Adam Fair
Tim Thorney
Isolation booth
system, which is run by a Mac Mini, and we have all of our software
synths as well as our hardware synths all connected there and we
treat that whole unit as an instrument, which we patch into Pro Tools,
but it’s totally on its own.”
All connectivity between the live and control rooms has been
run through the basement, floor, and walls.
What sets Villa Sound apart from its counterparts in major centres?
“For starters, location, location, location,” Thorney enthuses. “Not being
in the big city is a big deal. We find people come here, settle in, and
get into the thing. There are no other distractions.”
While in the project space in Toronto, it was necessary to utilize
other facilities to finalize recordings. Here, they have a full-service
space for production and recording, mixing in stereo and 5.1, master-
ing, post-production, sound design, dialogue editing, and voiceovers.
They also provide consulting services and original music for a variety
of film, TV, commercial, and corporate projects.
MOTU Ethno
Native Instruments Komplete 8
Microphones
“We realized we wanted to do everything in-house, which is why
we got the gear and space that we did,” Fair says.
He and Thorney each produce projects there and have provided
original content for a variety of high-profile clients such as Sports
Illustrated, EA Sports, and Moet, among others. And they oversee the
entire operation themselves, although they do collaborate with a va-
riety of other artists regularly, including Hill Kourkoutis, Joey Landreth,
Danny Weis, and Randy Cooke.
They also run an independent label out of the space, Villa Sound
Records, which represents Shawnee, Kate Todd, and Thorney’s own
musical output. “The label is still pretty new,” Thorney adds, “so we
haven’t had the chance to fuck it up yet,” he says, laughing. Far from it,
in fact; they’re currently adding more artists to their roster and grow-
ing their list of services.
“We’re always expanding,” Fair sums up, “and we like it that way.”
Kevin Young is a Toronto-based musician and freelance writer.
Shure 520 DX Bullet
Shure SM57 (x6)
Output Exhale AEA R84 Ouput Rev AKG 414 XLS Output Signal AKG D112 Slate Digital Apex 435 (x2) Slate Drums Audio-Technica 2020 JVC ProHD GY-HD110U Camera
Sonoris DDP Creator Audio-Technica 2021 Nikon D5100 Camera
SoundToys Neumann KM 184 (x 2, matched
pair) Canon Vixia HF R700
Trilian Bass Peluso 2247 LE (x2, matched
pair) Apple Final Cut Pro
UAD (various plug-ins) Peluso P-12 Adobe Premiere
Waves Mercury Sennheiser M421 (x2) Adobe After Effects
SSL Duende
TC Electronic VSS3 Reverb
Shure SM7B
Video Equipment
Neewer 7-in. Camera Display
Monitoring &
Headphones
Barefoot Micro Main 27s
JBL LSR 4326Ps & 4312SP
subwoofer (5.1)
K&H 110
Yamaha HS7s & HS8S sub
AKG 141 (x 4)
Beyerdynamic DT 150 (x2)
Grado SR60e
Hear Tech Personal Monitors (x5)
Nady QH-560 (x4)
Sennheiser 280 HD
PROFESSIONAL SOUND • 33