Clouds Hill RecordingsInstalls New ADAM Audio S2V Monitors

Producer and Musician Johann Scheerer has installed a pair of ADAM Audio S2V nearfield monitors

The new 3^rd generation flagship range of near field, midfield and main studio monitors for audio recording and production professionals, are now on top of the desk at Clouds Hill Recordings, Scheerer’s beautiful high-end analog Hamburg studio.

In this age of digital recording, niche analog facilities thrive by showcasing their purpose-built acoustics, their inspirational, creative spaces, and, in some cases, their collections of vintage recording equipment. This market has nurtured the rise of these special studios with well-maintained analog equipment like Welcome to 1979 and Fivethirteen Recording in the USA, Toe Rag Studios in London, and in Germany, Clouds Hill Recordings.

“People need speakers and brands they know”

Scheerer founded Clouds Hill Recordings in 2005, in an old warehouse next to the River Elbe in Hamburg. A professional musician from the age of 16, he moved into production and realized his dream of setting up his own studio at the age of 23. “I always wanted to work in a high-end analog setup, and to give others the opportunity to use one”, he explains. “When many of the other recording studios were closing down, I saw a demand for analog recording.”

Of course, the ethos at Clouds Hill remains at all times user-friendly — the studios’ dual recording and control rooms feature the best of modern digital technology, including Pro Tools HDX workstations and Apogee and Lavry converters, alongside the very best of the analog manufacturing era and one of the most extensive collections of vintage gear in Europe. Neve and API consoles nestle alongside Studer multitrack tape machines, Fairchild limiters and EMT plate reverbs, and a comprehensive selection of mics vintage and modern.

“My basic idea was to found a recording studio that feels like the perfect living room for recording”, continues Scheerer. “Obviously, the tech side of Clouds Hill is very important… but it´s really about the personal, intimate vibe that makes artists from all over the world come here.” And come they do: clients of the residential studio in recent years have included The Beach Boys, The Killers, Albert Hammond Jr., Pete Doherty, The Libertines, At The Drive-In, Gallon Drunk, and producers John Agnello and Jim Abbiss.

“I really like the new S2V speakers. Their transparent sound makes them great for long mixing sessions — you don’t get ear fatigue”

When it comes to studio monitors, Scheerer tries to provide a variety of tried and tested options for his clients, and he now includes the new ADAM S Series loudspeakers amongst the choices on offer. “My experience running a rental studio is that people need speakers and brands they know”, he explains. “For production, it is useful to provide very special and unique gear that makes musicians experiment — but for mixing they need a secure environment. ADAM is a well-known brand and many of their speakers are modern classics that most of the engineers and producers know. I really like the new S2V speakers. Their transparent sound makes them great for long mixing sessions — you don’t get ear fatigue.”

Before the ADAM S2V nearfield monitors were installed at the studio, Clouds Hill has hosted a successful, well-attended ADAM Audio roadshow event designed to showcase the new S Series to producers, engineers and musicians in northern Germany, and the S2V monitors are now a permanent part of the studios’ equipment. “When I tell my clients about the new ADAM S2Vs, most of them know all about the legacy of other ADAM speakers and are anxious to try them out,” concludes Johann Scheerer. “Then they listen and are impressed!”