix desk for two decades.
SSL 9000
1990s–2000s
SuperAnalogue signal path with a cleaner, wider sound than the 4000. Mostly found in large mix rooms.
API
1970s–now
Discrete 2520 op-amps and 550-style EQs. Engineers book API rooms for punch on drums and bass.
Trident
1970s–80s
British desks known for a distinctive, musical EQ. Working examples are rare.
Harrison
1970s–80s
American inline desks with a clean, fast sound and a long history in pop records.
Custom consoles
Various
Custom-built desks. Check each studio’s source for its configuration.
Control surfaces
Various
DAW control surfaces; these do not establish an analog signal path.
Desk not documented
Not documented
This listing currently documents other equipment. Contact the studio for console details.
Neve V-series
V-series
Published Neve V-series consoles. Check individual studio profiles for configuration.
SSL AWS
Hybrid workflow
SSL AWS consoles combine an analog recording path with workstation control.