Prairie Sun Recording Studio manager Liz Silver, owner Mark Rennick, and Prairie Sun Live manager/engineer Joe Jones
USA - Just north of San Francisco, on a rural 10acre ranch in the heart of Sonoma County wine country, Prairie Sun Recording Studios has been steadily recording some of the biggest names in music since 1980. From The Grateful Dead, Carlos Santana and Journey to Nine Inch Nails, Wu Tang Clan and Tom Waits, numerous Grammy Award-winning records have been tracked, mixed, and mastered at this former chicken hatchery repurposed four decades ago by Mark ‘Mooka’ Rennick as a recording complex comprising three well-appointed studios.
For 10 years, this same site has also served as the headquarters of Prairie Sun Live, a live sound reinforcement and rental company that Mooka has led with the same passion, expertise, and commitment to great gear that has made his recording business a success.
First started in 2012 with an Adamson Y10 line array and Lab.Gruppen PLM amps purchased from Clair Brothers, Prairie Sun Live has grown its inventory to notably include d&b audiotechnik J- and Q-Series loudspeaker systems and DiGiCo SD-Range mixing consoles, including the SD9, SD10 and SD7T. Now, Prairie Sun Live has further deepened its commitment to DiGiCo’s mixing platform by upgrading its SD7T to a Quantum7T with the addition of a new Quantum engine.
“I purchased my SD7T from the West End of London seven years ago and have rented it out for many events locally and nationally thanks to its Theatre-specific ‘T’ software package,” Mooka shares. “I bought the SD7T because, like the SSL 4000 E/G and vintage 80 Series Neve desks that I have in my studios, it represented the absolute top of the line. This console has always been sonically pristine and transparent, incredibly flexible, and infinitely programmable. And with its new Quantum engine, which Paul Bell installed for us, it really doesn’t get any better than this - now, and for many years to come.”
Mooka says that one of his primary goals with Prairie Sun Live is to help make shows sound and feel as good as they do on a great recording. “DiGiCo is the tool for a serious creative to really make this happen,” he says. “We pair our desks with two SD-Racks loaded with 32-bit ‘Ultimate Stadius’ Mic Preamps and DAC modules, and they make a clear difference. Add the Quantum engine to the mix and DiGiCo elevates the fidelity of live sound to what I think it should be and where it’s headed, especially with immersive audio’s hot new experience.”
FOH engineer Nigel Wolovick was thrilled about the creative potential of the SD7T’s Quantum upgrade at the recent Emerald Cup Harvest Ball in December. “We set up the Quantum7T at front-of-house alongside several guest consoles and the contrast in sound quality was very noticeable,” he describes. “It was such a blast to mix on, without needing to rely on any external plugins. I was able to get incredible tone out of each channel, especially with the new Mustard and Spice Rack processing option.”

Latest Issue. . .

Save
Cookies user preferences
We use cookies to ensure you to get the best experience on our website. If you decline the use of cookies, this website may not function as expected.
Accept all
Decline all
Analytics
Tools used to analyze the data to measure the effectiveness of a website and to understand how it works.
Google Analytics
Accept
Decline
Advertisement
If you accept, the ads on the page will be adapted to your preferences.
Google Ad
Accept
Decline