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Nigel Van Buskirk
I arrived to the address I was given and I have to admit I thought I was at the wrong address. Doug and the team do a great job of keeping the studio hidden in plain sight! There was a "for rent" sign on the window so I assumed maybe it was closed down or something in that nature. I noticed a call number on the corner of the door and decided to give it a ring. Moments later Doug popped into the hallway and let me inside. If anyone is visiting the studio for the first time I will tell you this: Don't judge a book by its cover! The "Think Tank" is a one of a kind studio with TONS of legendary equipment. The Neve Genesys G32 paired with all of their external outboard gear is enough to make any engineer's mouth water. The Hammer HM2EQ, for example, is the same mastering EQ that HANZ ZIMMER's MASTERER uses on scores like Pirates of the Carribean! It's redundant to say that I am ecstatic to use any of the gear that The Abstract will allow me to experiment with.
Doug asked me about my story and I summarized that I started using DAW's as a hobby during my sophomore year in highschool. That led me to the apprentice program at Hyde St. Studio with Zack Phillips as my mentor. Zack showed me the ropes and I am ready to expand my knowledge further with The Abstract. He asked if I retained 100% of the apprentice program and I admitted there were some lessons that I had hoped would be more "in depth"(hands on experience with Hyde St. Studio's mic locker for example). It didn't seem like a big issue with Doug as there is plenty of time to schedule at The Abstract. I am very excited to see how this all goes! My ebook orientation is done and I am ready to commit (if possible) all my freetime to the studio.
