BIO
Jimmy Douglass
Jimmy Douglass (also known as The Senator) is an American four-time Grammy winning recording engineer and record producer, whose prolific career has spanned more than four decades.
In the early 1970′s at Atlantic Records studios in New York City, he started his studio career as a part-time tape duplicator while still attending high school. There he learned how to operate the studio’s custom made 16-channel console and observed, was trained by, as well as worked with some of the greatest engineers, producers and record moguls including Tom Dowd, Arif Mardin, Jerry Wexler and Ahmet Ertegun. For his first time behind the faders, he was encouraged by Wexler to engineer the session recording for a demo of a new band. He went on to work with great Atlantic Recording artists such as Aretha Franklin, Hall & Oates, Roberta Flack, Donny Hathaway, Foreigner, Led Zepellin and AC/DC to name a few.
During the 1980′s, Douglass continued to hone his engineering skills while also taking on the role as producer. He engineered and produced established artists including The Rolling Stones, Slave, Odyssey, Roxy Music and Gang of Four.
Douglass started the first half of the 1990′s, working mainly on jingles and post-production. This style of work taught him the importance of working efficiently and capturing the vibe which would greatly benefit him in the years to come. In 1994, he began working with up and coming contemporary R&B/hip hop producer Timbaland and served as his main engineer for more than a decade. They would eventually collaborate on classic projects from artists such as Aaliyah, Missy Elliot, Ginuwine and Jay-Z .
Beginning the new millennium, Douglass continued engineering and mixing more Timbaland produced projects including Snoop Dogg, Bjork and Grammy winning albums for Justin Timberlake. Among the artists he also mixed are Rob Thomas, Sean Paul, Kanye West, Ludacris, Al Green, John Legend and Duran Duran.
Presently, he continues to display his versatility by remaining current while drawing from his years of experience. Douglass is best known for bringing unconventional techniques into the studio and encouraging artists to transcend genre restrictions. He is credited with bringing a raw edge to sound and specifically bringing a heavy funk bass sound into rock music. His hard work and immense talent has carved a place for him among some of the most respected engineers and mixers in the world.
THE SENATOR GEAR
“The Senator”
The Senator is an all analog, all solid state, VCA based non-linear compressor, individually constructed with the highest quality analog components. Easy to use, flexible, and built to last, The Senator delivers musical results on demand.
Variable Curved Compression
It’s what makes The Senator different. So far, only a few people had a chance to find out what it sounds like. Here’s what they’re saying:
“This unit Pumps! I love this thing!” – “Bonzai” Caruso
“When I heard it, it made all the difference.” – Colonel Hardgroove
“It does what a compressor is supposed to do, without the side effects.” – Jimmy Douglass
Now it’s your turn. Hear what variable curved compression can do for you.
The Senator began one evening when Joel Scheuneman, Chief Technical Engineer at Manhattan Center Studios, relaxed in front of the TV. “I had a very ‘pro-audio’ entertainment system at home,” he explains, “it was a DVD player connected to a small mixer and some self powered speakers, with a video monitor.” Frustrated by not having a remote control for the volume, he did what any self-respecting studio tech would do – build his own! With 15 years of experience as the go-to guy for major recording artists, film productions, and TV studios, Scheuneman knew he could make it work. “Once I decided on the DIY route, it seemed like a small step from controlling the volume by remote control to controlling volume automatically. That’s how I got started experimenting with VCA’s and especially the whole non-linear side-chain concept.”
After completing the home stereo pre-amp, Scheuneman brought it into the studio to show longtime friend Jimmy “The Senator” Douglass. A Grammy-winning recording engineer best known for his collaboration with hip-hop producer Timbaland, Douglass was someone Scheuneman could trust to give him constructive feedback. “I thought his home stereo unit was cool,” says Douglass, “but I was most interested in the compressor he built into it, which really had a unique sound. I would have started using it right then, but there were no controls on it! So I asked him if he could make a pro version, with level controls and meters, and a proper balanced interface.”
Inspired by Douglass’s input, Scheuneman went back to the drawing board and developed variable curved compression. Within a few months, he had assembled the first working prototype, with all the pieces compiled into a Shoe Box. Once again, Scheuneman brought his creation to the studio for a meeting with Douglass. “When I first saw The Shoe Box, I was really blown away,” Douglass recalls. “At first, I wasn’t even sure it would work since it was made out of cardboard. But it actually worked really well.”
Over the next 2 years, Scheuneman set up The Shoe Box many times, each time improving the design. And every engineer who used it voted unanimously: The Shoe Box rocked. Encouraged by users feedback, Scheuneman continued to evolve the design, giving it printed circuit boards, a metal enclosure, and a name. “It only made sense to call it The Senator,” Douglass says. Then 2 more years of development brought Scheuneman to the point where he could offer The Senator to the public. Some units have already been produced, with more on the way. Who got the first one? It was Jimmy Douglass, of course. “I’m using it all the time now,” he says. “I can’t go back.”
Purchase
The Senator was made available to the public for the first time in January 2011.
Hurry to get yours while supplies last.
After the current stock is sold, new stock will be available.
The introductory price is $2,500.
Given the quality of the components in The Senator, the price might go up in the future.
To get yours, contact Origin Point Audio.
If you are not completely satisfied, send it back for a full refund.
MIXING
Jimmy Douglass has produced and mixed some of the most important records of the last four decades. His world class Mixing and Production services are available upon request for all genres from Major label to independent artists.
Inquiries: info©jimmydouglass•com (info©jimmydouglass•com)
STUDIOS
Magic Mix Room – Miami, FL
Studio A
Live Room A
Studio B
Live Room B
Studio A Gear
CONSOLE
Neve VR 72
PRE/EQ
Neve 1083 x 2
Millennia STT-1 x 2
Chandler Passive TG Channel EMI x 2
Avalon M5
Purple Biz MK
Millennia NSEQ-2
Focusrite ISA 115HD x 2
TL Audio EQ-2011
GML Model 8200
Empirical Lab LiL Freq
Api 550B x 4
EM PEQ x 2
Lang PEQ-2 x 2
Tube Tech PE 1C x 2
DYNAMICS
Origin Point Audio THE SENATOR
Smart Research C2
Neve 33609/C
Summit Audio DCL 200
Urei 1176LN x 2
Teletronix Model LA-2A
Pure Class AD 2044
Dbx 160x x 3
Valley People Dynamite
Transient Designer Model 9842
Solid State Logic XLogic Signature Channel x 2
Empirical Labs ELDS
Chandler EMI TG Limiter
Empirical Labs EL8-X Distressor x 2
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EFFECTS
Instant Flanger Eventide FL201
Eventide Harmonizer x18
AMS Model rmx16
Lline 6 Echo Pro
Eventide Eclipse
Eventide MODEL H3500
MXR Flanger/doubler
Lafont Telephone Simulator LP-23
Alesis QuadraVerb
Ensoniq DP/4+
Lexicon PCM 42 x 2
Lexicon PCM 70
Antares ATR-1
TC 2290 TC Electronic
Yamaha SPX90
Korg SDD-2000
DBX 120xp Subharmonic Synthesizer
MONITORS
Ausberger Mains
KRK V8
Yamaha NS10
Pro Tools HD6
Digi 192 x 4
Sync I/O
Isochrone OCX-V Master Clock
Tascam US-2400
Tascam DV-RA1000
Ensoniq ASR-10
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John Storyk/Jimmy Douglass Designed Thomas Crown Studios For Timbaland
Virginia Beach, VA
Mix Magazine Article
Walters-Storyk Design Group
Studio A
Live Room
Studio B
WORKSHOP
The Workshop aka “The Hang” is located at Jimmy Douglass’ studio “Magic Mix Room” in Miami’s music district. It is a 10-day intensive workshop gathering with a focus and emphasis on Mixing Production and Audio as a profession. It is an outreach workshop to identify and connect the bright up and coming music professionals of the future.
It is designed with the purpose of the meet & greet sharing method as well as connecting the top applicants of the workshop with co-workers and industry professionals who might help them move closer to achieving their goals as successful audio professionals. Applicants gain a new perspective of the music industry in terms of how, why and when to use the skills they have learned during their stay.
Applicants receive hands on experience while observing Jimmy Douglass mixing and completing their songs as well as songs for major label artists. They will observe and take away the secrets of professional mix engineers and apply them to their vision. They will also get an opportunity to have their work critiqued and possibly approved for a major label release. This workshop will allow them to take advantage of years of knowledge and experience being personally handed down. It is intended to be a finishing workshop that will give applicants a unique edge as they move forward in the music industry.
The intensive schedule will extensively cover areas such as songwriting, composing, production and the art of mixing. There will also be a brief and final session in mastering. Emphasis will be placed on honing the applicant’s intuitive skills while creating records in a fast paced environment using real time scenarios.
The workshop will have strict entry requirements and qualifications. Space will be limited to six applicants that fall into one of the following categories:
- Writers/Producers
- Artists/Producers
- Engineers/Producers
- DJ/Producers
To apply, please complete the form below and email three mp3 tracks of your work to info©jimmydouglass•com (info©jimmydouglass•com) for review. Please note this is not a free workshop. Serious inquiries only.
Contact: info©jimmydouglass•com (info©jimmydouglass•com)
