About

ANALOG and HYBRID for the best undivided NO-RES sound treatment

The Ballyhoo Studio started as a private studio for Johanz Westerman. During the mid-eighties the Ballyhoo Studio also delivered  services to clients. Ealry hiphop acts from Groningen like Skoa Patrol, Util Connection and Zombi Squad made their first recording here. In the same time Johanz Westerman started to record alternative music in Simplon. Cheap and fast demo’s which were really appreciated by lots of clients. He could practice what he learned here in the first real big studio with big mixing desk, 24 track taperecorder, patchpays full of hardware and boxes full of top level microphones. So as a young man he was able to learn a lot by experience at several places, working with all kinds of music. In the same time he esthablished himself as a recording and performing dance music producer (Thee J Johanz, Static Resonance, Rapid Eye, Grooves & Juice, Simm Alley, B Boys Jungle, Freestyle). Somewhere middle nineties the studio had to shut down.

From that moment onwards Johanz Westerman started to work more on mastering, something he learned a bit by looking over Maarten de Boer’s sholder, who mastered most records he produced at The Masters at Soestdijk (the best mastering place in Holland those days). In the same time he started to do more audio visual productions. Like installations for fashion shows, 2D animation, color correction and editing for videoclips, leaders, short movies and commercials. During his free time he studied Film and Television Science at the University of Amsterdam.

Eight years ago he build his fully acoustic treated studio beneath his own house. He owned a lot of analog synths and peripheral equipent, but it wasn’t used so much anymore. Also mastering was done mainly digital during the days at his former studio. Buying analog summing was the beginning of a new hybrid/analog mission. He started to corporate with like minded people who shared the same vison.

How could it be we ever believed the same 3D, wide, expressive, refined and dynamic sound could be achieved In The Box?

We mix trough the finest mixing hardware now (like SSL 4000) channels, Neve 1073 remakes, compressors, verbs), and have the best available hardware for mastering. There’s a nice collection of pre-amps and mics and it’s a heaven for (mainly vintage) analog synths. We record bands in the studio or on different locations, and do mixing, mastering and av design for customers who can appreciate quality hifi/sound. No-res audiophile pleasure.