Craftsmanship

Wrensilva Sound: Listening Sessions with Manny Marroquin

The moon rose high above the storied and artwork-filled Larrabee Studios in North Hollywood where we met revered music mixerManny Marroquinfor a special listening session. Wrensilva co-founder and head of audio Scott Salyer joined Manny to drop the needle on some of their favorite records — and to test out the sound of the new Wrensilva Record Console Collection.

Manny Marroquin vibes to a record during our listening session.

Beside the green velvet sofa in Larrabee’s Studio 1 Lounge where artists usually hang between recording sessions, the new M1 console — loaded with records fromManny’s discography— took on the centerpiece role. Records by Alicia Keys, Kendrick Lamar, Leon Bridges, and Paramore adorned the console’s walnut hardwoods. It wasn’t long before Scott and Manny delved into a stream-of-consciousness style conversation about music, sound engineering, production techniques, and Wrensilva’s sound.The first record to come out of the sleeve was Paramore’sThis Is Why, which won the 2023 GRAMMY for best rock album, making Paramore the first female-fronted rock band to ever do so. As Manny dropped the needle on their eponymous track, the song’s bouncy beat and guitar delays began booming from our
custom speakers.

Manny Marroquin plays Alicia Keys’ ALICIA album on the Wrensilva M1 Console.

Manny picked up Alicia Keys’ALICIAalbum, displaying four portraits against vibrantly colored backdrops, and dropped the needle on the song “Time Machine” and its ethereal intro sounded like space wind pouring through the speakers. “I’m gonna play Alicia Keys’ ‘Time Machine,’ just because I love the low end and the dynamics on this record.”Then the punchy, driving beat came in and the breathy tone of Keys’ voice hovered perfectly above the bouncy groove of dark synth basslines. The song reached high-pitched falsettos as it headed into a chorus with the most catchy part yet — a descending melody where she sings, “No we can’t rewind / Life ain’t no time machine / but once you free your mind / there’s beauty in everything,” backed by a funky synth bassline from
the future.“That’s as low-endy as you can get,” Manny said as the song ended. “I remember this song blew one of my speakers in the studio. I’ve never played it this loud. It’s one of those songs that has a lot of information, too.”

“That’s EQed the right way.”

Manny Marroquin

At Larrabee Studios Manny listens to a WrensilvaM1 Record Consolein Natural Walnut.

“We make records so that we can sit in this room,” Manny said, “have a glass of wine, have some Wellar bourbon on a big block of ice that melts really slowly. The lights are dim. It’s an experience, and you will remember that moment, maybe not for the rest of your life, but for a very long time. So, you’re creating memories with this.”“How you were describing the aesthetics and the woodgrain,” Manny added in reference to Scott’s description of the woodwork, “when you point that out — it’s art. I’m excited to keep playing with it. I can’t wait to go to different cities in the world and buy vinyl so I can play it here.”“I think that art and commerce, when they meet, this is what you get,” Manny said. “And this is something that everyone, everywhere — I don’t care who you are. I don’t care how old you are — you want to touch it. You want to play something. You want to mess with it.”

The pursuit of Wrensilva Soundis a constant endeavor for us. It began with our founders’ deep roots in music, sound engineering, and design. The first step was to handcraft every console with proprietary electronics and elite audio components. Another crucial step, however, is our collaboration with respected music creators to fine-tune the Wrensilva sound experience. In our listening session with Manny, we discuss exceptional records, studio insights, and the intricacies of the Wrensilva Sound.

World of Wrensilva

Explore all