Terry Hunter takes control with Matrix
As an unofficial ambassador for Chicago’s influential House music scene, Terry Hunter has been out in clubs around the world DJ’ing for over 15 years. He’s also been keeping very busy as a remix artist working with Mary J Blige and Masters at Work to name just a couple of his clients. On top of all that, he even founded his own record label! After his breakout club single “Get Down” hit the dance charts, he followed this up with a remix of Justin Timberlake’s “What Goes Around Comes Around”. Terry recently began work on a new record that showcases his signature blend of dance, soul, hip-hop, and R&B. In order to get his studio into shape for these projects Terry purchased one of the first Matrix consoles in the USA.
His studio is based around a Logic/Apple setup with an impressive array of quality outboard processors, and he discovered that his work was made easier and faster thanks to Matrix. We caught up with Terry to ask him about what he’s doing…
"You really can’t compare mixing in the box and the sound of the Matrix - the Matrix just kills"
SSL: Why did you choose the Matrix?
Terry Hunter: The Matrix takes care of many issues in one complete package. With it's 16 SuperAnalogue™ channels and Total Recall it covers a lot of what I do in the studio.
SSL: What do you like most about it?
TH: The thing I like the most about the Matrix is that it was easy to learn and get around. I’m no engineer, but with a little reading and some button pushing I get around it pretty well. I also think it looks amazing.
SSL: What kind of work do you do?
TH: I am a DJ, producer, and record label owner (T's Box Records). I travel all over the world playing in some of the biggest clubs, and on the production side I produce and remix some of the most soulful House music along with R&B and hip-hop. I love that I'm able to go from one style of music to the next - as long as its got melody and some soul to it I'm happy.
SSL: Are there any aspects of the console which have made life better for you?
TH: Having faders is always a good thing and its so easy to customize some of the soft keys to do functions that I use all the time. Add to this the fact that you can route all your outboard gear into a mix with no additional I/O (and latency) was a real cost saving for my setup.
SSL: What impact has the sound of the console had on your work?
TH: The impact is HUGE! You really can’t compare mixing in the box and the sound of the Matrix - the Matrix just kills.
SSL: Are you happy with your purchase?
TH: Very happy, the support has been great as well.
SSL: We understand you purchased the console from Washington Professional Systems. What makes you choose WPS?
TH: Randy White – period - point blank - he is the man. I have known Randy for years now. For example, when there is a piece of gear that's out or if there is something I don't know about, I’ll call him and he’ll let me know if it will work for me cause he knows my style.
SSL: What is next for you in the near future?
TH: I'm working on two album projects. The first is a dance project that I have been working on with Kenny Dope called Mass Destruction that will be released on Ill Friction records. The second project is my first album on Rosehip/EMI called New Ubiquity. It’s a combination of house, R&B, hip-hop, with hints of Latin, funk and African styles all throughout the album. Both albums are set for 2009 release. And of course I am going to keep making hits and mixing them on my Matrix!