Located in the heart of Stockport, Resonance Studios is a unique recording and synthesiser facility project pioneered by Manchester musician John Pilkington.
Resonance's mission is to inspire North Western musicians out of the DAW and emulation rut by providing access to some of the most consequential synthesisers of the past 5 decades. Among John's collection, rare and revered vintage models may be found from such manufacturers as Moog, Roland, Oberheim, Arp, Octave Plateau, Korg, and Linn.
This Summer 2024, SCV were introduced to the Resonance team to arrange the installation of a set of Focal's flagship Trio 11 studio mains. We caught up with John to get the full story on his personal history with Focal, along with his take on why the Trios were the right fit for Resonance Studios.
I reached a point early on where I was changing my monitors every 3 months because I wasn't getting the definition I needed to properly mix and master in my studio. I’d checked and treated the room, but I’d be constantly surprised with reference mixes in other people’s studios. I must have been through 8 different brands of near-field monitors in only a couple of years at a time when Focal monitors were out of budget. My friend was working as a producer at a well known studio in Manchester and he convinced me that they were one of the 3 key investments in any studio.
The following week I scoured the internet trying to find second hand Twin 6 Bes and was lucky enough to find a pair locally that I could try out. I spent well over an hour going through all the mixes I knew inside out and I was amazed by the quality of the monitors. For the last 12 years the Twin 6s have been key to any mixes I have done.
John went on to describe the confidence and insight his Trio 11s are able to afford when making critical mixing decisions, even when working at lower volumes:
The trust you build up over the years was there within the first week of using the Twin 6s, and I’m pleased to say it’s exactly the same with the Trio 11 and also the Clear MG Pro headphones.
The monitors offer surgical precision at both low and medium volumes. So far I have never got close to maxing them as it’s not needed. All three are capable of long mix sessions and ear fatigue has never been an issue. I’d say overall however the best thing is the confidence they give you, that when you play a mix on a different system you’re not going to be shocked or surprised by what you hear. This in itself must have saved me hundreds of hours of tweaks and bouncing files.
In pride of place, flanking Resonance Studios' main mixing console, we were delighted to learn that the Trio 11s play a central role in the studio's day-to-day operations:
When I embarked on the journey to open a music studio I don’t think I had any doubt that Focal would be at the heart of it. The original plan was to set up with the Twin 6 monitors but I saw the opportunity to invest in a pair of Trio 11.
They are left and right of our mixing console which features some of the best outboard gear in the world and fit perfectly. As part of the studio I also wanted a vinyl station that offered users the chance to sample from a pair of Technics 1210 turntables onto an MPC 60 or an E-MU SP12.
I setup the station with an idea of a stand either side to house a pair of Focal Listen Pro headphones and I got a couple of additional pairs for other studio users due to their excellent quality. Sonically we have some of the best synthesisers, drum machines and samplers ever made, so the direct connection to the musician is essential.
I couldn’t be happier with the decision and I’m already looking at additional Focal ceiling speakers for each station.
Discover Resonance Studios' full kit list plus details on booking enquiries at John's official website.
For more information on Focal pro audio and installed sound products, contact our sales team.