Stuart Price

In this photo of Stuart Price (aka Jacques Lu Cont) DJing, he can be seen wearing Sony MDR-ZX600 Closed-Back Headphones. Since they are black with red accents, the particular model he is wearing is the Sony MDR-ZX600/BLK. The photo was posted July 2013.

I don’t mind if the SH101’s going straight into the Neve or if it’s going in via a guitar Pod or going direct into the soundcard. I don’t really mind — it’s whatever cable’s nearest. And then you stumble upon the area of chance, which is ‘Well, I wasn’t planning on plugging this synth into the guitar amp, but because the cable’s there I did it and it was miked up and I recorded it.

Unsurprisingly, then, he doesn’t use soft synths and favours using his own sample library in Logic’s EXS24. Plug–in–wise, he finds he continually returns to the PSP range and the Universal Audio UAD1 card.

Working on a new API 1608 console with Logic 8, an Apogee Symphony interface and a UAD-2 card (an early version sent to the band by Universal Audio), Price found that the relatively stripped-down setup was a blessing in disguise.

"Dynaudio M1s powered by Bryston amps" is included in the list of equipment at Stuart Price's studio.

"I love the Yamaha TX7, the Casio CZ-101, the ARP 2600, Ensoniq Mirage, Roland MKS-50, and the EMS VCS3. I like to have them around mainly for inspiration. In my experience, turning away and just focusing on a different object in front of you can yield good results."

"The 1176 Classic Limiter Plug-In Collection almost always works for me. I love it. There’s a lot of variety in there from essentially one unit’s history."

In an interview with Universal Audio, when asked if he has a collection of vintage synthesizers, Stuart Price says, "Yes. But personally I only like to use a handful at a time to prevent tracks from becoming too general with a touch of everything. You need to live with each one for a while to get to its secrets. I love the Yamaha TX7... I like to have them around mainly for inspiration. In my experience, turning away and just focusing on a different object in front of you can yield good results." (original article source here)

Centred around a G5 Dual 2.8GHz currently running Logic 7.2 (he’s in the process of updating to version 8) with a MOTU HD192 interface, Price uses a 12:2 Neve Melbourne mixer for much of his tracking and some of his mixing.

It’s like a BCM10, but with the 33–series EQs,” he explains. “The outboard is fairly standard: Urei 1176s, an Avalon 737 pre, a Neve 1084 pre. In my travelling setup I use the Apogee Symphony and the AD16s and DA16s, which I really like. But that’s if I’m going to work at The Record Plant or somewhere.

At his home studio (dubbed “50” for the street address where he lives), Price would often access his bank of vintage synths — including a Moog Polymoog, Korg MS-20, Roland SH-09 and a rare Rhodes Chroma — to add textures to a demo track or to supplement the Clavia Nord Lead 3 that Flowers uses as his main synth.

“A lot of the reverbs in that section were made using Space Designer in Logic,” Price explains. “I used to have an Akai S1100 sampler, which had this really good reverb preset on it called Cavernous. I always missed that sound, so I recorded some impulses through Space Designer, but what I didn't realize was that I accidentally had a Yamaha SPX-90 chorus stuck on the mixer, so the impulses got recorded with this chorus effect on it. But that ended up giving them this great swirling effect, which created a lot of that revolving panorama in the song.”

“A lot of the reverbs in that section were made using Space Designer in Logic,” Price explains. “I used to have an Akai S1100 sampler, which had this really good reverb preset on it called Cavernous. I always missed that sound, so I recorded some impulses through Space Designer, but what I didn't realize was that I accidentally had a Yamaha SPX-90 chorus stuck on the mixer, so the impulses got recorded with this chorus effect on it. But that ended up giving them this great swirling effect, which created a lot of that revolving panorama in the song.”

"Apple Power Mac G5 Dual 2.8 GHz computer running Logic Pro 8" is included in the list of equipment at Stuart Price's studio.

"Lucid AD9624 converter and GENx6 clock" is included in the list of equipment at Stuart Price's studio.

"Neumann M 149 mics" is included in the list of equipment at Stuart Price's studio.

"Shure SM55, 57 and 58 mics" is included in the list of equipment at Stuart Price's studio.

"Roland SH-09 and TR-909 drum machine" is included in the list of equipment at Stuart Price's studio.

"Simmons SDS-5 drum modules" is included in the list of equipment at Stuart Price's studio.

"Yamaha DX7s and TX7 (rack module)" is included in the list of equipment at Stuart Price's studio.

"I love the Yamaha TX7, the Casio CZ-101, the ARP 2600, Ensoniq Mirage, Roland MKS-50, and the EMS VCS3. I like to have them around mainly for inspiration. In my experience, turning away and just focusing on a different object in front of you can yield good results."

"I love the Yamaha TX7, the Casio CZ-101, the ARP 2600, Ensoniq Mirage, Roland MKS-50, and the EMS VCS3. I like to have them around mainly for inspiration. In my experience, turning away and just focusing on a different object in front of you can yield good results."

"I don’t like having things setup too nicely and I mostly patch stuff in when I feel like using it — that’s why the Apollo is really helpful. I have one cable that wherever it gets plugged in has some combination of UAD front end on it — the UA 610 Tube Preamp & EQ Plug-In Collection or the Neve 1073 Preamp & EQ Plug-In Collection, an 1176, an amp simulator, or the Boss® CE-1 Chorus Ensemble plug-in."

In this picture of his studio, you can see an Access Virus TI Polar on the left side of the screen

It’s like a BCM10, but with the 33–series EQs,” he explains. “The outboard is fairly standard: Urei 1176s, an Avalon 737 pre, a Neve 1084 pre. In my travelling setup I use the Apogee Symphony and the AD16s and DA16s, which I really like. But that’s if I’m going to work at The Record Plant or somewhere.

It’s like a BCM10, but with the 33–series EQs,” he explains. “The outboard is fairly standard: Urei 1176s, an Avalon 737 pre, a Neve 1084 pre. In my travelling setup I use the Apogee Symphony and the AD16s and DA16s, which I really like. But that’s if I’m going to work at The Record Plant or somewhere.

In terms of synths, Price’s favourites include his Clavia Nord Lead 3 (“I’ll go to the grave clutching that”) and the decidedly old–school Yamaha TX7 (module version of the DX7) and Casio CZ101.

In terms of synths, Price’s favourites include his Clavia Nord Lead 3 (“I’ll go to the grave clutching that”) and the decidedly old–school Yamaha TX7 (module version of the DX7) and Casio CZ101.

Unsurprisingly, then, he doesn’t use soft synths and favours using his own sample library in Logic’s EXS24. Plug–in–wise, he finds he continually returns to the PSP range and the Universal Audio UAD1 card.

The producer chose to return to The Record Plant’s SSL1 room with its 9080J Series desk, because he’d previously worked there on Madonna’s Confessions On A Dancefloor.