The Cribworks Digital Audio
Since 1995, The Cribworks Digital Audio...located on ten beautiful acres in the country outside of Liberty Hill, Texas...has been a full production/post production digital recording/editing facility offering a comfortable, creative environment to compliment the 40+ years of successful recording experience of owner Merel Bregante. Beginning in 1967 with Liberty Records
recording artists The Sunshine Company, Merel’s career has spanned four decades performing, recording, and/or producing such bands as Loggins and Messina, Chris Hillman (The Byrds, Flying Burrito Brothers, Souther, Hillman, and Furay, and Desert Rose Band), The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steve Martin, Pure Prairie League, David Soul (Starsky and Hutch), Dan Fogelberg, Gary Morris, and John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band). During this period, he was awarded 13 gold and platinum records, two grammy nominations, an Addie and a Golden Telly. Since moving to Austin, Texas in 1994, he has proudly performed with/produced the internationally acclaimed singer/songwriter Sarah Pierce. In 1995, he built and opened his own studio. Always improving, in it’s current (2021) incarnation, the Cribworks is a DAW facility and offers the latest in studio software to compliment a substantial collection of contemporary and vintage gear. Nuendo V11.0.3 - audio recording, mix, post production software
RME Fireface 800 A/D convertors (3)
SPL MTC monitor/talkback controller
Mogami Gold and Platinum cable throughout
Monitors:
Focal Solo6 Be powered near field studio monitors
DynAudio BM6A powered near field studio monitors
Audex Nile V passive 2 way near field studio monitors
Grado Labs/Alessandro Audio Music Series Pro head phones (2)
Amplifiers:
Stewart Class A (1000 watt)
Macintosh 250
QSC RMX 1400
Alesis RA 100
Outboard microphone preamps
Millennia HV-3D 4 - 4 channel microphone pre amp
Amek/Neve 9098 outboard mic pre/EQ (2)
UA 610 Mk2 (legendary Bill Putnam designed tube mic pre)
Focusrite ISA 428 (4 channel)
API ' The Channel Strip'
Warm Audio WA-412 'API' 4 channel mic pre (2017 NAMM tech award nominee)
Warm Audio WA-273 'NEVE' 2 channel mic pre
TL Audio Stereo Classic (stereo tube microphone pre-amp/DI)
Focusrite Green(2)
RME Fireface 800 (8 discrete balanced microphone inputs/'box' with class-A stage, separate activation of 48 V phantom power, and separate XLR/TRS inputs)
Aphex Stereo Tubessence
Outboard tube equalizers:
Warm Audio EQP-WA 'Pultec' tube mono EQ (2)
Compressor/limiting amplifiers:
Manley Vari-Mu (stereo-tube)
UA 610 Mk2 (T4 electro optical detector/ LA2 tube compressor)
Warm Audio WA2A 'LA2' mono tube compressor
TL Audio 2021 Valve Compressor (stereo-tube)
UA 1176
DBX 160XT
DBX160X (2)
DBX 166XL (stereo)
Focusrite Green (2)
Microphones:
Neumann (including vintage U87’s (2), KM184's (2)
RCA 74jr (classic ribbon)
Pearlman hand built...In The Classic Style...world class tube microphones. The amazing Pearlman Church, The TM 47, The TM250, (2) TM 2's, TM12a, and the new TM FET
AKG (including vintage 414’s, TLII’s, 451's (2). vintage D-12 and 'The Tube'
Senheisser (including 421’s and 441’s
Royer Labs R-121 Studio Ribbon Microphone
Audio Technicia (including ATM 4060 tube and the AT 825-stereo
Earthworks (30K pair)
Audix D2's 3’s, 4’s and D6
Audex SCX-1 small diaphragm condensers (3) with -10db pad and hyper-cardioid caps. Røde NT4 Stereo
Shure PZM 'dual mono'
Shure dynamic mics (various ’57’s, 58’s, and Beta 87’s)
Plugins:
2 UAD2 Quad and 1 UAD2 Duo cards to access and powera full library of UAD plug-ins along with newest generation native Nuendo plug-ins. Instruments:
Weber 5'6" Baby Grand Piano
Fibes drums (Merel proudly endorses © Fibes Drums, Austin, Texas)
20x16 kick
10x8, 12x10, 14x14 toms
various snares - including 5.5"x14" Craviotto 'solid' maple, first year 5"x14" Rogers 5 Line Dyna-Sonic, 5"x14" Nobel and Cooley, 4.5"x14" maple Fibes, 5"x14" maple Ludwig, (2) Pearl 6"x14" Free Floating (with all the shells)
large cymbal collection
all appropriate hardware
Yamaha double chain pedal and DW 5000 high hat
Vintage Blue Sparkle Ludwig 5 piece (1959). When ya want 'tubs' I have them. They sound amazing. OLD SCHOOL.
22x16 kick
12x10 and 14x12 rack toms
16x16 floor tom
18x18 floor tom
Full cymbal assortment
..and more percussion instruments than I know what to do with...'cause this is sorta what I do :)
1968 Fender Super Reverb
Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
'68 Fender Vibro Champ
Vox AC 4 C-1
AER 60w 'Cube' acoustic guitar amp
Yamaha P90 electric piano/controller
Collings D1 acoustic guitar (Sitka top, mahogany body and neck, ebony fingerboard)
1988 Alvarez Yairi (hand made by Kazou Yairi - Adirondack top, rosewood body, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard)
1966 Gibson J50
American Gretch Nashville Florintine electric guitar
Michael Kelly Legacy Flame F-Style 8 String Mandolin (spruce top, hand carved flame maple back and sides, maple neck, rosewood finger board)
Gold Tone F-Style 6 string Mandolin (spruce top, maple sides, back, and neck, ebony fingerboard)
Chandler Lap Steel
In the 26 years that the Cribworks has been in existence, Merel has worked with some of the very best domestic as well as international artists. His ‘family’ includes Sarah Pierce, John McEuen (Nitty Gritty Dirt Band), Paul Cotton (Poco), Reckless Kelly, Chris Wall, Terry Clarke (UK), Mary Cutrufello, The Mandolin Brothers and Chicken Mambo (Italy), Bjøro Håland (Norway), Casey Kelly (legendary Nashville song writer), Leslie Ellis (Grammy award winning singer/songwriter), Jerry Jeff Walker, Multi-award winning singer songwriters Randy Brown, Randy Palmer, Carol Markstrom, and Brian Kalinec. Robert David Hall (CSI Las Vegas), Matt Cartsonis (Fox Film), Mazda North America, and many, MANY more. Now, though he still enjoys doing projects from pre-production forward, his focus has turned more toward his favorite aspect of the recording process. That being the mixing/re-mixing of projects already recorded. And with technology being what it is today, he is currently enjoying mixing projects sent from Connecticut, Virginia, California, Indiana, and Italy. As his projects are receiving 5 star reviews for both production and sonic quality it seems that there is something cool going on in the upstairs of the ranch house, sitting on a peaceful 10 acres, in the country, 6 miles north of Liberty Hill...40 miles northwest...of Austin, Texas. The home of The Cribworks Digital Audio. Come say hello. Hugs and handshakes are always welcome.
