Boutique Recording Brands Changing Modern Studios
Boutique manufacturers making waves in the industry.
We explore some of the boutique recording brands that continue to innovate in different ways with designs for recording, mixing, and mastering.
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When we compare a boutique brand to market giants like Music Tribe and The Focusrite Group, there are several key differences that play a role in the design philosophy, build quality, and pricing of the gear we find in stores. While boutique brands operate on a small-batch or even made-to-order basis with handmade production lines, the majors have multinational operations with scale to meet the mass demand.
What are the Differences between a Boutique Manufacturer and a Major Brand?
- Production and Build: A boutique manufacturer uses a small team to manually hand-wire and test each unit, while a larger brand uses automated production lines and printed circuit boards (PCBs), which allows super-fast, low-cost manufacturing.
- Sonic Character: Boutique gear is all about personality and becoming part of the creative process, whereas mass-market gear is trying to perform a function or fill a gap in a saturated market.
- Component Quality: Because they aren’t producing 100s of units each day, boutique manufacturers can use rare discrete components and even build parts in-house if necessary. Major brands are more focused on meeting targets based on supply and demand.
- Price and Accessibility: Because boutique gear is more labor-intensive to produce, it comes with a higher price tag. Meanwhile, brands with offshore assembly lines can cut costs and make gear more accessible to the masses.
- Philosophy and R&D: Boutique brands are usually built around the obsessive vision of a single inventor or engineer, whereas major brands are fighting for market share.
Boutique Recording Brands: Cranborne Audio
British manufacturer Cranborne Audio was founded relatively recently in 2017 by a team of ex-Soundcraft designers and engineers. When one considers the impact that the company has had in such a short time, it’s even more impressive. Cranborne Audio draws from the rich heritage of British audio design and combines this with modern innovation and versatility.
Some of the highlights of the Cranborne lineup include the Carnaby saturation-based EQ and the Brick Lane modal PWM compressor, which are both available as 500-series modules and more extensive 19-inch rackmount processors with software integration and digital recall. However, Cranborne Audio also offers some unique integration features, like the R8 and 500ADAT 500-series racks with digital converters, and the C.A.S.T. (Cat 5 Analogue Signal Transport) format for distributing analogue signals over Cat 5 cables.
These features are particularly useful for engineers, as they allow you to easily incorporate your lunchbox rig into any studio or FOH setup. Overall, the Cranborne approach is particularly interesting because the designs are leveraging modern ideas and interfaces without neglecting users who want to add some vintage vibe when they want to. Get it at Thomann.*
Boutique Recording Brands: WesAudio
Founded by Radoslaw Wesolowski in 2010, Polish manufacturer WesAudio, with the help of Michal Weglicki, pioneered the concept of plugin-controlled analogue hardware. This was made possible through Weglicki’s development of the high-speed GCon communication protocol that accurately bridges the gap between the analogue and digital domains.
WesAudio’s product line started off as a small collection of clones of classics like the 1176, the Pultec EQ, and the SSL bus compressor with digital recall. However, the range expanded over the years, with more modern designs including the Pandora multiband VCA compressor module, and the high-end ngTubeComp and ngTubeEQ for mixing and mastering applications.
As a direct result of WesAudio’s consistent innovation, digital recall is steadily becoming a standard within studio hardware, but it is also the analogue circuit designs that set these pieces apart. This allows you to benefit immediately from using the sound in your recording and mixing workflow, as you build a WesAudio system piece by piece until you can take advantage of recalling multiple units. Get it at Thomann.*
Boutique Recording Brands: Hazelrigg Industries
After spending years under Doug Fearn, Geoff and George Hazelrigg entered into an exclusive licensing agreement in 2017 and took over the manufacturing, servicing, marketing, and daily business operations for D.W. Fearn. A year later, the first Hazelrigg Industries product was launched from the same headquarters in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, with Doug Fearn playing an advisory role.
The Hazelrigg Industries lineup includes a range of preamps, DIs, EQs, and compressors that use Doug Fearn’s tried and tested amplifier and power supply designs. This allowed the brothers to create 19-inch rackmount and 500-series modules that offer a similar quality to the famous D.W. Fearn all-tube designs, with a more accessible price tag for modern producers.
The range of Hazelrigg 500-series modules is particularly exciting because they allow you to build your rig piece by piece with a tube preamp, tube EQ, and a clean PWM compressor that suits the sound of modern music. Naturally, this is a more affordable route compared to the VLC and VNE tube-based rackmount units. Get it at Thomann.*
Boutique Recording Brands: elysia
The German audio brand elysia was launched in 2005 by Ruben Tilgner and Dominik Klaßen on the ultra high-end side of the market with the alpha compressor, a mastering tool that remains one of the best in class to this day. One thing that is certain when you look at the elysia range is that there are no vintage clones. Instead, the manufacturer is more concerned with features and workflows that are not offered by other studio gear, while keeping within the structure of high-quality Class-A circuit designs.
The elysia current range can be divided into three categories for different applications. This includes the desktop-friendly qube series for artists and home studio users, the classic series of 19-inch rackmount units and 500-series modules for mixing and mastering applications, and the new studio series with plugin integration for recall and control.
Besides a loud, clean, and punchy sound signature, some of the unique aspects you can find on elysia compressors and EQs are features like the Anti-Log function, which reverses the logarithmic release curve for exaggerated compression effects. This pairs well with elysia’s Gain Reduction Limiting (GRL), which sets a maximum value cap for gain reduction. Meanwhile, elysia is also known for its innovative mid-side processing features, and the 500-series modules are actually priced quite affordably for a brand of this level. Get it at Thomann.*
Boutique Recording Brands: IGS Audio
IGS Audio is another Polish manufacturer that needs no introduction. Founded in 2003 by Hip-Hop producer and engineer Igor Sobczyk, IGS started by building vintage clones with modern reliability and over time, the brand forged its own identity and sound, and has become a household name today, used in studios all over the world.
Within the IGS lineup of 500-series modules and 19-inch rackmount units, you’ll find versions of legendary gear like the Neve 1073, Pultec EQP-1, 1176, LA-2A, SSL bus compressor, Fairchild 670, and more. These recreations are popular because they provide the familiar sound and workflow, but with tank-like durability and high-quality, hand-built electronic components.
In more recent years, IGS has branched away from exclusively creating clones and released pieces like the Volf FET compressor and the 825EQ, which are certainly influenced by vintage designs, but transform these concepts from vibe pieces into precise musical tools that are ideal for mixdown and mastering workflows. Get it at Thomann.*
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