Exploring the Abandoned Railways at a Legacy Train Station
¡Madrid, Spain (June 16, 2025)! The Music Station, a creative powerhouse born from a collaboration between Warner Music Spain and Warner Chappell Music, has been equipped with gear from the legendary SSL.
Nestled inside Madrid's former Prícipe Pio North Station, this dynamic space boasts numerous music production areas, sporting an SSL Origin 32-channel analog mixing console in the flagship tracking and mixing room. Meanwhile, breakout production spaces boast U Series controllers and SSL 2+ interfaces, promising artist-friendly settings.
Álvaro Marin, lead audio engineer, one of three in-house experts at the facility, shares, "We have five studios; one houses a Dolby Atmos setup with the Origin, followed by two production suites, and two additional rooms with vocal booths for writing and small recording sessions. Each breakout production suite sports two SSL UF8 advanced DAW controllers, a UC1 plug-in controller, and an SSL 2+ audio interface."
The SSL Origin, positioned in Studio One, overlooking the current train station, serves as the heart of an immersive 9.1.6 Dolby Atmos listening and mixing space. "We've concocted almost 150 Atmos mixes for Warner Music since we started this a couple of years ago," Marin reveals. With Dolby Labs heavily involved, this project ensures high-quality audio.
The Origin primarily handles tracking sessions in the adjacent live space, measuring around 35 square meters, and mixes live shows destined for streaming release. Performance projects have included Demarco Flamenco and Fangoria.
The facilities are accessible to any artists signed under Warner Music Group's label or publishing arm, bookable via an app. Sessions are numerous, with some studios hosting up to three or four a day, underscoring the campus's popularity.
Boasting 10,000 square meters (nearly 108,000 square feet) across three floors, the former train station—built in 1861 and left abandoned for approximately 40 years before renovations began in 2018—has been revitalized. The central hall now serves as a concert venue able to accommodate 2,000 people (1,000 of whom can be seated), while a small showcase stage boasts an 11.1.6 immersive speaker system, rehearsal spaces, educational amenities, staff co-working spaces, and a green screen stage.
Overall, the SSL Origin delivers professional-grade audio with its 32 channels, 16+2 buses, SSL PureDrive mic/line preamps, and all-analog signal path, ensuring versatile mixing and recording capabilities, accommodating complex multi-track sessions, and producing high-quality sound.
- In the flagship tracking and mixing room of The Music Station in Madrid, an SSL Origin 32-channel analog mixing console is set up, serving as the heart of the room.
- Numerous music production areas in The Music Station are equipped with U Series controllers and SSL 2+ interfaces, offering artist-friendly settings.
- Álvaro Marin, the lead audio engineer at The Music Station, has revealed that they have created around 150 Dolby Atmos mixes for Warner Music since they started.
- Performance projects at The Music Station have included Demarco Flamenco and Fangoria, with the Origin primarily handling tracking sessions and mixes for live shows destined for streaming release.
- With sessions numerous and some studios hosting up to three or four a day, the popularity of The Music Station's facilities is underscored.
- The SSL Origin's 32 channels, 16+2 buses, SSL PureDrive mic/line preamps, and all-analog signal path provide versatile mixing and recording capabilities, accommodating complex multi-track sessions and producing high-quality sound.
