Studio Essentials: Harry Romero

Tracks on labels like Hot Creations, Defected, elrow, Circus and Rebellion have made New York producer Harry Romero one of America’s top house talents.

His most recent outing saw him add Nick Curly’s newly revived Cecille imprint to the list, releasing the double-sided Mood Vision EP.

We had Romero handle the November edition of our Studio Essentials series, where he highlights his go-to studio monitors, rackmount filter units, hardware synthesizers and more.

Electrix Filter Factory

I run all my outboard drum machines and synths through this filter. Along with high, low and band pass filters It also has a buzz feature which really makes the drums come alive by adding some harmonic distortion. You can be as subtle or as heavy handed as you like. It’s like hot rodding a stock car. I always like to give my sounds, especially drums, an extra bit of personality and this does the trick quite well.

The ‘Fun’ sign

This was given to me by my friend Danny Tenaglia. It’s bright orange and in my line of sight because I hung it right above my computer on the back wall of my control room. It’s a reminder to have fun and to be stupid in a good, creative way. Many times, I’ll get in that rut of “it’s not good enough!” I just glance up and remember I’m not doing brain surgery. I’m making house and techno so let’s have a little fun.

Studio Electronics ATC-X & SE-1

I have a few proper analog pieces but with these two I can create just about any sound. The ATC-X has so much personality and I have yet to turn it on and not be inspired. Actually, that’s my motto for anything in my rack. It has to inspire or else it gets sold or donated. The SE-1 is my go to for bass. The bass is unreal, and I actually have to sweep some of it out as sometimes it’s over the top in the low frequencies. But these two are a match made in heaven from a great company.

Yamaha NS-10M & Genelec 1031APM

I use these two sets in tandem. The Yamahas I use for a general idea of balance. Sometimes when working on a track for a while I tend to think the mix is rocking. Then I turn on the Yamahas and realize the levels weren’t as good as I thought. They don’t lie. But that’s all part of my process. The Genelec’s is what I use to create. Throw in the Genelec 7070A subwoofer and you are smack in the middle of the dance floor with all the right frequencies. These two sets of monitors are a killer combo that I’ve been using for almost two decades.

Coleman Audio MBP2 Stereo Meters

I use these meters basically just to make sure I’m staying close to where I was when I was vibing and creating the track.  Normally when I’m close to being finished with a project I’ll begin bussing similar elements together. Quick example would be putting all my percussion elements, excluding kick drum, on a buss and adding compression, width and EQ.

The meters give me a visual as to whether I’ve gone to loud or not loud enough. Again, it gets to a point where your ears will feel fatigue and I want to make sure my sound is close to where it was when I was creating and vibing. These meters help me do that and I rely on them very much.

Harry Romero – Mood Vision EP is out now on Cecille Records.

Find more Studio Essentials’ here.