Blog
True love for great sound unites us.
The drive to Dark Horse Recording takes you out of the bustling Nashville scene and into the Tennessee countryside. By the time you arrive, you understand why so many artists have made records here. The place feels inspiring before you've heard a note.
I'm Brian Fisher, and I visited Dark Horse Recording in Franklin, Tennessee, as part of our Inside the Studio series - a look at the professional studios where LEWITT microphones are put to work in sessions ever day. I sat down with chief engineer Dave Hagen to find out what makes this place a draw for top artists around the world, and how the LEWITT LCT 1040 has become the centerpiece of his vocal sessions.
A studio built to feel different.
May recording studios are designed around gear. Dark Horse Recording was designed around the artist.
"Dark Horse has always been built to be different," Dave told me. "It's entirely built around the artist experience and how it makes you feel to be in a space like this."
That philosophy shows up in small but meaningful ways. At most studios, artists perform on the other side of the glass from the engineer. At Dark Horse, they're invited right into the middle of the control room.
"Unlike a lot of studios, we bring a lot of the people in here into the control room," Dave explained. "So you're really kind of in the mix, you're a part of it. If you're an artist, you're probably right here singing on the speakers, if you want."
"Dark Horse has always been built to be different. It's entirely built around the artist experience and how it makes you feel to be in a space like this."
It shows in the results. Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kings of Leon, Shawn Mendes, Jill Scott, Korn, Shawn Mendes, Billy Ray Cyrus, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Jill Scott, Sheryl Crow, Alan Jackson, and Jack Harlow have all recorded here. The platinum records on the wall go back further - Neil Diamond, Faith Hill, Martina McBride. And the legacy of Dark Horse Recording continues to draw top artists from Nashville and beyond.
From home studio to recording destination
Dark Horse didn't start as a commercial recording facility. It started as a personal project studio.
Robin Crow, the studio's founder, was a touring musician looking for a way to stay closer to home. He invested some of his recording budget into a home studio space, and then something unexpected happened. It became a recording destination.
"He accidentally started this whole thing by having friends of his come in and start recording," Dave told me. "And start using his space when he wasn't using it."
While walking the property, I could feel that Dark Horse doesn't feel like a commercial recording facility. It feels like a place you'd go to get away from the business of life. It's like a vacation lodge that happens to have recording gear in it. And that relaxed atmosphere is exactly why it's become a creative haven for so many artists.
The microphone that became Dave's first call.
By the time Dave showed me around the control room, I wanted to know one thing: what does an engineer at this level actually reach for in vocal sessions with these high level artists?
The answer was right in front of us, setup and ready to go.
LEWITT LCT 1040
The LEWITT LCT 1040 is a premium microphone system that combines two different technologies in a single body: a tube circuit and a FET circuit. The tube side adds warmth and character; the FET side gives you a cleaner, more precise sound. You can blend between them in any combination - and make that adjustment remotely from the control room, without anyone touching the microphone.
For Dave, it's become his go-to for vocals. Not just for what it sounds like, but for how it sparks inspiration in a session.
"It's become my new first choice on vocals," he said. "I throw it up because it's right here in the control room. It's great, it looks great - which is important - and the clients feel like 'Wow, I'm really getting something special here' before they even hear it."
That first impression matters. But the sound is what keeps him coming back. A recent session with Zach Williams made the case better than any spec sheet could.
"He's like, 'Man, nobody's gotten it this fast before,' and I was like, 'Cool. I just turned it up a little bit.'"
That speed comes from the LCT 1040's flexibility. Dave can shift from a clean lead vocal sound to something warmer and thicker for background vocals right from the control room, without stopping the flow of the session.
"I can just go crank it all the way to the tube, crank it all the way to saturated, and have this great, kind of warmer, thicker sound for the background vocals or whatever. And then pop it right back up to cleaner for my lead vocals."
LCT 1040 review
Check out the video review of the LCT 1040 from the Nashville audio engineer, Colt Capperrune.
Training the next generation of engineers.
Dark Horse Recording is where records are made and Dark Horse Institute is where the next generation of record-makers learn their craft.
Dark Horse Institute is the studio's sister organization - an audio engineering and music business school that has been running for 13 years in Franklin, Tennessee. The program grew directly out of Dark Horse's experience with interns who, in Dave's words, arrived from top schools and weren't ready for real sessions.
"Dark Horse has always been very structured with how we train our interns and try to bring them up through their skill level to prepare them for engineering and getting out into the industry," Dave told me.
Dave has been an instructor there for about 10 years in addition to his duties at Dark Horse Recording. It's clear that his passion is still there as he trains up the next generation of engineers. And it's one of the reasons we were glad to contribute LEWITT microphones to the Institute's student equipment locker.
"We were happy to be able to contribute some LEWITT microphones to your locker over there," I told Dave. "We were happy you did," he replied.
"Dark Horse has always been very structured with how we train our interns and try to bring them up through their skill level."
The engineers who will be sitting in Dark Horse's control room 10 years from now are somewhere learning their craft today. We hope a few of them are doing it with a LEWITT mic in their hands.
Dark Horse Recording is a reminder that the best studios are built on something beyond equipment lists. They're built on an experience,--one that starts the moment you pull up to the property.
Frequently asked questions.
What is Dark Horse Recording and where is it?
Dark Horse Recording is a professional recording studio complex located in Franklin, Tennessee, just outside Nashville. It was founded by musician Robin Crow as a personal home studio and grew into one of the region's most respected commercial facilities. Artists including Carrie Underwood, Kings of Leon, Shawn Mendes, Jill Scott, and Jack Harlow have all recorded there.
What microphone does Dave Hagen use for vocals at Dark Horse?
Dave Hagen's first-choice vocal microphone is the LEWITT LCT 1040. He uses it for both lead and background vocals, taking advantage of its tube and FET circuits to adjust the character of the sound between takes - all from the control room. Learn more about the LCT 1040.
What is the difference between a tube microphone and a FET microphone?
A tube microphone uses a vacuum tube to amplify the signal, which adds warmth and character to the sound. A FET microphone uses a transistor circuit, giving a cleaner and more precise result. The LEWITT LCT 1040 combines both in a single body, letting engineers blend between them in real time.
What is Dark Horse Institute?
Dark Horse Institute is an audio engineering and music business school based in Franklin, Tennessee, connected to Dark Horse Recording. It has been training engineers for over 13 years. LEWITT has contributed microphones to their student equipment locker.