Introduction

The idea of building a recording studio at home had always been a dream of mine.

About 25 years ago, while I was between bands, I was looking for an efficient tool for composing. After attending an impressive Pro Tools demo at a music fair, I decided to invest in a small setup of my own.

Little did I know that a “budget” demo I made for a friend’s band would come surprisingly close in sound quality to some of the recordings I had made in top-class professional studios.

That experience sparked a passion for recording live instruments. I decided to turn my humble composition workstation into a studio capable of producing full-band recordings.

With the help and design advice of longtime friends at Amptec, I started by focusing on the acoustics and gradually built the studio around a Pro Tools HDX system, the kind of setup used in professional recording facilities. La Buanderie was born.

Over the years, I continued expanding the studio, adding an ever-growing collection of analogue outboard gear, including compressors and EQs. In 2012, I took a major step further and invested in what I consider the holy grail of recording: a vintage, fully analogue API 1608 console.

In 2016, we moved from Brussels to a farmhouse in the village of Terlanen, near Overijse. There, a new chapter began: transforming a huge barn into a dedicated recording and rehearsal space.

The project resulted in a fully equipped live room measuring 4.5 × 8 metres, with a 3.4-metre ceiling, together with an acoustically optimised control room.

And so, Hangar 87 was born.

Today, Hangar 87 is the result of more than 25 years of passion, experimentation and a love for recording live music — combining the character of analogue equipment with the flexibility of modern recording technology.

Philosophy