Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Plugin Week 25
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week A-Z
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
Rafa Sardina
Producers & Engineers Rafa Sardina on producing, mixing and engineering for the stars
romesh
Producers & Engineers “Your work, your mix, your production: that’s your business card": Motörhead producer Romesh Dodangoda
dan nigro in the studio
Artists "That's what it takes to make music that's gonna last forever": Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan producer Daniel Nigro on crafting timeless tracks
Paul McCartney performs with guitarist Brian Ray on August 10, 2014 in Los Angeles
Artists “Paul’s basslines are iconic, not technically challenging”: How McCartney’s sidekick Brian Ray juggles bass and guitar
Riva Starr
Artists “I have an original 909 – every time I use it I feel like I’m ruining it”: Riva Starr's studio essentials
Pachyman
Artists Pachyman on the gear behind his characterful and sun-kissed sound
Bob Dylan
Artists “I was frightened, but I was like, ‘ok, big boy pants time'”: Bob Dylan's live sound engineer Jason Frankhouser
  1. Artists

Me in my studio: Rusty Anderson

News
By Joe Bosso published 28 February 2012

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Rusty Anderson's home studio

Rusty Anderson's home studio

“I started building it 2005,” says Paul McCartney guitarist Rusty Anderson of his Los Angeles home recording studio that he jokingly refers to as ‘The Dungeon.’

“Whether you have a commercial studio or your own place, it’s always a work-in-progress. Eventually, you have to say, ‘That’s it, we’re done.’ Otherwise, you’ll have contractors knocking down walls day and night.

“I ended up having to build a separate garage for cars, because the original garage and the basement are connected – and that’s what makes up the studio. But I did wire the car garage as an echo chamber, so that room is ready to rock, as well.

“The control room, the machine room and the iso room are in the basement, and the tracking room is basically the attached original garage. It’s a great setup, but it did take a while to get everything functional.”

In addition to his role as guitarist for Paul McCartney, a spot he's held down since 2001, Anderson has released three well-received solo albums - Undressing Underwater, Born On Earth and the newest, Until We Meet Again. The latter is a remastered compilation of the first two discs with a bonus track of the same name. "I've been working on recordings for the next album between touring with Paul and hanging with my eight-month-old daughter," says Anderson.

Time is at a premium, but the guitarist isn't complaining. Playing arenas and stadiums with a rock icon is, according to Anderson, "the gig of a lifetime, and it keeps on going. We just did a European tour and the Grammys, and we’re going to do some more European stuff soon. It's all wonderful.”

You can visit Rusty Anderson on Facebook here, and you can purchase Until We Meet Again here (physical) and here (download).

In the meantime, let's check out Rusty's home studio. "It's cleaned up somewhat," he says, laughing. "Usually, there's cables and things all around. You got me on a good day."

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Control room

Control room

“Lots of good stuff in here. I use Pro Tools HD and Apogee converters - the converters sound better than the computer sound card. Monitor-wise, I switch between a pair of Barefoot speakers, Yamaha NS-10s and tiny Optima speakers.

“In the rack on the left is a bunch of gear made by Retro: a 2A3, which is a Pultec-style equalizer; a Stay-Level compressor; and a Retro 176 compressor. Underneath those is a DVD player and a Tascam CD player.

“Next to the patch bay are a couple of Helios modules. They’re vintage, like the kind used in the Rolling Stones’ mobile truck back in the day.

“On the top rack on the right are a couple of BAE 1028 mic pre/EQ modules, a Urei 1176 limiter and a Teletronix LA-2A compressor. Next to those are two Neve compressors out of a Neve mixing board.

“Under those items we’ve got a Brent Averill mic pre, which is from parts of a Neve 1272; a Brent Averill 1073 mic pre; and then there’s an API rack of equalizers. Next to that is a Brent Averill/API rack of mic pre's. Going down from there are GML 8200 mastering EQs – they're kind of the industry standard. Below them are two Empirical Labs Distressors, and below those is a Transient Designers by SPL Finally, we have an Alan Smart stereo compressor and a Drawmer noise gate.

"Next to that rack is another one with a TC reverb and delay and a Filter Factory. Below those units I’ve got two V76M modules made by Telefunken, which are incredible sounding. And then there's two Telefunken V72s and an Aphex Aural Exciter - an old one.

“On the wall I have two props from a movie set that a friend gave to me. Hey, it is Hollywood, you know?”

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Tracking room

Tracking room

“The bass drum is a 1963 Ludwig White Pearl, and the toms are two Vistalites. I change up my snares sometimes, alternating between Black Beauty and Supra-Phonics. The cymbals are Zildjian Dark Ks.

“The Vibraphone is a Deagan, a four-octave version. It needs a little oil, actually. The cab is a Divided By 13, and the amp is a ’65 Fender Blackface Deluxe. At the other side of the room, I have a Leslie 145 speaker that goes with the Hammond H111 that I modified.

“There’s some Yorkville PA speakers up top, and the baffling is RPG. I had to rip all the insulation out of the walls because it made the room too dead.”

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Iso room

Iso room

“The mic is a Shure SM7. There’s fancier mics, but I really like this one. A lot of people have the SM7s. They’re not that expensive, but they sound really good.

“On the floor, I have a ’57 Fender Tweed Champ, and on the other side is an Ampeg B-15 bass amp. You can use the Ampeg for guitar. If you mic it right, it sounds great – a little bit on the dark side.”

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
Machine room

Machine room

“On the bottom is Mytek Private Q, which allows people to adjust their own headphone mixes. I also have some power amps for the phones and some Yamaha NS-10 speakers.

“I absolutely love that tape machine. I use it to mix onto. It’s an Ampex ATR-102 mastering recorder from the late ‘70s.

“Beneath the Ampex is a floor tom from a baby Ludwig kit. I actually use it to record with. The thing is tiny, but it sounds great, and it’s very controllable.”

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Just a few guitars and amps

Just a few guitars and amps

“I have a bunch of guitars at the house, and certain things are in cartage. There’s live guitars and studio guitars. Here’s a few I happened to have on me at the moment.

“First up, we’ve got a Leach custom-made acoustic. Next to that is my main Gibson 335 – this one is from 1965 or ’66. It’s an amazing guitar. Then we have a really cool Duesenberg. It’s got a wang bar, kind of a hi-tech Bigsby. And finally, there’s a ’57 Tele, which is pretty great.”

“I have a lot of amps, but right here’s a Vox AC30 head from 1965, and then there’s Divided By 13 915. Under that is an early ‘70s Marshall Super Bass, and last but not least, a Laney Supergroup from the early ‘70s.”

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Living room - Yamaha C7 grand piano

Living room - Yamaha C7 grand piano

"The piano is a Yamaha C7 Concert Grand, with mic ties to the control room. I like to use AKG C12s, Neumann M 49s or u47s to record it. The piano has an older vintage sound, but it's very bright and percussive."

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Cables and headphones

Cables and headphones

“I’ve gone through so many cables. These cables all use Mogomi wire – and basically, my whole studio is wired with Mogami. It’s something of an industry standard, but I do think the quality is fantastic.

“I’ve also tried many, many headphones. Right now, I’m using Ultrasones, and they seem to be pretty good.”

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Joe Bosso
Joe Bosso

Joe is a freelance journalist who has, over the past few decades, interviewed hundreds of guitarists for Guitar World, Guitar Player, MusicRadar and Classic Rock. He is also a former editor of Guitar World, contributing writer for Guitar Aficionado and VP of A&R for Island Records. He’s an enthusiastic guitarist, but he’s nowhere near the likes of the people he interviews. Surprisingly, his skills are more suited to the drums. If you need a drummer for your Beatles tribute band, look him up.

Read more
Rafa Sardina
Rafa Sardina on producing, mixing and engineering for the stars
romesh
“Your work, your mix, your production: that’s your business card": Motörhead producer Romesh Dodangoda
dan nigro in the studio
"That's what it takes to make music that's gonna last forever": Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan producer Daniel Nigro on crafting timeless tracks
Paul McCartney performs with guitarist Brian Ray on August 10, 2014 in Los Angeles
“Paul’s basslines are iconic, not technically challenging”: How McCartney’s sidekick Brian Ray juggles bass and guitar
Riva Starr
“I have an original 909 – every time I use it I feel like I’m ruining it”: Riva Starr's studio essentials
Pachyman
Pachyman on the gear behind his characterful and sun-kissed sound
Latest in Artists
Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam performs live on stage during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on May 03, 2025
"After 27 fantastic years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser": Matt Cameron leaves Pearl Jam
rival
“You end up doing different things with a plugin versus a hardware synth”: Rival Consoles on why he still uses a Prophet emulation – even though he owns the real thing
Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson
How a shrewd power move from Michael Jackson permanently dented his friendship with Paul McCartney
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter is Hungry Like The Wolf as she performs with surprise guests Duran Duran
Oasis
How the Oasis vs Blur chart battle marked Britpop's cultural peak, and the beginning of its end
Oasis
We just witnessed the first night of the Oasis comeback. Here’s our take on the Gallagher brothers’ reconciliation
Latest in News
Matt Cameron of Pearl Jam performs live on stage during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival at Fair Grounds Race Course on May 03, 2025
"After 27 fantastic years, I have taken my final steps down the drum riser": Matt Cameron leaves Pearl Jam
nitzer ebb
SampleRadar: 205 free EBM samples
Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter is Hungry Like The Wolf as she performs with surprise guests Duran Duran
Joe Armon-Jones
Ezra Collective’s Joe Armon-Jones on the imagined musical apocalypse that inspired All The Quiet
Melbourne Instruments Roto-Control
Melbourne Instruments' Roto-Control gets Bitwig Studio integration following 2.0 firmware update
Waves 4th of July
Waves just made building a pro-level plugin chain a lot cheaper - grab 2 for $59.99 or 4 for $99.99

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...