Why do audio pros who can afford to do so work with a studio consultant?

“You hire a consultant to make choices,” says Thor Jonsson. Based out of Montclair, New Jersey, Jonsson is an in-demand studio tech whose client roster includes an elite circle of artists, composers, and producers—including some so big he can’t name them.

When SonicScoop learned that Jonsson was circling back to his roots as a synth programmer and producer by building a new composer suite for himself, we became intrigued. Like a starred Michelin chef who entertains at home on the weekend, we wondered what an expert selector of hardware, software, and networking would choose for their own personal studio.

What we got from Jonsson was far more than we expected, as he broke down the decision making process for his own build in intricate detail. From his studio computer, to dynamics, effects, mic pres, monitors, and especially his beloved Eurorack setup, Jonsson explains how everything got there and why—plus how come some others didn’t.

Lacking the scratch to land some of Jonsson’s fave raves? Fear not: He’s got the budget-conscious covered with affordable options to his bigger ticket purchases. Why does he put so much weight on quality monitoring? What is the best snare compressor EVER? Seeking the world’s best drum machine? Why do Eurorack sound sources make this expert studio tech truly come alive, and what is his torturous process for assembling a “heavenly” collection?

This is a long interview, but dare we say its worth it to read every word. Delve into his background, and then segue into the thinking behind each of his studio choices. We promise that this wired-in studio consultant will help you raise your own audio game.

Decades of experience went into the hardware and software selection process of studio tech Thor Jonsson’s personal studio.

Give us the “elevator pitch” on your background. Did you start out as a composer? How did that lead to you becoming a tech?

I came to it from the angle of synth programming and producing. As early as the 80s when I was still a teenager living in Iceland, I was very interested all the electronic equipment, especially the synths and drum machines. I read every owner’s manual I could get my hands on and studied it to the smallest detail, I thought everybody else did the same, but soon learned that almost no one cared that much.

Other musicians struggling with technology started calling me for help and eventually I realized that I could charge for this service. Since then, I have always done tech work parallel to writing and recording, as I have always been interested in exploring equipment to the finest detail even if I didn’t get paid for it. After I moved to the United States, I started training people using Logic Pro on the East Coast and everything spun off from there.

What are your responsibilities and client base as a tech?

A lot of my work is based around composers using Apple’s Logic Pro as their DAW, as that was my initial specialty. Often my consultation is based around a client upgrading a system and wanting to know what computer and audio interface to buy. They are also looking for recommendations about sample libraries, plugins, microphones, mic pres and speakers. It also involves keeping track of everything, relentless documentation, simplifying passwords, managing iLok accounts, authorizations etc…

I have trained hundreds of people in using Logic Pro and worked with people like Teddy Riley, Randy Brecker, Khalis Bayyan from Kool and the Gang, and Roger Waters.

How would you characterize your particular approach to tech work?

They hire me because they need to focus on the music, as technology can be very distracting.  I noticed early on that I had two kinds of clients: one that was very interested in how I did my work and the other half that couldn’t care less. The second group was usually the better composers.

The main thing is to build trust. I don’t set up my services so that my clients need to hire me for every little thing. It can be costly to hire a consultant, I owe it to them to use my time well. I give them the option of guiding them though the process, or doing it all for them.

I know it can be risky to admit you don’t know something when you’re hired as the expert, especially when you’re still establishing yourself in the field.  But I have always thought of it as good reverse psychology. Even if the client may hesitate for a while after hearing you say that you may not know something, they will appreciate your honesty and understand that you’re confident about your work in general enough to be straight with them.

It is also extremely important, especially with computer systems to understand how one aspect of the system, including software, relies on another.  A lot of people will understand how to fix problem B or C, but not understand that if you don’t fix problem A first, then B and C will never work. As a simple example, people can be setting Preferences for Logic of Pro Tools, but if your software crashes before you manually quit the Application, those Preferences are usually not saved.

Triple check everything you do and never assume that a new computer install is working just because it boots properly the next time around.

That’s a solid tip! How has the nature of your tech work changed during the pandemic? In what ways is it the same?

It hasn’t changed a whole lot actually because I have already been doing a large part of my work remotely for the last 10 years, especially after the initial setup has taken place.

One new problem, though, is that with everybody working remotely and using Zoom and similar video technologies, upload speeds on cable modems have become a massive problem. I hope we can replace them with fiber optics everywhere. The US government should have taken the initiative 25 years ago to install a nationwide fiber optic network. It is such a vital part of our infrastructure.

How a Top Tech Specs His Own Studio

When did you start building a new studio for yourself? What kind of composing and music production are you doing there?

Thor Jonsson has four primary criteria for every audio solution purchase.

I have had small private studios with different capacities on and off for the last 25 years. I did a lot of commercial work until about 10 years ago when the bottom seemed to drop out of that industry, as record companies started sending ad agencies their entire catalog on hard drives. In recent years there has been so much tech work I have had less time for composing. I have managed to compose a bit for a boutique New York music library ran by an old client and a friend.

But in the last year or two I got so inspired by the EuroRack synthesizer format that I rebuilt my studio around it and added some good analog outboard gear. I find this environment so much more inspiring to work with than computer-based plugins. We all know the benefits of analog sound, even though we still pretend that plugins can compete. The Eurorack systems sound so alive and amazing, even while playing just one or two notes.  I’m still in the process of mastering my rack and learning the different modules as each one is almost an instrument of its own. It is changing how I write, and I’m finally finding more time to do it.

You told me that three your main criteria for gear selection were sound, convenience, and stability. Are there other considerations that you also apply to your choices? How do you “weigh” these things when you’re evaluating and purchasing hardware or software?

You might have to add “price” as the fourth criteria. The problem in selecting gear is that no one can put their hands on all the equipment or software that is out there. There is simply too much product out there.

Testing via YouTube video demos has its pitfalls: The audio quality is too inconsistent. Sometimes you can catch a review on a YouTube channel that reviews some piece you already own and that becomes your reference point for comparison to other equipment. I have put my hands on way less than half of the equipment out there, and I’m constantly learning about new pieces. It is good to establish a relationship with a dealer so you can try one or two pieces before you decide.

For my clients, stability is number one.  You cannot have systems crashing or bugging out. For instance, if you are not running PCI cards I would recommend using Logic Pro rather than Pro Tools, as it uses DSP much more effectively that Pro Tools before it bugs out.

I have been getting more into networked audio, and some of the networking audio protocols are still working out the kinks, while others have high latency unless you spend some money.  There are always things to watch out for with new technology.

Thanks again for the tip! What else do you take into consideration?

Part of recommending equipment is recognizing what new equipment will become a classic. All of us recognize old classics, a Neumann U 87 or a U 67.  They were good and popular from the beginning.  But the Roland TR-808 Drum Machine and TB-303 bass synth were both abject failures in the beginning.  Yet they are classics. It isn’t always obvious from the start, unless you really know your field. My philosophy is that it is always worth buying the absolute best you can afford.  An hour conversation with someone that knows what equipment is good and what is bad can be priceless—what vocal mic should you get if you have a budget of $1,000, $3000, or $5000?

My recommendation is to start with good speakers, because monitoring will affect all other equipment selection.

You’ve given a couple of reasons as to why Logic is your DAW of choice. What else do you see in the DAW landscape? And what plugins or soft synths have made it into your setup?

All the DAWS are pretty great by now. Logic is the default DAW for composers because of price.  It is fantastic, but strangely still full of small bugs that have lingered around forever, that I only know because I work with it every day.  Pro Tools is obviously a standard now but mostly for engineers, not composers, as it still lacks in MIDI, and isn’t great when working with big sample libraries. Cubase seems best for powerhouse film scoring.

The best plugins in my opinion are the ones you can’t copy in the analog domain like Melodyne, Auto-Tune, Waves R-Vox, the various De-Noisers out there and Izotope RX.  The Valhalla VintageVerb is only $50, and I don’t think many reverbs beat its sound.

Delay plugins don’t sound good to me.  I started using a simple TC Electronics Nova pedal for external delay, it is much wider sounding than any plugin. It is a digital pedal, so it makes little sense why it sounds better than a plugin, but it does.

My Desert Island analog emulation plugins would be Maaq EQ4, Steve Slate Virtual Tape, and PSP Vintage Warmer. I don’t use soft synths, but quite a bit of Sample Libraries. Spitfire is probably the best company, but they just started using their own engine and authorization scheme and it is not as far along as Native Access, the standard authorization software for all Kontakt-based Libraries. The Spitfire system will not let you copy the samples from an existing drive to save time for a new install, you must download all your libraries again and that takes days. Some other sample libraries I love are the Tina Guo Cello and the Embertone Solo Strings.

Part II: Thor’s Gear Drill Down

What hardware and software does a studio consultant choose when the person he’s choosing for is himself? Here’s his thought process for each piece in his composing setup, along with an affordable recommendation for artists, producers, and composers who may be on a tight budget.

Computer custom iMac:

How I Chose It: Macs are expensive, and Apple doesn’t let you upgrade them easily. Although unsanctioned, the later iMacs can be customized.  I bought a basic $1,200 iMac and upgraded the processor to the fastest available, the memory to 64GB, and installed a fast SSD Drive.  Total cost was about $2,500 but I have a machine that equals an entry level MacPro, which starts at $6,000.

How It’s Working Out: I am very happy with it!

If You’re On a Tight Budget: You can’t spend less than $2,000 for a decent Music Production computer.  This is a powerful system at a very reasonable price.

Burl AD/DA – SoundGrid version.

How I Chose It: I had always wanted to audition all the different high end AD/DA systems so I could make more informed recommendations, but it is not easy to get your hands on them and work with them enough to form an opinion.

API, BAE, and Burl are all in Jonsson’s choosy studio mix.

I used to set up my clients with Apogee Symphony systems, then recently on a big install I got to audition the Prism ADA-8XR, and compare it to the Apogee. The sound difference was enormous, the Prism being so much punchier, specially when using analog mixing.  I started looking at options to replace my Apogee, and settled on the BURL Audio BMB4 Mothership, which is in a similar league as the Prism, but simpler to install and has a much smaller footprint.

I settled on Waves SoundGrid which is an Ethernet based network audio protocol as the computer interface, as it is the best option when running Logic. I’m also testing SoundGrid for its reliability for future clients, as that way you can keep the noisy computer in a separate closet, connected via a long Ethernet cable.

How It’s Working Out: It sounds fantastic.  It would be even better if they had a Thunderbolt option as it would be more stable than SoundGrid, in case your interface is close to your computer. But extending Thunderbolt can be tricky as there really is only one company that offers long Thunderbolt cables (Corning), and they tend to break a lot, so Ethernet is the future.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: Universal Audio interfaces are all great, even down to the Apollo Twin.  MOTU interfaces are also solid sounding.

500 Series Rack

How I Chose It: I’m still finalizing my choices for the remaining modules, but I know the Shadow Hills Vandergraph compressor will probably be in there.  I chose the 500 format because of limited space. I have gradually learned that you have to be careful about choosing modules as manufacturers can’t fit all the components from the 19” rack version on to the 500 circuit boards, so some 500 series version of Mic-Pres don’t sound as fat as the 19” version.

How It’s Working Out: The API 500 series, the 512c Mic-Pre, 525 Compressor are 550A EQs are pretty much the stable of any 500 system.  The 512c isn’t as thick sounding as some of my other mic pres, but it is natural sounding, and always musical.   The 550A EQ I chose over the 550B because its low is spectacular, and I was willing to lose a band over it.  The mid bands on those EQs are not nearly as good as the highs and lows.  The 525 Compressor has some magic sound that smooths everything that goes through it.  I find that I can’t compress too much with it as it gets very extreme, but it just rounds everything off I run through it.  Unlike so many other known brands, the new API products sound pretty much as good as the older ones.

The BAE 1073 was a surprise purchase.  A friend of mine was selling one for a good price.  I had never heard it.  It sounds completely different from any of my other mic pres, as it really is a mic pre and compressor in one.  It does not have great high end, but the lower mids are the best I have ever heard. If you have a bright acoustic guitar, this will be your best choice of a mic pre.  It is also great on any electric guitars, as it fills the track with punch.  It is nice on a bass, a snare, toms, and basically any instrument that has a lot of highs and lows already.  It wouldn’t be my first choice for vocals.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: You can’t really find anything cheaper than the API 512 mic pre.

Burl Vancouver Summing Mixer

How I Chose It: I have been planning towards building a studio with analog summing for about 15 years. Someone loaned me a Chandler summing mixer back then and I liked it a lot, but it was a bit pricey. Since then I got to check out a few different ones including the Folcrom which is completely passive as well as the Dangerous ones, that are not passive but fairly transparent.   I was leaning towards getting a Rascal audio summing mixer which sounds good when someone steered me towards the BURL B32 Vancouver.

I know a lot of people work in the box but I do feel it leads to a certain sound.  A lot of today’s music that is mixed in the box sounds great, but all those tracks lean towards a very transient bass-heavy kickdrum and a heavy 808 bass/kick.  It’s very difficult to get any sustained bass in those systems. Analog systems are more inspiring and easier to get a basic good sound from.

How It’s Working Out: The Vancouver sounds unbelievable.  It is incredibly musical, it sounds more like tape than a mixer to my ears.  It has some boost options that color the output as well as switchable output transformers that make a huge difference.  The price is also really attractive.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: This is really the low budget option of summing mixers. 

Vintage UA 1176 Compressor, Rev F.

How I Chose It: I had my eyes on this one for quite some time. It has a very distinctive thick, larger than life kind of sound, a little more rock ‘n’ roll sounding than an LA2A. I checked out the new Universal Audio versions to the 1176 but they’re not nearly as good as the vintage ones, so I got my hands on a vintage BlackFace 1176 Rev F, and that was the sound I wanted.  Even though I’m not a fan of the new 1176s, I think the new LA2A from UA sounds really good.

How It’s Working Out: It sounds unbelievable, especially on vocals, bass or guitar.  For some strange reason I sometimes like it even better when I process it as a hardware insert after the fact rather than tracking with it directly.  In order to do that you have to have a good analog digital converter to send the signal out into it, only for it to return back into your DAW.  Sometimes I stack seven plugins on a vocal track, compressors, EQs, de-essers, things to even out the vocal sound, but once I insert the 1176 into the chain I can usually shut off all of seven plugins.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: Get the API 525, it is not the same but helps to even things out.

Chandler TG-2

How I Chose It:  I have had the Chandler TG-2 for 15 or more years, is has pretty much been my go-to mic pre.  I heard a client use one and was sold on it.

How It’s Working Out: It needs a lot of maintenance.  I have to send it in every two years to get it fixed.  Very thick sounding though, great lows and highs, total opposite of BAE 1073.  I often record my Eurorack through it.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: There is a 500 series version of this that my friends tell me sounds very good as well.

Dangerous DBOX- Monitoring

How I Chose It: I had used the Apogee Symphony for a while and not needed a monitor controller since it has a built-in Monitoring section.  When I switched to BURL AD/DA I hadn’t considered a Monitor Controller, so I went to my basement and found a Mackie Big Knob that some client had given me years back.  I plugged it in and half of the beautiful sound from the BURL Converters just disappeared.  I realized that I needed something better.

There are some expensive solutions out there, but somehow I settled on a used Dangerous D-Box, as it is good enough not to ruin the quality of sound coming from the BURL.  It also features a great dual headphone amp and offers 8 channels of summing.

How It’s Working Out: It is great, period.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: I think a used D-Box is as low as you can go in price without affecting your sound.

Genelec M040 Speakers:

How I Chose It:  Speakers are the hardest thing to buy, as anything under $7,000 is fairly colored. So, you have to pick a color that complements your taste. E.g. if you tend to mix bassy, you choose bassy speakers, as your mixes will not be too bass heavy on other systems.

For some reason these Genelecs M040’s sounded exceptionally natural to me. They are not nearly as hyped as most Genelecs are.  They are ported down, meaning that the bass is let out towards the bottom, rather than through he back or even the front. I believe—not as a speaker expert though—that this makes the manufacturers able to predict the bass response of the room better.  This way the bass goes down towards your speaker stands or tabletop, which is always going to be a predictable distance of 7 inches or so away, making the bass response very similar in all environments.  Speakers ported via the back might be placed in the middle of a room or right up against a reflective wall, making it harder for the speaker manufacturer to tailor the bass response to compensate for an average room.  There are some obvious competitors in this range like ADAM A7X and Focal 65’s.  The ADAMs are great for a keyboard playback, as they are punchy. The Focals are not as natural across the spectrum to my ears.

How It’s Working Out: Just great, never doubt any mix or sound decision anymore.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: Buy something that can tide you over, and learn how they are colored, until you can afford these. Nothing makes sense if you don’t have good monitoring, it would be like shooting a movie through sunglasses.

Apogee Symphony:

How I Chose It: I keep it here as many clients have it and it is handy to have around.

How It’s Working Out: It is always convenient to have a second Interface.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: See Burl AD answer.

Amex 9098

Belongs to a client.

DBX 160XT

How I Chose It: This DBX 160XT compressor doesn’t sound that great, but it has a fantastic fast attack making it the best snare compressor ever. That is the only thing I use it for.

How It’s Working Out: Sounds great on snares.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: There are some DBX 160 plugins that offer that snappy attack.

Carefully curated: Jonsson’s Eurorack collection.

Eurorack:

How I Chose It: I picked my Eurorack pieces through brutal trial and error.  The Eurorack market is like a jungle you must learn to navigate, there are mostly good pieces but a few that are establishing themselves as classics.  I have bought and sold the contents of my rack twice at least before I landed on this selection. I’m picking four modules to discuss here that I think are just heavenly.   There is nothing like these in the plugin world. Eurorack can be a money pit, but having hands on knobs along with that quality of sound is worth it.

Eurorack equipment uses voltages up to 10V rather than MIDI to control pitch and various modulations.  That sounds like a lot of patching and a source of complications, but the Eurorack audio format also uses these high voltages, with most audio signals running around 5V. The +4dB reference point in pro audio is only about 2V, and as most people in the analog world understand, the higher the voltage the better and punchier the sound.  Also, these voltages truly modulate the sound phy sically often in an analog circuit and it translates into a more organic sound.

How It’s Working Out

Mutable Instruments Elements modelling oscillator: It’s a bit like Logic’s Sculpture plugin, the modelling-based soft synth, however this one sounds amazing.  It is hard to describe how it sounds.  I call it the “Animal” because it will create fierce and organic sounds often dystopian in nature.  It is not easy to tame, as often is the case with Euro Modules, but holy crap, it sounds great.  Modulating the parameters or just moving the knobs around makes it truly come alive.

Intellijel VCA: How can a VCA be exciting? A VCA is an abbreviation for a Voltage Controlled Amplifier. It is usually the last module in the Eurorack signal chain before running through any effects and into your DAW.  In short, this is the part of the Eurorack that makes it sound different than plugins. It gives the Eurorack sound a lot of its punch and richness. I have probably owned 40 or 50 different synths in my life starting with a Yamaha CS-10 Mono synth a long time ago. All of them had different sounding VCAs/Envelopes, some were soft others punchy.  I could never figure out what made them so different.  I finally did when I got the Intellijel VCA. It offers detailed controls that those synths never had, like Bias, Exponential/Linear response, and Gain of course.  This lets me completely shape the sound from soft to harsh, to an extremely pleasant overdrive.  Paired with a good Envelope generator to control it, this VCA is a godsend.

I recently ran in to one of the designers from the initial MiniMoog team, and he told me the Magic of the Mini Moog was that it had three VCAs, and that contributed to its huge sound. Most literature speaks to two VCAs but he said there was a third one connected to the Volume Pedal input, and some people tapped into that for a better sound.  I can’t remember more details of the story, but I know VCAs create magic.

Expert Sleepers FH-2, USB Midi-CV Interface: What exciting thing can I say about a USB MIDI CV interface module? I have to mention this piece if only for the sheer brilliance of this guy Andrew Ostler, who singlehandedly runs this incredible company called Expert Sleepers.  I think he pretty much does everything himself and he personally answers all customer support questions.  This is the most feature ridden Midi USB interface ever.  Nothing comes close.

Make Noise Morphagene, Granular Processor: This is the piece I love for what it does and hate for what it doesn’t, only because it is the best at what it does, and I wish it did more.  Make Noise is one of the absolute greatest Eurorack companies, you can pretty much buy anything they make blindly and it will be amazing. Morphagene is a granular processor, that allows you to zoom into small sections of sound and loop them and smear the sound into gorgeous cloudy textures. As such, it is the best sounding granular synth I have ever heard.  I just wish they made it simpler to accurately track pitches from a keyboard, and to synchronize the timing of those beautiful granular loops with your DAW.  There is some software that does granular processing, but nothing sounds like the Morphagene.

There are three other modules from my rack that deserve to be mentioned because they are brilliant. Those would be the Mutable Instruments Plaits, Whimsical Raps Mangrove and Basimilus Iteritas Alter.  All of those are Oscillators, Plaits is the only digital one, but it still sounds amazing.  Check out Youtube videos of those.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: Start with the Moog Mother-32, you can get it used for around $400.  I was never a particular Mini Moog fan as it was almost too big sounding to me.  This one sounds so sweet.

Hear Thor Jonsson’s Eurorack at work with these scintillating short compositions:

Neumann U 67 Remake

How I Chose It: I have a few other mics, but this one is my flagship.  I had been shopping around for a good Large Diaphragm Condenser Vocal Mic for a while.  I tested a lot of U 67 clones and competitors in the 3,000-$4,000 range, and all of them sounded alright, but all of them lacked that lower midrange glue that draws people to expensive mics.  I tested this one at the AES show in New York, and it was the only mic that sounded great to my ears.  I got to AB it against a vintage U 67 and it really held its own.

How It’s Working Out: It is amazing.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: Get a used Neumann U87, not a new one, and not a U 87 AI.  Ideally one from the ‘70s or ‘80s.

Elektron Analog Rytm Mk1 Drum Machine:

How I Chose It:  I could be poetic here and say the Analog Rytm Mk1 chose me, because I wasn’t looking for a drum machine.  Many Eurorack users used it for drums on their Youtube videos, and it sounded unbelievable, so I eventually bought one.

How It’s Working Out: This is the world’s best drum machine.  It uses samples as well as a variety of different analog sound producing percussion/drum engines.  Those sounds can be processed by a great analog filter, a fantastic delay, a reverb and distortion, all of which can be automated to a different setting per each step in its sequencer. The only drawback is that is has an unnecessarily complicated operating system that could use some Apple sensibility.  But it is so good, you simply must learn how to use it.

If You’re On a Tight Budget: Use samples and save up for it.

• Thor Jonsson, interviewed by David Weiss (special thanks to Chris Haijian for his help in making this article possible)

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