Steve Lukather and Tom Fletcher (producer of =>"Candyman") built their own recording studio in 1996 and named it The Steakhouse. => Jeff Beck, Lukather's all time idol, recorded an album in The Steakhouse which was to be produced by Steve Lukather [this album was never released since Beck wasn't satisfied with it].


The studio was started by Rich and Lee Bench before Tom and Steve got involved. For the technically interested: installed in the control room at The Steakhouse is the Mackie console configuration. It's a 32-channel 8 Bus linked to two 24 channel expanders. This Mackie rig is routed to a 24-track Studer 2-inch analog machine that lives side-by-side with three TASCAM DA-88's.


Flecher describes the outboard gear situation:

Along with the Mackie console, we're using the new tube stuff from Aphex-mic preamps, EQs and compressors-and combining those with the Studer Valve preamps and tape machine and Neumann, Sennheiser, and Audio-Technica mics. And there's a few Shure '57's in there, too. It doesn't matter what you're using, it's just got to sound good." Lukather agrees:"If an amp sounds like crap, the guitar is going to sound that way no matter what mic you put in front of it. I have been collecting gear for years and have all these great old amps-it's like a dinosaur burial ground for old gear. (EQ Magazine, November 1996).

The Steakhouse updated the studio equipment in 1999:

The info on the mixing board in The Steakhouse is very outdated. Our present board is a DDA-AMR24 board, and later this month we will be installing the largest Vintage EMI NEVE mixing desk in the world.... This board has been called the greatest NEVE built.

Related Pages
Steve Lukather
Candyman