Why the Sound Techniques ZR36 Console is the Secret to Great Records
There's a reason why some of the most iconic albums in rock history share a common thread—and it's sitting right here in our control room at Boulevard Recording.
When you walk into Boulevard Recording, you're not just looking at another mixing console. You're looking at a piece of history reimagined: the Sound Techniques ZR36. It's one of the few consoles in the world that can trace its lineage directly back to the boards that shaped the sound of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust, T. Rex's Electric Warrior, and parts of The Beatles' Abbey Road.
But here's what makes it truly special—it's not just about the legacy. It's about what this console does to your music today.
Legendary Albums Recorded on Original Sound Techniques Consoles:
Crown Jewel Albums:
- Beatles - White Album, Abbey Road
- Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
- Bob Marley & The Wailers - Catch a Fire
- David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
- Deep Purple - Machine Head
- Genesis - Nursery Cryme
- George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
- Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
- James Taylor - James Taylor
- Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV
- Linda & Richard Thompson - I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight
- Lou Reed - Transformer
- Nick Drake - Pink Moon
- Paul McCartney - Red Rose Speedway
- Paul Simon - Paul Simon
- Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon, Yoko Ono) - Give Peace a Chance/Remember Love
- Queen - Queen
- Ringo Starr - Ringo
- Rolling Stones - Goats Head Soup
- T. Rex - Electric Warrior
▸ View Complete Discography (100+ Albums)
- Al Stewart - Zero She Flies, Love Chronicles
- Alice Cooper - Muscle of Love
- America - America
- Argent - Argent
- Badfinger - No Dice
- Beatles - Hey Jude/Revolution 7" Single, Parts of Abbey Road and The White Album
- Bert Jansch - Nicola
- Billy Cobham - Total Eclipse
- Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath
- Bob Marley & The Wailers - Catch a Fire
- Bonnie Bramlett - Sweet Bonnie Bramlett
- Bonnie Raitt - Takin My Time
- Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band - Keynsham
- Bread - Bread
- Carly Simon - No Secrets
- Cat Stevens - Foreigner
- Colin Blunstone - One Year
- David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust, The Man Who Sold the World, Hunky Dory
- Deep Purple - The Book of Taliesyn, Fireball, Machine Head, In Rock
- Derek and the Dominos - Tell the Truth
- Doors - Absolutely Alive, The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel, Waiting for the Sun
- Dr. John - The Sun Moon & Herbs
- Elton John - Elton John, Madman Across the Water, Tumbleweed Connection, Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Honky Chateau, 17-11-70, Friends
- Faces - First Step
- Fairfield Parlour - From Home to Home
- Fairport Convention - Fairport Convention, Unhalfbricking, Full House, Angel Delight, Liege & Lief, Babbacombe Lee, What We Did on Our Holidays, Rosie, Nine
- Fleetwood Mac - Bare Trees, Oh Well Part #1 and #2 7" single, Then Play On, Kiln House
- Frank Zappa - Chunga's Revenge
- Genesis - The Hiding Place, Trespass, Nursery Cryme, A Trick of the Tail, Wind and Wuthering
- Gentle Giant - Gentle Giant
- George Harrison - All Things Must Pass
- Gerry Rafferty - Can I Have My Money Back?
- Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson, Son of Schmilsson
- Idle Race - The Idle Race
- Jackie Lomax - Is This What You Want
- James Taylor - James Taylor, Sweet Baby James
- Jeff Beck - Truth (Rod Stewart Vocals), Beck-Ola (Rod Stewart Vocals)
- Jethro Tull - This Was, Living in the Past
- Jimi Hendrix - Are You Experienced
- Jimmy Cliff - Wild World (Single)
- Jimmy Webb - Land's End
- Joe Cocker - With a Little Help From My Friends
- John Cale - Fear, Slow Dazzle, Helen of Troy
- John Martyn - Solid Air, Bless the Weather
- Judy Collins - In My Life, Who Knows Where Time Goes, Whales and Nightingales
- Kevin Ayers - Sweet Deceiver
- Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II, Led Zeppelin IV, Physical Graffiti, The Song Remains the Same (Soundtrack)
- Leon Russell - Leon Russell
- Leonard Cohen - Songs of Love and Hate
- Linda & Richard Thompson - I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight, Hokey Pokey, Pour Down Like Silver, Sailing Shoes
- Lonnie Mack - Whatever's Right, Glad I'm In the Band
- Lou Reed - Transformer
- Mahavishnu Orchestra - The Lost Trident Sessions
- Mama Cass Elliot - The Road is No Place for a Lady
- Man - Man
- Marianne Faithfull - Masques
- MC5 - Kick Out the Jams
- Mick Ronson - Slaughter on 10th Avenue
- Mott the Hoople - All the Young Dudes
- Nazareth - Nazareth, Exercises
- Nick Drake - Five Leaves Left, Bryter Layter, Pink Moon, Time of No Reply
- Nico - The Marble Index, The End, Desertshore
- Olivia Newton John - If You Love Me Let Me Know
- Paul McCartney - Red Rose Speedway
- Paul Simon - Paul Simon
- Pentangle - Cruel Sister, Solomon's Seal
- Pink Floyd - Arnold Layne/Candy and a Currant Bun (7″ Single), See Emily Play/Scarecrow (7″ Single), A Saucerful of Secrets, Tonight Let's All Make Love in London
- Plastic Ono Band (John Lennon, Yoko Ono) - Cold Turkey/Don't Worry Kyoko, Give Peace a Chance/Remember Love
- Queen - Queen, Queen II, Sheer Heart Attack
- Ray Manzarek - The Golden Scarab
- Richard Thompson - Henry, The Human Fly
- Richard & Linda Thompson - I Want to See The Bright Lights Tonight, Hokey Pokey, Pour Down Like Silver, First Light
- Ringo Starr - It Don't Come Easy (7″ Single), Ringo, Sentimental Journey
- Rolling Stones - Beggars Banquet, Gimme Shelter (Track 6), Tattoo You, Sticky Fingers, Goats Head Soup, Let It Bleed, Get Yer Ya Ya's Out, Exile On Main Street
- Ronnie Spector - Try Some, Buy Some
- Sandy Denny - North Star Grassman and the Ravens
- Simon Stokes and The Nighthawks - Simon Stokes and the Nighthawks
- Soft Machine - Turns On
- Stooges - Fun House
- T. Rex - Electric Warrior
- Thin Lizzy - Shades of a Blue Orphanage
- Unicorn - Uphill All the Way
- Who - The Who Sell Out
- Wishbone Ash - Pilgrimage
- Yardbirds - Little Games
The Dual Class A Difference: Speed Meets Power
The original Sound Techniques A-Range consoles, built by Geoff Frost and John Wood from 1964-1971, featured a completely unique design philosophy. Unlike the Neve, API, Helios, Quad 8, or Electrodyne consoles you might be familiar with, the Sound Techniques uses a dual Class A amplifier design in each channel.
What does this mean for your music? Imagine the best of both worlds:
Where a Neve gives you that massive, gushy low end that blooms beautifully but can feel a bit slow, the Sound Techniques is immediate. It's big, it's fast, and it's right there—all the time. You get that healthy, full bottom end without sacrificing the attack and immediacy that makes drums punch, bass lines drive, and guitars cut through a mix.
Think about the sonic immediacy of Bowie's The Man Who Sold the World or the punchy yet full sound of Elton John's Tumbleweed Connection. That's the dual Class A magic at work.
The "Mistake" That Became Legendary
Here's something that Danny White and the Sound Techniques team told me that blew my mind: there were actual mistakes in the original EQ design. But instead of fixing them, they kept them—because those "mistakes" were part of what made the console sound so incredible.
The EQs are essentially solid-state Pultecs. They're inductor-based, which gives them that musical, almost impossible-to-make-something-sound-bad quality. While the original consoles only had high and low frequency controls, our ZR36 has been thoughtfully updated with high-mid and low-mid frequency options, plus a low-pass filter.
I've worked on every major console imaginable in my career, and I can honestly say there's nothing that touches this thing. When people ask me to compare it to other boards, I struggle—because it's genuinely that unique.
The preamp alone is wonderful, but combined with that EQ section? It's unstoppable.
No Detail Left Unconsidered
The attention to detail in this console is staggering. Every screw, every panel has been thoughtfully designed. The back panels even have star constellations cut out—a detail I didn't notice until Danny pointed it out to me.
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It's wired with the legendary Alpha wire, made famous by mastering icon Doug Sax for being the purest signal path for audio, and still used at Blackbird Studios in Nashville.
This isn't just engineering; it's artistry.
A Modern Workflow with Vintage Soul
While the ZR36 honors its vintage heritage, it's been brilliantly adapted for modern recording. One unique feature I worked with Danny and the team to implement: with the tap of a button, the console transforms into a massive 56-input summing mixer, with all faders at unity gain.
This means I can take your Pro Tools sessions, your home recordings, your "in-the-box" mixes, and run them through this glorious analog circuitry. The console breathes life into digital recordings in a way that no plugin can replicate. It adds dimension, depth, and that elusive "glue" that makes all the elements of a mix feel like they belong together.
The Ultimate Endorsement
If someone asked me today if I wanted any other console in the world—any console, regardless of price or rarity—I'd tell them I already own it.
In over a year, I've barely reached for outboard EQs or preamps (with the rare exception of a Pultec on a vocal). Everything I need is right here in these channels.
What This Means for Your Music
As a mixer, I believe part of the experience isn't just about admiring technical work—it's about offering something unique that other mixers cannot or do not provide. The Sound Techniques ZR36 is that something unique.
When you book time at Boulevard Recording or send your tracks here for mixing, you're not just getting access to a rare piece of equipment. You're getting the cumulative sonic heritage of:
- 14 original A-Range consoles that shaped music history (Sound Techniques had the A Range name far before Trident)
- The expertise of knowing how to use this unique tool to its fullest potential
- A signal path that's been meticulously crafted for both vintage warmth and modern clarity
This console doesn't just process your music—it elevates it.
Watch Brian Kehew discuss the history and resurrection of Sound Techniques consoles
Want to hear the Sound Techniques ZR36 difference on your project?
Contact Boulevard Recording to book a session or discuss mixing your tracks through this legendary console. Because sometimes, the secret to great records really is in the gear—when it's the right gear in the right hands.
Call us at 323-337-6911 or visit us at 6035 Hollywood Blvd
Or email Jaymes to schedule a studio tour and hear the console for yourself.