LEC Studios opens Miami recording facility with SSL ORIGIN

LEC Studios has opened a new recording facility in the Miami metropolitan area centred on a Solid State Logic ORIGIN analogue console. The studio is part of a wider creative complex in Doral.

At its heart is a 32-channel ORIGIN desk installed in custom furniture designed and built by Malvicino Design Group, which also oversaw the acoustic design, studio design and system integration. The wider complex includes podcast, recording and performance spaces, along with a production facility, concert venue and video post-production studio.

The project is the first dedicated recording studio developed by Humberto Alvarez, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of parent company Logistic Events Corp. The facility also supports the group's new record label initiative and is intended to serve both emerging artists and established professionals.

A 9.1.4 speaker system for Dolby Atmos monitoring has been installed in the recording studio, reflecting demand for immersive audio production as commercial studios expand the range of services they offer under one roof. In Miami, where music, live events and content creation overlap across Latin, US and international markets, multipurpose creative sites have become more common.

Console choice

Horacio Malvicino, Managing Director of Malvicino Design Group, said the ORIGIN was chosen partly for its place in Solid State Logic's console lineage and partly for how well it suits recording workflows built around digital audio workstations.

"I was such a huge fan of the 4k back in the day," Malvicino said.

He described the desk's sound in detail: "Compared to vintage 4000-series consoles, ORIGIN feels slightly cleaner and tighter in the low end, with a lower noise floor and more refined stereo imaging. It strikes a great balance between classic SSL punch and modern transparency rather than relying on heavy coloration. Overall, the console sounds open, punchy, clean and unmistakably SSL."

Malvicino also singled out the ORIGIN's E Series 242 EQ section as one of the board's defining features. "It has a very aggressive and musical midrange character, excellent punch and a great top-end presence. Compared to later G-series EQs, the 'black knob' design feels more aggressive and characterful, which gives ORIGIN a more authentic 'classic SSL' attitude without sounding overly pristine."

Hybrid workflow

Much of the technical rationale for the installation rests on how the console bridges analogue recording methods and computer-based production. That hybrid model is now standard in many commercial rooms, where engineers want tactile signal routing and summing without giving up DAW-based recall and editing.

"Today's workflow is heavily DAW-centred, and ORIGIN works exceptionally well as the front-end for recording, monitoring, analogue summing, cue sends and outboard routing. What makes the console special is that it preserves the classic SSL inline workflow while adapting naturally to modern DAW-based production," Malvicino said.

He added that the board's routing structure simplifies day-to-day use. "The inline architecture and routing matrix make the workflow significantly faster and more intuitive than many modern controller-and-interface setups. Compared to older SSL consoles, which relied on more complicated bus assignment logic and multiple button combinations, the ORIGIN routing matrix feels much cleaner and more efficient."

Malvicino also pointed to the insert structure on the two signal paths: "Most consoles that have a monitor path don't have an insert point on the small fader."

Session setup

At LEC Studios, typical sessions route DAW outputs to the ORIGIN tape returns and large faders, while microphone inputs and tracking chains are assigned to the short faders. During recording, engineers generally operate the desk in split inline mode, using the short fader for input duties and the large fader for playback monitoring to the stereo mix bus.

The board's PureDrive microphone preamp is used in both clean and driven settings, depending on the source material. "It adds harmonic density, subtle saturation, more forward midrange and a slight thickening effect. It works particularly well on vocals, bass, synths and room microphones. It's tasteful and musical, rather than overly aggressive," Malvicino said.

The master section's SSL G Series Bus Compressor also remains a regular part of the room's setup during both tracking and mixing. "During tracking, it's often used lightly on cue mixes, drum room compression or subgroup control, although it's not always printed."

Its role becomes more central once a project moves into mixdown. "During mixing, however, it's used constantly. Typical settings include a 2:1 or 4:1 ratio, slow attack, auto release, and around 1 dB to 4 dB of gain reduction. It still delivers the cohesion, punch and forward movement that people immediately associate with SSL mixes, and many engineers build their mixes around it."

Subgroup routing is another part of the desk's appeal for current production methods, particularly when engineers need separate stems for drums, vocals, effects and parallel processing. "Typical subgroup assignments include drums, music, guitars, vocals, effects, parallel compression and stem printing. A common structure would involve dedicated drum, music, vocal and FX subgroups feeding the final mix bus."

Malvicino concluded: "ORIGIN succeeds because it doesn't try to simply recreate a vintage SSL console. Instead, it preserves the classic inline workflow, SSL punch, routing flexibility, analogue summing and tactile mixing experience while integrating naturally into today's DAW-heavy, recall-based hybrid production environments. For many engineers, it represents the perfect balance between vintage console workflow and modern production practicality, all within a more manageable footprint and cost."

The ORIGIN console was supplied by Stephen Banister at GC Pro. Horacio Malvicino and Fabiola Mena led the Malvicino Design Group team, which also included studio installer Diego Mejia and system integrator Federico Petrone. Construction was carried out by Adrian Milton and the Conacustica team.